Winnipeg's mayor-elect talks downtown, CentrePort, relationship with province in meeting with premier

Downtown safety, a major expansion of an inland shipping port and a commitment to keeping the lines of communication open between city hall and the legislature were among the topics Scott Gillingham says he discussed in his first meeting  with Manitoba's premier following his mayoral election victory.

Winnipeg's mayor-elect told reporters following the meeting that he and Premier Heather Stefanson are committed to having "a good relationship between the city and the province — one that is mutually beneficial and one [where] we're working to build a stronger Winnipeg together."

That meeting at the Manitoba Legislative Building Thursday afternoon came just hours after Gillingham eked out a victory in Winnipeg's tight mayoral race Wednesday night.

The former St. James councillor triumphed with 27.54 per cent of the vote in his bid for the top spot. His closest competitor among the 10 others running, former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray, got 25.29 per cent. 

Reporters were invited to sit in on a brief interaction between Gillingham and Stefanson just before their private meeting, where the premier congratulated the mayor-elect.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you," she told Gillingham, who concurred before the two leaders shook hands.

Gillingham, who will be sworn in next Tuesday, told reporters the topics they addressed included a commitment to funding for Winnipeg's Downtown Community Safety Partnership and the major planned expansion of CentrePort Canada in the city's northwest. 

The province pledged last week to double its funding for that project to prevent it from being held up by a lack of federal cash — an update Gillingham said on Thursday he appreciated.

He said he also hopes to continue developing the relationship outgoing Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman has cultivated with Stefanson and the province, since she was chosen last year to lead Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party. 

That leadership change happened after the departure of Stefanson's predecessor, former premier Brian Pallister, with whom Bowman had a distant relationship, describing him as "less than collaborative."

"I do credit Mayor Bowman and Premier Stefanson for improving the relationship," Gillingham said.

"The relationship between the province and the city has improved over the last several months and I want to continue to build on that."

One topic Gillingham said he did not touch on in his meeting with the premier was his campaign pledge to seek a deal to link provincial operating grants to growth in provincial sales tax revenue or urban gross domestic product.

He said certainty around provincial funding will be part of regular discussions with the premier.

In a statement released later Thursday, Stefanson congratulated Gillingham on his win and said they also discussed infrastructure spending on the second and third phases of the North End wastewater treatment plant and moving Winnipeg's transit system "to a cleaner, greener future."

Stefanson's statement said she and Gillingham also committed on collaborating to "help make our communities safer, improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable, and support law enforcement officers."

Bringing people together

The share of the vote Gillingham won with on Wednesday was the lowest popular vote percentage of any Winnipeg mayor in recent memory. 

With the city's voter turnout at 37 per cent, the mayor-elect also has one of the weakest mandates in modern Winnipeg history — something he said he hopes to start addressing now.

"The theme of my campaign from Day 1 was uniting to build a stronger Winnipeg. Now, I need to do that," Gillingham said.

"When I look at the voter turnout and then look at the way the vote broke down because of so many candidates in the race, that's the work that I'm committed to do, and to try my best to pull people together. And we'll start by pulling councillors together."

Gillingham said he planned to call all 15 city councillors on Thursday and hoped to also meet with each of them before he's sworn in next week, repeating his intention to develop a new strategic plan for the city.

He said he hasn't yet decided who will sit on council's six-person executive policy committee, which functions as the mayor's inner circle and cabinet. 

Five members of Winnipeg's new council endorsed Gillingham in his bid for mayor: Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River), Shawn Dobson (St. James), Janice Lukes (Waverley West) and Russ Wyatt (Transcona).

Four endorsed Murray: Matt Allard (St. Boniface), Ross Eadie (Mynarski), Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) and Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan).

Gillingham said while political races are competitions, after the votes are counted "it's time to move ahead to build together" — and he said he plans to take a collaborative approach to any conflict that arises.

"I like to go to the person and try to work things out. I do recognize that politics is politics, right? There's times that people are inevitably on the opposite side of an issue. That's going to happen," he said. 

"That's not a bad thing. But where possible, I'll be working with people and trying to meet with them to resolve issues."

Busy day for incoming Winnipeg mayor-elect Scott Gillingham

2 years ago

Duration 1:51

Downtown safety, a major expansion of an inland shipping port and a commitment to keeping the lines of communication open between city hall and the legislature were among the topics Scott Gillingham says he discussed in his first meeting with Manitoba's premier following his mayoral election victory.