Winnipeg mayoral candidates propose policing, housing plans ahead of vote

WINNIPEG — The 12 candidates for Winnipeg mayor have released detailed platforms on policing, public safety and housing ahead of the Oct. 28 municipal election.

Scott Gillingham would ask city council to establish hiring benchmarks for police and firefighters to keep pace with population growth.

Winnipeg presently has 112 firefighters per 100,000 people; he would increase that to 120 per 100,000 people, which works out to 45 net new firefighters.

READ MORE: Seguin mayoral candidates split on amalgamation, housing at community centre forum

READ MORE: Winnipeg mayoral candidate calls for blackout on city announcements during election

The city has 170 police officers per capita; Gillingham would raise that to 194, roughly equivalent to 120 net new police officers.

The new positions would be added over the next five to 10 years.

Kevin Klein promised to form a crime reduction task force that would create a way to measure safety in Winnipeg and come up with recommended solutions.

Former police Chief Devon Clunis would lead the effort and former Liberal MP Robert Falcon-Ouellette has agreed to serve on the task force.

Klein would hire 100-110 more Winnipeg Police Service officers as part of the plan, some of whom would be assigned to patrol parks, transit and neighbourhoods.

He pledged to work with the province to expand use of the drug treatment court as a means of connecting people with treatment when criminal activity is connected to addiction.

Idris Adelakun has promised to add more police downtown.

He says he would work with police and retailers to put cadets in places where theft is an issue.

He also says he would add more police officers dedicated to addressing human trafficking.

Jenny Motkaluk pledged to make streets safer with police and community partnerships, introduce outreach programs for gang-involved youth, and address drug issues through enforcement and treatment.

Rana Bokhari has pledged to create an emergency services division for mental health crises, using civilian responders from community organizations instead of police.

She says she would divert $37 million from the Winnipeg Police Service budget for the new division.

Chris Clacio said residents need clear information about how their tax dollars are being spent and committed to regular expense reporting by the mayor's office.

He promised to set a $200,000 maximum on total annual compensation for the mayor, city councillors and senior city administrators.

Rick Shone promised early intervention for youth and post-incarceration programs to help reduce violence and crime.

He will ensure there are educational resources for youth about sexual exploitation and trafficking, and that young people facing sexual coercion have pathways for immediate support.

Don Woodstock has pledged to institute a 30-day deadline for owners of derelict or vacant properties to decide whether to demolish or redevelop buildings.

As an incentive to build, Woodstock said the city would provide owners with free pre-approved housing designs.

He has proposed stripping buildings of heritage status, allowing them to be renovated or demolished if they have structural problems and sit vacant for more than one year.

As part of his housing plan, Woodstock vows to target properties repeatedly associated with criminal activity.

Landlords would face escalating fines and potential loss of the property if things like drug trafficking or sex trade work occur on the premises.

He also pledged to usher in an anti-littering bylaw framework, modeled after Singapore's system.

It would mandate 500 hours of community service and $5,000 fines for first-time violations, and escalating penalties for repeat offences.

He promises supportive housing for every Winnipegger without a home.

He pledged to establish memorandums of understanding to secure permanent housing in the renovated Bay building, Portage Place, Kapyong Barracks, and through private builders and non-profits constructing affordable housing units.

He has also committed to introducing an encampment-to-housing system that would move people into private residential units.

Gillingham pledged to ask city council's property and development committee to work on simplifying the city's malls-and-corridors zoning rules to increase as-of-right mid-rise housing construction at mall sites and along major corridors.

He would also give business students summer co-op job placements dedicated to the city's housing accelerator team to help boost redevelopment at malls and along corridors for the purpose of housing.

He pledged to partner with universities, colleges, Crown corporations and other public-sector landowners to rezone unused spaces to build more mid-rising housing.

Klein pledged to ensure all demolition applications would be approved within 15 days.

He would ask the city to revise policy so derelict properties could be seized more quickly.

He also promised to waive demolition fees for landowners who rebuild on the vacant property.

He suggested that loss of revenue would be covered through savings from fewer firefighting calls to burning vacant buildings.

Klein would increase fees imposed on owners of vacant buildings.

He plans to launch a one-year pilot project that would open a managed space for homeless people, where they could stay for up to a year and receive access to around-the-clock supports.

He estimated this would cost $45,000 per person.

Klein also would create a mayoral office of community safety and housing outcomes within 30 days.

Shaun Loney promised to repair vacant homes and help get people housed.

Bokhari says she would make it easier for families to buy a home.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette said he will freeze rents and build 1,500 affordable housing units every year.

Shone would bring homeless shelter intake, supports and community infrastructure together within a system.

He wants to put levies on corporations that hold more than three vacant properties in the city.

Glen Murray would look at how the city can use existing infrastructure to build more capacity, matched with denser housing.

He promised to work with developers to build and refit more affordable housing units.

Tim Diack said the city would cover a quarter of the capital costs for a $8.75-million 100-unit supportive housing facility for people without housing who need addictions treatment.

He suggested the facility would be put in an area without existing residential homes and would be secure.

Residents would leave upon completing treatment or opting out.

He estimated annual operating costs to the city at $5.1 million per year.

Diack promised to create a three-year paid apprenticeship program with 10 spots each for police, firefighters and paramedics, and guaranteed jobs for those who complete the program.

He estimated the cost of the program at $1.8 million to $2.2 million per year.

Murray promised to spend more money on addictions care to reduce open drug use.

Woodstock promises to reverse increases to water bills and property taxes.

He says he will stop "wasteful spending" at the city to lower property taxes.

Bokhari has promised to freeze property taxes and water rates at current level.

Your Space Hamilton reported in September that Klein called for a blackout on city announcements during the election, saying incumbents have an unfair advantage.

With files from CBC News