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Winnipeg Free Press

Time for re-election, or for a re-evaluation?

Opinion His worship, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, has committed to seeking another term in office. One of his top priorities is the completion of the upgrade for the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC), which is crucial if Winnipeg wants to increase housing stock. The plant is 88 years old and has reached capacity, so there is a sense of urgency. Getting this monkey off of city hall's back will entail the benevolence of the province and federal government who ironically have charged the city for last February's gigantic sewage spill at the Abinojii bridge. Concurrently, all three levels of government are also in court fighting a $4.8-billion lawsuit by 11 First Nation communities over its role in the pollution of Lake Winnipeg. Winnipeg's sewer infrastructure is an absolute mess and, if elected, the mayor will be spending his next term stickhandling around lawsuits, environmental arraignments and the implementation of a woefully inadequate sewer master plan. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham plans to run for re-election to finish a series of major projects. During his first term, he was obliged to raise taxes substantially to accommodate infrastructure that had been neglected for decades. His campaign promise of a 3.5 per cent increase soon became 5.95 per cent, and in addition, increases in garbage and sewer rates were levied. As a result, the average sample home will see a tax hike of close to $400/year. We're playing catch up for all those years of tax breaks and are now facing the real costs of flushing toilets and picking up garbage, which will continue to rise. Homeowners should expect to pay for city amenities especially since their properties are increasing in value by leaps and bounds. The real costs of essential services must also be shared with any new or infill construction, Winnipeg is experiencing an infill housing boom thanks to a federal housing initiative which puts pressure on communities still dependent on combined sewers. According to the city's master plan it may take until 2095 to get even close to significantly reducing releases. Citizens are fed up with the pollution of our rivers and lakes and it will take some innovative strategies to overcome what has reached epic proportions in cost overruns and lengthy deferrals. There are two major elephants sitting in the council chambers — an outdated sewage treatment plant and sewers that combine household waste with storm drain flows. With very few exceptions, government contracts far exceed their estimated costs and it is with some relief that a consultant has been hired by city hall to review the treatment plant project in search of efficiencies. In 2015 the estimated cost for revamping the NEWPCC was $795 million, it has now ballooned to $3 billion. This review will cost $180,000 but hopefully will meet Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie's expectations that upgrades will come in under budget, but we shouldn't be holding our breath. There are very few companies willing to take on such a massive undertaking, so awarding the contract under the consultant's fiscal constraints by mid-September may be unrealistic, kicking the project further down the road. Although Winnipeg homeowners are being called upon to pay the piper, the city must also ensure that a levy on new developments include realistic costs for city services. Gillingham has an obligation to ensure projects are brought on in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Council must also recognize that status quo for sewer infrastructure planning is not robust enough to deal with the anomalies of climate change. The department of waste and water will have to revise the master plan for combined sewers slated for review by the province in 2030. In order to make changes to the plan's timeline, Gillingham will be required to arrive cap in hand at the doors of both federal and provincial ministers to desperately procure infrastructure capital. Seeking re-election, the mayor would be wise to summon his departments to review their own efficiencies and accountability and make them public, especially since he is asking for such substantial increases in taxes. It is virtually impossible to interview representatives from the waste and water department or get a full account of what went wrong when 230 million litres of sewage was spilled in to the Red River 17 months ago. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Transparency would make the tax bill a little easier pill to swallow. The mayor needs to get ahead of these chronic problems at city hall. His promise from last year to avoid diluted sewage from going into the river rings hollow. His belief that the city is doing as much as it can doesn't seem to be reducing the billions of litres of raw sewage entering our rivers each year. Contrary to the Gillingham's belief, there's much more to be done to clean our rivers. Is this the mayor to see it through? Dave Taylor has drawn attention to the pollution of rivers in Manitoba for several decades and is a regular contributor to the Free Press. Visit his blog at