In Episode 27 you’ll hear the details of two late-week public affairs developments we’ve led the way on – the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region’s failed attempt to strong-arm Rural Municipalities into supporting their power grab; and the forbidden solution for bus driver safety.
Part 1- The NDP passed Bill 4, which gives dissident members of the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (WMR) – a way to exit the organization. It’s now being more formally referred to as the Capital Planning Region (CPR) to try to get the public to forget it’s led by the same elected politicians that mocked and insulted them for daring to have questions about their vaunted Plan20-50.
By coincidence, Marty Gold returned to Niverville to host a sports event on Saturday and heard some reflections from locals on how Plan20-50, fell apart before a public hearing in their town even started. The WMR by-law would have given Mayor Scott Gillingham a veto over the development, planning, zoning and agricultural rules of all the other 17 municipalities.
Outraged citizens complained about an incomplete and jargon-filled document many felt was ramming through a UN / 15 Minute Cities agenda with fake public consultations and a sleepy press keeping the public clued out- until Marty explained how Gillingham could stop it.
And now, the first brick is about to fall from the WMR empire. Listen to the proposal being put before the City of Selkirk council to leave the Plan20-50 crowd and the reasons why.
It’s clearly explained how rotten the experience of being forced by the Pallister government to be enrolled in the first place was.
(Related- Oct 7 2024- Browaty Says Plan20-50 Problems Started With Pallister )
We describe how Wab Kinew’s “Freedom Bill” has a few tricky procedural hoops, and some unfinished business between Selkirk and the WMR.
15.00- “Et Tu, Winnipeg?” We explain why Mayor Gillingham and City Councillors are going to have to hold a very public discussion about the WMR before the next municipal election. That means tell taxpayers where they stand, and listen to the people about whether or not elected politicians wanting to be “just like the GVRD” and become centralized planning overlords is in the best interest of Winnipeggers.
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24.30 PART 2 – The city has $2.7 million to spend to develop, produce and install full barriers to shield transit operators from ever-increasing violence.
You’ll hear Marty describe what that can be like- because he went through it in the late 1980’s as a driver representative when cabbie murders spurred a Manitoba Workplace Safety committee led by Prof. Wally Fox-Decent to explore taxicab shields.
“It’s a crazy world out there and … this council is focussing heavily on improving transit, and we want our drivers to be safe,” Coun. Janice Lukes said.
As chair of Public Works, she’s all-in on bus driver safety- but silent about protecting bus riders. This is on the eve of implementing the Transit route revamp she justifies by saying it will get more people to take the bus.
32.35- Unspoken by Lukes or even the ATU local 1505, is the acknowledged reason behind 90% of Transit incidents. But just like lawbreakers who panhandle on roadways and panhandle at night, violence-minded fare skippers also don’t face the music.
( Related- June 28 2024- Putting The Brakes On Transit Freeloaders )
35.40- What is the “fare evasion prevention strategy”? Only TGCTS has the details from City Hall.
Despite tough talk last year, and the proclamations that more residents will soon take a bus, nothing new has – or will – be implemented. And bureaucrats say “education” will solve the problem instead.
Estimates of revenue loss from scofflaws is between $6M and $10M a year.
Instead of trying to collect from the noted cheapskates, and keep freeloading troublemakers off the buses, Lukes wants to spend another $2.7 Million tax dollars on safety yet let them continue to ride for free to drink, inject drugs, smoke crack, and horrify and intimidate students, seniors and new Canadians who won’t be protected by a shield.
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Recent columns in the Winnipeg Sun:
https://winnipegsun.com/opinion/columnists/gold-oseredok-becoming-a-cultural-hub-in-east-exchange
