WINTRUP: Plan20-50 is a failure, now we need to find a good plan for ‘planning’

Article content

Metro Plan20-50 is dead. Long live Metro Plan20-50.

Article content

City planning typically falls well under the public’s radar. But when there is an issue, it is a big drama that plays out messy in public, blowing back critically upon elected officials.

Professional sporting teams face similar situations: owners, executives, coaches, and players all plan for the season. The team prepares behind [relatively] closed doors. When the team hits the playing field, the flaws, deficiencies, and imperfections go on full display under the glaring eyes of a paying public. Mike Tyson summed it up best, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the nose.

Sporting teams’ plans and performances, particularly after a punch to the nose, go under a magnifying glass to find out what went wrong, and what course corrections are needed to advance to a win. Great teams will constantly self-evaluate, even after a win, and make the necessary changes to continually self-improve to fix what is not going well.

Article content

Article content

Metro Plan20-50 is one plan that flew under the radar until being exposed to the glaring eyes of a taxpaying public when it was punched [figuratively] hard in the nose. Steady, intense negative verbal and written responses against the plan, the process and the elected officials promoting the plan were made by a widespread opposition including elected officials, civic administrators, citizens, non-governmental organizations and special interest groups.

An easy reaction would be to tune-out or dismiss this opposition. To downplay concerns as coming from ignorance or being expressed by bad people. Or to disregard this opposition as being immaterial and out-of-step. You can turn on your television and see how this approach works in the politics of the United States, leading to growing demonization, dissatisfaction, and deepening divisions.

Article content

To quote Barak Obama, “We recognize that the world is moving fast, that they [fellow citizens] need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority, one that can get things done.”

Premier Kinew’s announcement that the dissatisfied municipalities will have the freedom to withdraw, delivered a [figuratively] decisive right cross to Metro Plan20-50. What now, if Metro Plan20-50 is knocked out?

In fairness to the Manitoba NDP, no promises were made during the last election campaign about “planning.” At most, a “motherhood and apple pie” pledge to build more affordable homes. Other governments and political parties have taken substantial actions on “planning”:

Article content

• BC’s NDP government has accelerated planning and development approvals by local governments, including supporting inclusive zoning
• Ontario’s PC government has changed provincial and local planning to accelerate housing supplies
• The Saskatchewan Party has established 30 goals by 2030 for our western neighbour, completed a Growth Plan, and the Saskatchewan Housing Action Plan
• All major federal parties now speak the planning language with pledges to advance housing growth in Canada

Many agree good planning is needed for Manitoba. Duane Nicol, City Manager [CAO] of Selkirk, who wants out of Metro Plan20-50, tweeted on Aug. 17, “Everyone supports collaboration & good planning. Plan20-50 & Bill 37 that created the WMR aren’t those things.”

Article content

Mayor Scott Gillingham, a driver of Metro Plan20-50, wants this regional plan to ensure potential investors and business will be attracted to the Winnipeg area.

Both the NDP and the PCs have tried in the past to advance good planning in the Capital Region: Gary Doer’s NDP government passed the Capital Region Partnership Act that created the forerunner of the Winnipeg Metro Region [WMR]. Gary Filmon’s PC government laid the groundwork with a task force to examine creating a Capital Region framework.

Clearly, the capital region municipalities have not been able to collaborate on good planning to coalesce around a plan. Manitoba’s government needs to fill the void and articulate to the public the provincial position on “planning” matters. What is the provincial view for the future planning of the capital region? Will the province overlook the widely reported perceived issues persistently plaguing Winnipeg’s planning and land development the last few years? Will the province stand back and continually let others fill the void, such as the federal parties and the courts, to address Winnipeg’s planning affairs?

Article content

The province’s starting point should be to find out what went wrong with Metro Plan20-50. Is it the plan’s content? The planning process? The WMRs powers and framework? Some have suggested a very small staff of the WMR worked on this file. Was underfunding a cause? How much taxpayer money was spent on Metro Plan20-50? How much is needed to correct the situation?

Considering the amount of money collected in taxes from residents, especially compared to the price of sporting season tickets, a plan “lost” such as Metro Plan20-50 should get the same level of analysis and scrutiny as dedicated to the local sports teams.

The NDP 2023 election platform did commit “more government transparency” and “stronger independent oversight.”

This is still all in your hands Premier Kinew, what’s your plan for “planning” in Manitoba?

— John Wintrup is a life-long Winnipegger, urbanist, globetrotting explorer of cities, Harvard student, and professional planner, graduating in 1999 with a M.Sc. Planning degree from the University of Toronto and holder of planning accreditations in both Canada and the United States.

Article content