Coun. Sherri Rollins quits Winnipeg's executive policy committee, says too little information flows to council

Coun. Sherri Rollins abruptly resigned from Winnipeg city council's executive policy committee on Tuesday, leaving Mayor Scott Gillingham with a vacancy in his inner circle.

The six-year councillor for Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry said too little information is flowing to members of council and she chose to "withdraw my labour" from EPC rather than continue serving on city council's most powerful committee.

Rollins, who has served on EPC since she was first elected to council in 2018, met her committee colleagues prior to a regularly scheduled meeting of the committee Tuesday, but did not attend the meeting itself.

She sent a letter of resignation to the mayor about 25 minutes after the meeting ended, while Gillingham was speaking to reporters in a routine question and answer session.

"I'm concerned about the provision of information to council," Rollins said in the lobby of city hall's council building, and she has particular concerns about the delays in hiring the city's next police chief and chief administrative officer.

"We haven't had a police chief since Labour Day, and I'm concerned about the lack of momentum on the CAO search."

Gillingham thanked Rollins for her time on the executive committee, where she served as chair of property and development.

The mayor said he was not sure precisely why she resigned, but said she had a difference of opinion about the province's plan to move homeless people from encampments and into public housing.

"One of the things that perhaps we don't see eye to eye on is the way the city is responding to the provincial plan to end homelessness," Gillingham said.

The committee voted Tuesday to not continue cleaning up encampments in light of the provincial plan.

Coun. Evan Duncan (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood), a member of EPC, surmised that could have been the source of conflict between Rollins and her committee colleagues.

Rollins said while she has a significant number of encampments in her ward, which includes a section of the Assiniboine River, she supports the provincial plan to move people out of encampments and denied the cleanup issue served as the catalyst for her resignation.

"While that wasn't the reason necessarily why I resigned today, it is a bit emblematic of that access od council to the public service that I think is really critical to underline," she said. "Winnipeggers really deserve that transparency."

Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West), another EPC member, said she enjoyed working with Rollins but also said serving on the committee comes with a lot of pressure.

Gillingham said he will take some time before he appoints someone new to EPC. Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), who also sits on the committee, said it's unclear whom Gillingham will choose.

As of now, there are no left-of-centre councillors on the six-member committee. Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas), a centrist member of EPC, declined comment.

Rollins acknowledged the departures of Couns. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) and John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) have changed the complexion of EPC but offered no opinion on who should replace her.

Coun. Sherri Rollins quits Winnipeg's executive policy committee

7 hours ago

Duration 2:10

Winnipeg's mayor now has a vacant seat in his inner circle. Longtime member councillor Sherri Rollins unexpectedly resigned from the executive policy committee today.