Mayor Profile

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Scott Gillingham

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

Mayor-elect Scott Gillingham arrives at his victory celebration at the Clarion Hotel in Winnipeg on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. 
(COLIN CORNEAU / CHRISD.CA)

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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

  • 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"

Primary Transit Network approved and launched

Budget Priorities

  • 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)

Increased funding for:

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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 Problems

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 neighbourhoods (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

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TRANSIT VOTING RECORD & POSITION

Winnipeg Transit Master Plan (April 29, 2021): Approved before he became mayor

Primary Transit Network Implementation Plan (June 27, 2024): Approved by Council during his tenure

His Position: Strong supporter of the overhaul

  • Rode first bus on launch day (June 29, 2025)

  • Publicly defended changes: "We need a modern transit service for a modern growing city"

  • Acknowledged his own commute now requires a transfer

  • Responded slowly to complaints (took until September 2025 to ask for late-night service costing)

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KEY VOTES & POSITIONS

Budgets

2023 Budget: 3.5% property tax + frontage levy increase

2024-2027 Multi-Year Budget: 3.5% property tax increase

2026 Budget: 3.5% property tax increase

Major Projects

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

Kenaston Boulevard widening: Supported (in progress)

Chief Peguis Trail extension: Supported (in progress)

Source Links:

  • https://globalnews.ca/news/10152007/winnipeg-property-tax-increase/

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Kept Promises

  • Property tax increases as pledged

  • Extreme weather shelter policy

  • Budget focus on infrastructure, transit safety, trees

Broken/Stalled Promises

  • 270 modular housing units NOT built after 3 years

  • No fleet electrification target set

  • Transit overhaul severely impacted low-income residents

Biggest Controversy

  • Primary Transit Network launch = disaster for many riders

  • Disproportionate service cuts to vulnerable communities

  • Slow response to widespread complaints