A moment for bold choices

“WE’RE GOING TO SOLVE WINNIPEG’S PROBLEMS — TOGETHER.”

 The 2026  finds Winnipeg at a moment of enormous risk and  potential. The toxic drug and homelessness crisis is denying people their  human rights to dignity and basic needs while making life more complex  for local neighbourhoods and the downtown. Public safety is top of mind  for many, and there is increasing recognition of the need for community based solutions to help all achieve a good life, while addressing the  root causes of poverty and crime. The major overhaul of the City transit  system in 2025, without any increase to stagnant operating funding, left  many transit riders angry as their commutes are much longer than before.  Strategic investment in active transportation, public transit, and transit oriented development is essential to Winnipeg’s quality of life and climate  goals, yet the City continues to invest in low-density, car-dependent  infrastructure. For decades, Winnipeg’s municipal leaders have responded to  financial pressures by keeping taxes low and directing new revenues  primarily toward roads and policing, while other programs and  infrastructure have seriously deteriorated. Since 2012, almost all new  property tax revenue has been directed to roads and policing. Spending  cuts have further weakened public spaces and community programs that  help the health and wellbeing of Winnipeggers, such as the closing of  Happyland Pool in 2025. The 2023 closure of Community Connections at  Millennium Library, for example, removed important crisis-support and  de-escalation services from the downtown core. This approach is not sustainable. If Winnipeg is serious about its  commitments to reconciliation, poverty reduction, community well-being,  and climate action, it needs a new financial and policy strategy — and the  courage to invest in it. The 2026 provides a realistic, fully-costed blueprint for doing just  that. It proposes progressive approaches to raising revenue, placing a  greater responsibility on those with the greatest ability to contribute while  creating incentives that support broader policy goals. Importantly, the AMB demonstrates that these investments can be  made while balancing the budget. The choice is not between fiscal   responsibility and better public services. The choice is whether we are  willing to raise sufficient revenue to build the city Winnipeggers need now  and into the future.