Scott Gillingham

Written By Anna

Mayor of Winnipeg

Term: October 26, 2022 - Present
Previous Role: St. James Councillor (2014-2022), Council Finance Chair
Election Result: Won with 27.5% of vote (53,663 votes) - closest mayoral race in modern Winnipeg history

CAMPAIGN PROMISES (2022)

  1. Property tax increase of 3.5% + $1.50/foot frontage levy to raise $42M/year

  2. 270 units of modular housing on 6 city-owned vacant lots for homelessness

  3. Formal extreme weather shelter policy using public buildings

  4. Active transportation network upgrades ($13M over 3 years)

  5. Tree planting acceleration and urban forest strategy

  6. 1 megawatt locally-owned renewable energy by 2026

  7. Municipal fleet electrification - set target date by end of 2023

  8. Review homeless encampment removal policies

  9. Better transit service with more frequency and reliability

  10. "Easiest city in Canada to do business" initiative

 

Sources:

DELIVERED / IN PROGRESS

PROPERTY TAXES

Delivered 3.5% property tax increases (2023, 2024, 2026) + frontage levy increase

  • 2023: Raised $42M as promised

  • Cumulative 7% increase since election

 

EXTREME WEATHER POLICY

Adopted extreme weather policy for using public spaces as warming/cooling shelters

  • Implemented winter 2022-2023

 

TRANSIT CHANGES

Primary Transit Network approved and launched

  • Winnipeg Transit Master Plan approved April 2021 (before his tenure)

  • Implementation plan approved by Council: June 27, 2024 (during his tenure)

  • Launched: June 29, 2025

  • His role: Presided over approval and championed the launch

  • Called it "biggest overhaul of transit service in our history"

BUDGET PRIORITIES

Increased funding for:

  • Transit safety: $5M for transit security service (2023)

  • Tree canopy: $3.6M (2023)

  • Road renewals: $18.9M increase (2023)

  • North End Sewage Treatment Plant upgrades: $500M (2026 budget)

Sources:

NOT DELIVERED / PROBLEMS

MODULAR HOUSING

270 modular housing units on 6 city lots: NOT BUILT

  • As of Nov 2023 (1 year in office): Identified 13 potential sites, still "narrowing down"

  • As of Oct 2025: Still no units built on city lots

  • Federal funding announced Sept 2025 for modular homes in Winnipeg, but details scarce

FLEET ELECTRIFICATION TARGET

No public target date set for municipal fleet electrification

  • Promise was to set target by end of 2023

  • No evidence this was completed

TRANSIT NETWORK - MAJOR PROBLEM

Primary Transit Network rollout criticized heavily:

Issues identified:

  • 1,200 fewer bus stops (25% reduction from 5,100 to 3,800)

  • Equity problem: Low-income neighborhoods (North End, West End, Downtown) lost up to 3X more stops than rest of city

  • Late-night service cuts: Routes end ~10:30pm, stranding shift workers

  • Longer commutes for many riders (20+ minutes added)

  • Overcrowded buses on some routes

  • GPS tracking failures (10% of fleet)

  • Feedback ratio: 1 positive comment per 100 complaints

Criticism from officials:

  • Coun. Sherri Rollins: System "forgot about the people," disproportionately hurt low-income areas

  • Transit Union President Chris Scott: "They designed it great, but they forgot about the people"

  • Prof. Orly Linovski (U of M): Hurting lower-income people, needs urgent changes

  • 16 community groups endorsed letter criticizing the overhaul

Gillingham's response:

  • Asked Transit to cost out extending late-night service (Sept 2025)

  • Some tweaks made: 6 bus stops relocated, on-request service expanded (Sept-Oct 2025)

  • Major changes delayed until after 1-year analysis period

 

Sources:

Anna
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