Liberal win expected to save millions in federal housing funding for Winnipeg from chopping block

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 7:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A antithetic result successful Monday's national predetermination could person enactment hundreds of millions successful national lodging dollars for the City of Winnipeg connected the chopping block.

But with a number Liberal authorities present projected, "it surely looks similar the wealth is going to beryllium there," said  St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to axe galore Liberal spending programs, similar the multibillion-dollar lodging accelerator fund, introduced by the Liberals nether erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau.

The City of Winnipeg agreed to marque sweeping changes to its zoning rules successful speech for $122.4 cardinal from the federal fund, which is intended to velocity up lodging construction.

With polls a fewer months agone suggesting the Conservatives were connected the way to forming government, some, similar St. Vital's Mayes, questioned whether the metropolis should spell up with the changes, which let fourplexes and up to 4 storeys adjacent predominant transit without the request for a nationalist hearing.

Mayes says helium inactive has concerns astir those changes, but the Liberal triumph means astatine slightest the metropolis tin remainder assured it volition get its money.

"If you're lone doing this to get national wealth and past you're not definite if you're going to get the wealth — I deliberation we've resolved that," Mayes said successful an interrogation Tuesday.

The metropolis has already received 2 instalments of $30.6 cardinal from the lodging accelerator fund, but 2 much instalments are expected successful 2025 and 2026. 

The lodging accelerator money isn't the lone semipermanent municipal backing programme that could person been eliminated by a Conservative government.

The metropolis made 2 applications to the Canada lodging infrastructure money — 1 for the southwest sewer interceptor crossing for $31.3 million, and 1 for the biosolids installation astatine the North End Sewage Treatment Plant for $184.1 million.

The national authorities has besides promised the metropolis yearly payments of $11.6 cardinal for 10 years, starting successful the 2026-27 fiscal year, arsenic portion of the Canada nationalist transit fund.

Mayes has criticized aspects of the programs, specified arsenic the request for cities to alteration policies successful bid to entree funding. 

A proceeding connected the projected zoning changes is scheduled for June. Mayes says metropolis unit person made immoderate affirmative changes to their proposals, but helium worries that the city's projected 60-foot (18-metre) minimum batch width for fourplexes without backmost lanes is excessively narrow.

"It does look similar we'll person the week-long proceeding that we person scheduled. I inactive person an unfastened caput astir the details, but I deliberation we're going to person to spell guardant and person the proceeding [and] surely spot what that produces," Mayes said.

Mayor Scott Gillingham says he's gladsome the metropolis has held up its extremity of the backing agreements, including readying the hearing connected the projected zoning changes.

"It was precise important that we support our course, proceed to enactment successful bully religion successful accordance with the presumption of the lodging accelerator money statement that we, arsenic the City of Winnipeg, signed," helium said.

He says his apical precedence remains getting backing to decorativeness the North End Sewage Treatment Plant.