Council to mull bringing city staff back to offices
Winnipeg’s mayor says he’d like more city employees to working at the office, though he stopped short of supporting a motion to end work-from-home options entirely.
“I think there’s value in individuals being at the office for collaboration. So, I would like to see more of our staff back at the office,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.
The mayor’s comments followed a motion from Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona), which calls for the city’s chief administrative officer to direct all city employees to return to the office.
“We know, as a fact, that the productivity drops when you’re not working from a workplace,” said Wyatt.
Gillingham said the city’s interim CAO is exploring options to get more employees back to their offices, which will help him decide any next steps.
Wyatt’s motion will be considered next month.
Commandments monument could find new home
The city will seek a new publicly accessible home for the Ten Commandments monument.
On Thursday, council cast a final vote to work with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and other groups to determine where the monument could be placed. That could include a spot in Assiniboine Park, another public space or a privately owned space with public access.
The move rejects a motion to return the monument to the Fraternal Order of Eagles, which donated it to the city in 1965. It was then placed at Assiniboine Park.
The conservancy put the monument in storage in 2017, during the construction of The Leaf. The group later chose not to reinstall the monument, over concerns it might make the park feel less welcoming to some people.
However, many residents urged council members not to remove public access to the monument, arguing it shares universal values.
Grant funding to stay in place, changes delayed
A controversial $2.1-million cut to community and neighbourhood grants has been cancelled.
On Thursday, city council voted against the cut, which would have reduced the funding from $3.4 million per year to $1.3 million and opted not to make changes to the grant intake program until 2026.
The cuts originally aimed to save money. The plan changed after groups who feared their funding would be cut or eliminated rallied against the changes in June.
— staff
Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.