CURRIER: Dysfunction still rules the roost at Winnipeg City Hall

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In conversation with both current and former employees at City Hall, including some city councillors, the word which most often comes up is dysfunction.

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This is unsettling but not entirely surprising. The list of issues at 510 Main Street is lengthy. Every city has problems and this one is no different. What sets Winnipeg apart is that there appears to be little interest in fixing those problems. One councillor said the current administration “fell into the system’s bad habits.”

When a new mayor and council are sworn in hopes are raised that things will run more smoothly, that the administration will no longer be politicized and will actually do the bidding of council, that the mayor’s executive policy committee won’t be a collection of yes people, that the inefficiencies within the system will be rooted out, that goldbricking workers will be canned and good workers rewarded, and maybe, just maybe, we can get our roads in the kind of condition of which we can be proud.

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How are we doing so far? Scott Gillingham and the current council were elected in October of 2022 so we’re not even two years into this term but there aren’t many check marks beside the above files.

Gillingham challenged city staff to create 8,000 new housing permits this year. Sorry folks. Ain’t gonna happen. Not even close. Back when he was elected Mayor, Sam Katz created a Red Tape Commission to help speed things up. The initial results were promising but it was a case of early ripe, early rotten. Enthusiasm fizzled and here we are in 2024 and not much has changed.

Last week St. Vital’s Brian Mayes was replaced on EPC with Point Douglas’s Vivian Santos. The timing was especially curious since Mayes was out of town on City business dealing with his portfolio. He was also only a week shy of having served more days on EPC than the late Bill Clement. Surely the mayor might have waited until Mayes returned to town. EPC changes are generally handled in the fall when council resumes regular sittings.

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As for Santos, that’s a head-scratcher. She has been named Chair of the standing policy committee on community services. Among those departments reporting to her will be the Winnipeg Police Board. You may recall that in 2022 she was supposed to be on that board but failed to pass the necessary security check. She and her husband were known to be friends with at least one alleged drug dealer. Now the Police Board reports to her.

Community Services is a huge file and dumping it on the desk of someone with no business or administrative experience is a clear sign that the mayor simply wants someone on EPC who will do his bidding. Mayes was increasingly at odds with the mayor and it cost him. A fellow councillor said “Mayes is well researched” when dealing with issues. Agree with him or not if the man has his facts straight he shouldn’t be shown the door because he doesn’t buy into everything the staff on the second floor at 510 Main want.

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The committee Chair doesn’t need to know all the answers when it comes to parks, pools, arenas, libraries or business licenses but that person needs to know what questions to ask when the department heads come to see her. If she doesn’t the bureaucrats will know instantly that she can be steamrolled.

We should all wish Ms. Santos best of luck in her new post because if she isn’t up to the task we’ll all pay the price.

— Geoff Currier is a former Winnipeg broadcaster.

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