Liberal win expected to save millions in federal housing funding for Winnipeg from chopping block
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A different outcome in Monday's federal election could have put hundreds of millions in federal housing dollars for the City of Winnipeg on the chopping block.
But with a minority Liberal government now projected, "it certainly looks like the money is going to be there," said St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to axe many Liberal spending programs, like the multibillion-dollar housing accelerator fund, introduced by the Liberals under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
The City of Winnipeg agreed to make sweeping changes to its zoning rules in exchange for $122.4 million from the federal fund, which is intended to speed up housing construction.
With polls a few months ago suggesting the Conservatives were on the path to forming government, some, like St. Vital's Mayes, questioned whether the city should go ahead with the changes, which allow fourplexes and up to four storeys near frequent transit without the need for a public hearing.
Mayes says he still has concerns about those changes, but the Liberal win means at least the city can rest assured it will get its money.
"If you're only doing this to get federal money and then you're not sure if you're going to get the money — I think we've resolved that," Mayes said in an interview Tuesday.
The city has already received two instalments of $30.6 million from the housing accelerator fund, but two more instalments are expected in 2025 and 2026.
The housing accelerator fund isn't the only long-term municipal funding program that could have been eliminated by a Conservative government.
The city made two applications to the Canada housing infrastructure fund — one for the southwest sewer interceptor crossing for $31.3 million, and one for the biosolids facility at the North End Sewage Treatment Plant for $184.1 million.
The federal government has also promised the city annual payments of $11.6 million for 10 years, starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year, as part of the Canada public transit fund.
Mayes has criticized aspects of the programs, such as the requirement for cities to change policies in order to access funding.
A hearing on the proposed zoning changes is scheduled for June. Mayes says city staff have made some positive changes to their proposals, but he worries that the city's proposed 60-foot (18-metre) minimum lot width for fourplexes without back lanes is too narrow.
"It does look like we'll have the week-long hearing that we have scheduled. I still have an open mind about the details, but I think we're going to have to go forward and have the hearing [and] certainly see what that produces," Mayes said.
Mayor Scott Gillingham says he's glad the city has held up its end of the funding agreements, including planning the hearing on the proposed zoning changes.
"It was very important that we maintain our course, continue to act in good faith in accordance with the terms of the housing accelerator fund agreement that we, as the City of Winnipeg, signed," he said.
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