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Winnipeg mayor must stop spinning the crime numbers
Winnipeg’s mayor needs to stop telling people how much safer the city is becoming. That message may work in a press conference. It may look good in a report highlighting selective statistics. But people living and working in this city know something is wrong. They see it every day on the streets, in their workplaces, and in their neighbourhoods. The public deserves honesty about crime in Winnipeg. Not spin. The city often points to recent police reports that show small declin
Mar 21
Permits Don’t Build Homes and Winnipeg Is Running Out of Time
There is a growing disconnect between what Winnipeg City Hall says about housing and what is actually happening in the market, and it is no longer something that can be brushed aside with another report or announcement. The federal Housing Accelerator Fund committed $122.4 million to Winnipeg with a clear expectation. The city agreed to support the creation of 14,101 new housing units by December 2026. That was not a suggestion. It was a requirement tied directly to funding.
Mar 20
Winnipeg City hall hypocrisy on full display over school taxes
Winnipeg councillors Jeff Browaty and Evan Duncan are now taking aim at rising school board taxes, but the criticism rings hollow. After consistently voting for higher taxes at City Hall, their sudden outrage is not leadership. It is hypocrisy, plain and simple. Their argument is straightforward. School divisions, they say, have increased property taxes by more than 40 percent over four years. That is more than double the City of Winnipeg’s increase of 17.5 percent over the s
Mar 19
Winnipeg mayor must stop spinning the crime numbers
Winnipeg’s mayor needs to stop telling people how much safer the city is becoming. That message may work in a press conference. It may look good in a report highlighting selective statistics. But people living and working in this city know something is wrong. They see it every day on the streets, in their workplaces, and in their neighbourhoods. The public deserves honesty about crime in Winnipeg. Not spin. The city often points to recent police reports that show small declin
Mar 17
Winnipeg doctor’s letter exposes the truth
A letter arrived in my inbox recently from a Winnipeg physician. Dr. Lynn Stevens has practiced medicine in our city for 33 years. Her message was not political. It was personal. And it should concern every Manitoban. Dr. Stevens wrote to the provincial government about what happened when she needed medical care herself. Years ago, she developed pain in both hips during an exercise program. She needed an MRI. The wait time in Manitoba was two years. Instead, she flew to Calga
Mar 14
Winnipeg residents deserve better treatment at City Hall
Winnipeg residents who take the time to stand before city council deserve one thing above all else: respect. They are not lobbyists. They are not paid consultants. They are citizens who care enough about their city to show up at City Hall, often during work hours, to speak about decisions that affect their neighbourhoods, their taxes, and their future. Yet more and more, those residents are being treated as an inconvenience. Last week’s Executive Policy Committee meeting prov
Mar 12
Winnipeg residents deserve better treatment at City Hall
Winnipeg residents who take the time to stand before city council deserve one thing above all else: respect. They are not lobbyists. They are not paid consultants. They are citizens who care enough about their city to show up at City Hall, often during work hours, to speak about decisions that affect their neighbourhoods, their taxes, and their future. Yet more and more, those residents are being treated as an inconvenience. Last week’s Executive Policy Committee meeting prov
Mar 9
Winnipeg Politicians, if You Won’t Respond, Why Hold Office?
In the private sector, there is a simple rule. If you do not return your customer’s call, someone else will. In public office, that rule should be even stricter. Taxpayers are not customers by choice. They fund the operation whether they like it or not. The least they deserve is a response. A Winnipeg resident recently wrote to Mayor Scott Gillingham and every member of council with a series of direct questions about zoning authority and municipal oversight. The questions wer
Mar 9
Winnipeg Homeowners Are Paying More. City Hall Should Prove the Value
A listener of my Inside Politics podcast sent me a note this week that cuts to the core of a growing frustration. Jack from North Kildonan told me his property assessment jumped nearly 19 percent. His point was straightforward. If assessments rise that sharply, the city should lower the mill rate so homeowners are not hit with what amounts to a tax increase dressed up as something else. He is not wrong. When assessments climb and the mill rate stays the same, the city collect
Feb 28
Is This Really Winnipeg’s Biggest Issue?
Winnipeg public service is recommending the default residential speed limit drop from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. Council’s public works committee will debate it March 4. The estimated cost is $525,000, largely for signage and promotion. The stated goal is safety. The question is simple. Is this the biggest issue facing our city today? In recent weeks, a child was attacked on a Winnipeg Transit bus with a baseball bat. That is not a traffic-calming issue. It is a public safety failur
Feb 28
The Top Five Issues holding Winnipeg back, according to Sun readers
Recently, we asked readers a simple question: What is holding Winnipeg back? The responses were consistent. Business owners, professionals, tradespeople, seniors on fixed incomes and young families all pointed to the same five concerns. Crime and public safety. High taxes and rising fees. Social disorder and visible addiction. A weak economic vision. Political division and short-term thinking at City Hall. These are not abstract complaints. They affect daily life, investment
Feb 27
My Top Story for 2025 may surprise you, or it may not.
Every December, newsrooms do what they always do. We debate the biggest story of the year. The arguments come fast. The Grey Cup was a success. The Manitoba PC leadership race produced a winner who actually had fewer votes than the other guy. City hall approved historic property tax increases. Protest permits kept flowing no matter how extreme the cause. An NDP MLA mocked a controversial speaker assignment instead of engaging it. All of those mattered. None of them stood abov
Dec 28, 2025
Canada aims a Bill at believers while protecting extremists
Canada faces a troubling moment when the federal government claims to be fighting hate, yet directs its energy toward policing faith instead of confronting the violence already happening on our streets. Bill C-9 was supposed to deal with genuine threats. It was meant to ban public displays of swastikas and terrorist insignia, and create stronger penalties for intimidation. Most of that is already covered by existing law, which tells you this bill is more political show than r
Dec 11, 2025
Winnipeg City Hall snubs the province in risky power play
There is a moment, every so often, when a government makes a choice that tells you exactly how it sees itself. Winnipeg just had one of those moments. The city’s leadership is signalling that it believes it can effectively overrule the provincial government, ignore the authority of a provincial board, and do so on the advice of its own public service rather than independent legal counsel. That raises a question residents and businesses deserve to ask out loud. Who does the ci
Dec 6, 2025
Manitoba politics hits new low this week
Inside the Manitoba Legislature, every MLA can be addressed as the Honourable Member for their constituency. It is a long-standing parliamentary courtesy meant to signify integrity, seriousness, and respect for their role. Only cabinet ministers, the Premier, and sometimes the Speaker carry the title The Honourable for life, but all members are expected to uphold the standard that title implies when they take their seats. Yet what Manitobans saw again this week looked nothing
Nov 29, 2025
Winnipeg budget 2026 fails firefighter staffing crisis
This is the third column in my series examining the City of Winnipeg’s 2026 budget. Today, we need to talk honestly about fire protection—because the numbers, the experiences, and the consequences can no longer be brushed aside with political spin. In a recent conversation with United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg President Nick Kasper, a troubling picture emerged. It’s one the city’s own audits have been warning about for nearly two decades. The city knows the solutions. They’ve
Nov 28, 2025
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