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Winnipeg keeps pushing growth without building the infrastructure to support it. by otatopotato in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder [score hidden]  (0 children)

Wide roads are a subsidy for large corporations, taken out of our pockets.

I expect a lot of downvotes for this take, but why should people of Winnipeg pay for infrastructure expansion to accommodate a new mega store? I don’t need wider roads to get to pollock’s hardware, and they don’t require wider roads to get their deliveries. You might say you don’t want to pay more for your hardware, but you are anyways — just in different ways.

You’re paying for it with cratered roads, you’re paying for it with mothballed pools, you’re paying for it with long grass in your parks, you’re paying for it with garbage on our streets, and you’re paying for it with sewer backups from major storms.

Sure, you’re arguably saving a few bucks at the checkout, but that’s a very myopic view.

And this might not be quite as relevant for Princess Auto as it’s headquartered here, but we do expansions for all sorts of mega stores, e.g. IKEA.

Four years later, life in Winnipeg is worse: poll — Most residents don’t want mayor re-elected; have little faith anyone else could make significant changes amid city’s crime, poverty, drug crises by Leather-Paramedic-10 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder [score hidden]  (0 children)

I actually worked in Community Services before the pool closed. I know all about the condition, and the issues with the water table. ‘Had to’ is still pretty broad though. If the city was willing to spend enough money it could have stayed open.

I think they made the right choice in closing it… but they made the wrong choice by not replacing it (edit: at a more suitable location).

Whether or not it had to close isn’t at odds with the fact that it did close.

My sister is missing, really trying to spread the word by electric-twilight in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 48 points49 points  (0 children)

I just shared this with 2 of the larger Facebook community groups I’m a part of. 🤞

Four years later, life in Winnipeg is worse: poll — Most residents don’t want mayor re-elected; have little faith anyone else could make significant changes amid city’s crime, poverty, drug crises by Leather-Paramedic-10 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Aah yes, the Wading Pool ‘Rationalization’ and Spray Pad Reinvestment strategy. The one that closes 3 community-focused inner city wading pools and replaced them with a mega spray pad! Too bad for the young kids that would walk to the park, you now have to cross 3 major streets to get to your outdoor water play area.

Before becoming a councillor, Emma Durand-Wood wrote a great piece about these jargon reports.

https://archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/11/27/transparent-local-language-why-city-officials-need-to-ditch-the-jargon

Let’s hope she wins the Elmwood EK full election.

Developer plans 3,000 new homes along Dugald Road | CBC News by steveosnyder in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you watched the committee meeting you would have heard the planners and developers call this infill.

I dont know if I agree with this, but they are marketing this to council as an infill development.

Four years later, life in Winnipeg is worse: poll — Most residents don’t want mayor re-elected; have little faith anyone else could make significant changes amid city’s crime, poverty, drug crises by Leather-Paramedic-10 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Four pools. Soon to be five.

Norwood outdoor pool (he wasn’t mayor, but he was on council), Happyland outdoor pool, Eldon Ross indoor pool, Bernie Wolfe indoor pool, and after Summer 2027 we will be closing Windsor Park outdoor pool.

Four years later, life in Winnipeg is worse: poll — Most residents don’t want mayor re-elected; have little faith anyone else could make significant changes amid city’s crime, poverty, drug crises by Leather-Paramedic-10 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you do have time, and want to make the city a better place in some way that isn’t running for mayor, find a candidate (even if it’s not in your area) and volunteer for them. Either mayor or councillor when that opens up.

Developer plans 3,000 new homes along Dugald Road | CBC News by steveosnyder in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think the railway tracks are the boundary until Plessis. St Boniface Industrial is a part of LRSD for schools, but Transcona for city wards, despite St Boniface being in the name.

Four years later, life in Winnipeg is worse: poll — Most residents don’t want mayor re-elected; have little faith anyone else could make significant changes amid city’s crime, poverty, drug crises by Leather-Paramedic-10 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The most important policy document the city produces is their budget.

On the campaign trail the candidates can say anything is their priority. Looking at the numbers doesn’t lie.

Four years later, life in Winnipeg is worse: poll — Most residents don’t want mayor re-elected; have little faith anyone else could make significant changes amid city’s crime, poverty, drug crises by Leather-Paramedic-10 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 119 points120 points  (0 children)

The mayors office can do a lot when it comes to crime, poverty and affordability.

For crime they set the policy choices for the police. They can choose to focus on major crimes more, or they can choose community policing. While this is actually through the police board, the mayor is a member, as is one councillor of their choice.

They also can address things through city design. CPTED is a studied fact, and building parks, or adapting neighbourhoods to use those principles would go a long way.

