Exclusive poll suggests Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman’s popularity is dropping

WINNIPEG — It appears the honeymoon is over as new numbers suggest approval ratings for Mayor Brian Bowman at an all-time low since he took office.

An exclusive Global News/CJOB 680 Insightrix poll show 43 per cent of Winnipeggers would rate Bowman’s performance positively.

“In general, these are still fairly strong numbers for a mayor heading into the middle of this term,” said Royce Koop, political scientist and professor at the University of Manitoba. “What we do see is the mayor encountering more issues that are difficult to deal with.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "In general, these are still fairly strong numbers for a mayor heading into the middle of this term," said Royce Koop, political scientist and professor at the University of Manitoba. "What we do see is the mayor encountering more issues that are difficult to deal with."

Furthermore, two in five people, or 39 percent of respondents, said the mayor is doing a fair job and 19 per cent rated him poorly.

“We are seeing some shifts in terms of his popularity that we once called ‘Bomentum’ around the election,” said pollster Lang McGilp. “We’re certainly seeing the honeymoon wrapping up and I think some of these contentious issues (like growth fees) are impacting his ratings.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are seeing some shifts in terms of his popularity that we once called 'Bomentum' around the election," said pollster Lang McGilp. "We're certainly seeing the honeymoon wrapping up and I think some of these contentious issues (like growth fees) are impacting his ratings."

The mayor’s popularity rating has been steadily declining over the past year and a half.

READ MORE: 63% of Winnipeggers approve Brian Bowman’s performance as mayor: poll

In September 2015, a Probe Research poll found 77 per cent of people reported they approved of his performance. Fast forward nine months and those numbers take a big dip.

In June, a Mainstreet Research/Postmedia poll that found 63 per cent of respondents approved Bowman’s performance as mayor. The poll also said 27 per cent disapproved of the job Bowman was doing.

Now, 57 per cent of Winnipeggers polled said Bowman is not doing a very good job.

However, Bowman said he doesn’t pay much attention to poll results.

“Polls are a snapshot in time,” he said. “We’ve got lots of work to do here and ultimately I take my marching orders from the support and the mandate that I was fortunate enough to obtain from Winnipeggers on Election Day. What I was hired to do was to effect positive change and to ensure we are positioning this city for growth in.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Polls are a snapshot in time," he said. "We've got lots of work to do here and ultimately I take my marching orders from the support and the mandate that I was fortunate enough to obtain from Winnipeggers on Election Day. What I was hired to do was to effect positive change and to ensure we are positioning this city for growth in."

At the end of August, Bowman suggested adding growth or development fees to new homes in the city which could mean an additional charge of $18,302 on an 1800 square foot home.

A 127-page report brought forward at City Hall recommended Winnipeg implement growth fees on new developments. Those regulatory fees could fund capital projects throughout Winnipeg so that “new development pays for new development.”

However, the proposal came with stark controversy from developers and from many throughout the city.

“Right now the growth issues are the major issue in Winnipeg,” said Koop.  “It’s not just about the substance of the issue. Iit’s about the style that the mayor has used to approach the issue. It doesn’t reflect the cooperative, consensual approach that he presented during the election campaign.”

While Bowman agrees there is a big divide in the city when it comes to growth fees, and they likely haven’t helped his popularity, he said there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

“I’m feeling invigorated. We are sinking our teeth into issues that have been put off for far too long and in many cases were affecting the kinds of change that Winnipeggers are expecting,” said Bowman. “At the end of the day we have a job to do. Members of council and I were elected to make decisions… make decisions for the long-term interest of Winnipeg and really ensuring that we’re building a city and positioning it for growth.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm feeling invigorated. We are sinking our teeth into issues that have been put off for far too long and in many cases were affecting the kinds of change that Winnipeggers are expecting," said Bowman. "At the end of the day we have a job to do. Members of council and I were elected to make decisions… make decisions for the long-term interest of Winnipeg and really ensuring that we're building a city and positioning it for growth."

Earlier Monday, Global News released poll results showing Winnipeggers are divided on growth fees.

RELATED: Prospective growth fees causes concern for new homebuyers

The poll suggested 49 per cent of Winnipeggers opposed growth fees and 43 per cent supported them.

Pollsters said the growth fee debate is one reason Bowman is now seeing a big dip in his approval ratings.

“This happens when individuals are in office for a longer period of time; they have to start addressing some issues that aren’t necessarily the most popular,” said McGilp. “When they make tough decisions we tend to see approval ratings can sort of decline.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This happens when individuals are in office for a longer period of time; they have to start addressing some issues that aren't necessarily the most popular," said McGilp. "When they make tough decisions we tend to see approval ratings can sort of decline."

Bowman took office nearly two years ago after being elected as mayor in October 2014.