Over the course of the 2022 Winnipeg election campaign, Global News is sharing the various statements and pledges that are received from candidates for mayor.
Shaun Loney says he’s calling on the other 10 hopefuls on the ballot to release information about donors who have contributed to their campaigns.
Loney released his own donor list Monday — of people who have donated of at least $250 — and said he’d like to see the competition follow suit.
“We are required to make our contributors public in our post-election audit. However, we are releasing this information now as a measure of transparency prior to advance voting that begins tomorrow,” said Loney’s campaign co-manager Dawn Sands.
“We are calling on the other campaigns to release their donor list, their major campaign commitments and full costing of their commitments to give voters the information they need to decide who to vote for.”
Loney’s campaign said his full platform will be released later this week.
Scott Gillingham says if he’s elected, he intends to put a spotlight on recreation and community spaces — which were faced with new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gillingham announced Monday that, as mayor, he would ensure the Parks and Recreation Enhancement Program (PREP) becomes permanent, with funding of at least $1.8 million per year through 2027.
This update, he said, would be enough for each ward to have an annual $120,000 in funding to be used on capital costs for neighbourhood recreation and park projects. Gillingham compared it to the province’s new three-year Arts, Culture and Sport in Communities Fund.
“I’m creating permanent funding for PREP in part to make sure councillors have a funding tool for their communities to help match up with and get best results from this provincial funding program,” he said.
Gillingham said he would propose a one-time 0.25 per cent dedicated property tax increase to fund the initiative.
Candidate Rana Bokhari announced Monday that, if elected, she intends to expand the city’s five per cent accommodation tax to include short-term rentals, such as those on platforms like Airbnb.
“With a shortage of affordable housing in the city, it is frustrating to lose potential housing to the short-term rental market,” Bokhari said in a release.
“However, short-term rentals also provide flexible accommodations and support the local economy. Currently, there are no specific taxes on short-term rentals in the city, yet hotels are charged an accommodation tax of five per cent. ”
Bokhari said the tax would add around $2.2 million a year to city coffers.
Jenny Motkaluk doubled down on her support for Canada Day celebrations at The Forks.
A controversial tweet earned the candidate a great deal of criticism this summer, and in a statement Monday, she said it’s not up to the city to “cave in to the woke mob.”
Motkaluk pledged for Canada Day fireworks and other celebrations to be “here to stay” after a subdued July 1 event was held this year out of respect for the Indigenous community and to reflect on the impacts of colonialism.
Motkaluk said she would ensure the three city appointments to The Forks North Portage Partnership board would be in support of the larger-scale celebration Winnipeggers have known in years past.
She blamed the “divisive voices who bellow over the dedicated, loyal, good-hearted people of our city who value who we are and what we have” for the controversy.