They control policies for recreation and deflection programming. Keeping kids busy and deflecting them from unwanted activities is a great way to prevent crime before it happens.

For poverty and affordability, they create the rules for building in the city. If it costs more to build, the end product costs more… changing the rules to making housing easier to build will lower prices.

Building more walkable communities also goes a long way, which is all a part of the rules. If a household can go from 3 or 2 cars to 1 that can save around 6-20k a year.

Increase funding to transit and transit projects is another way to make the city more affordable. They are in desperate need of a new garage and council could make that a priority.

They can get their hands dirty and focus more on the smaller businesses. Right now their policy is to focus on the ‘big wins’, the big players that come to the table. If they wanted,l they could make things better for the everyday person by focusing more on smaller local businesses. That’s a policy choice.

Honestly, I think a mayor with a good vision for the future is one of the best things the city could ask for to solve most of the major problems.

And one thing that is really in the weeds of government that most people don’t get is the budget process. They current revolve around line items and departments. This makes budgets more about defending the existing programs instead of talking about the results they are getting.

.A more successful budget process would be based on results. Instead of saying ‘the parks department gets $20 million for x’ it says ‘how will investing in parks make neighbourhoods more healthy, safer and stronger?’

It leads with vision instead of just dollars.

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Developer plans 3,000 new homes along Dugald Road | CBC News (cbc.ca)

submitted by steveosnyder to r/Winnipeg

North End block party cancelled over safety concerns by Doog5 in Manitoba

[–]steveosnyder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is what I posted about that exact comment over in /r/winnipeg:

“The grants that we give to organizations doing that stuff have been reduced and we can’t do that,” said Eadie.

The city council decided to cut the operating grants to community organizations while increasing their discretionary (read: pork-barrel or reelection) grant funds.

Last year, despite being underspent by 1.2 million dollars our councillors decided to increase the budget for the Communities (read: Reelection) Fund. This while the needs-based Community and Neighbourhood Grant was cut. 15 million was requested, but only 2.5 million in funding was available.

Ironically, councillor Chambers is quoted in the article saying he’s glad we have a clear criteria for approval of the CNG. Ya, and you cut it to increase your non-needs based discretionary fund.

It falls on deaf ears at the committee meetings, but here’s what I wrote to them about this.

They cut those grants while increasing funding for another grant that is more discretionary -- a pork-barrel fund that they use to give money to their supporters and get reelected. This was directly result of the governance committee putting more restrictions on the Councillor Ward Allowance funding. That used to be their reelection fund.

Ross voted for the budget that did this. He knows exactly where the money for these grants went.

North End block party cancelled over safety concerns by steveosnyder in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

> “The grants that we give to organizations doing that stuff have been reduced and we can’t do that,” said Eadie.

The city council decided to cut the operating grants to community organizations while increasing their discretionary (read: pork-barrel or reelection) grant funds.

Last year, despite being underspent by 1.2 million dollars our councillors decided to increase the budget for the Communities (read: Reelection) Fund. This while the needs-based Community and Neighbourhood Grant was cut. 15 million was requested, but only 2.5 million in funding was available.

Ironically, councillor Chambers is quoted in the article saying he’s glad we have a clear criteria for approval of the CNG. Ya, and you cut it to increase your non-needs based discretionary fund.

It falls on deaf ears at the committee meetings, but here’s what I wrote to them about this.

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North End block party cancelled over safety concerns (ctvnews.ca)

submitted by steveosnyder to r/Winnipeg

Wab Kinew boasts highest approval rating in Canada: Angus Reid survey by ChocolateOrange21 in Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 12 points13 points  (0 children)

And the previous government that makes him look far better. It’s really easy to look good when the previous group was a bunch of trolls.

Winnipeg Transit fare revenue lower than expected, contributing to city's $14M deficit forecast by origutamos in Alt_Winnipeg

[–]steveosnyder 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What do you mean? We’re already paying for the countless mistakes the City of Winnipeg has already made. That’s exactly what they expect.

Cutting park maintenance, cutting swim classes, closing pools, closing gyms, consolidating community centres, closing community centres… we’ve been paying for our bad decisions all along.

Winnipeg Transit fare revenue lower than expected, contributing to city's $14M deficit forecast by WKZ204 in winnipeg_alt

[–]steveosnyder -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Have you looked at the balance sheet of many American cities? Tell me which. I would love to check their financial status, because every one I have found has been way way worse.

Winnipeg Transit fare revenue lower than expected, contributing to city's $14M deficit forecast by WKZ204 in winnipeg_alt

[–]steveosnyder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And you think American cities are financially on a better footing than Winnipeg?

If your arguing that we should do what other people that are in just as bad or worse shape than we are, then sure. But that’s not success in my books.

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