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This article was published 11/3/2020 (191 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A city councillor wants to review Winnipeg’s practice of devoting the bulk of new spending to roads, to free up money for other priorities.

During a property and development committee meeting on Wednesday, Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) told delegates road renewal investment is a key reason so many other cuts are proposed in the 2020-2023 budget.

"I think we have a bit of an imbalance in the way we’re funding roads versus community services, quality-of-life items," Lukes told reporters after the meeting.

The budget proposes to spend $130 million on roads in 2020, $151 million in 2021, $161 million in 2022 and $136 million in 2023.

Lukes said that construction should create jobs, boost the economy and does reflect a top priority for Winnipeggers. Yet she believes it’s time to consider freeing up some of that money for other priorities.

"We’re really seeing flat budgets on many other areas that are quality of life … (issues) to the citizens of Winnipeg," said Lukes.

For example, the councillor said she’s interested in diverting some of that cash to avoid a major cut to the downtown enhancement grant.

The preliminary budget proposes to cut that grant from $333,000 in 2019 to nothing for 2020 and 2021. The budget would rise to $100,000 in 2022 and $228,000 in 2023, if the budget passes as is.

Lukes’ comments followed calls to reverse that cut and others. Two business leaders asked the committee to avoid the downtown grant cut, since the grant is meant to enhance accessibility, safety and the environment of the city’s core.

The BIZ representatives suggested Winnipeg should devote parking revenues raised downtown and in the Exchange District to investments within those neighbourhoods instead.

"(This idea is) not an unprecedented thing, in fact it’s becoming the norm throughout North America," said David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ.

Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Arts Council argued a public arts cut, which is slated to reduce that budget from $200,000 in 2020 to nothing in each of the following three years, would hinder culture and quality of life.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), chairman of the downtown development committee, said the call to restrict parking revenue to a few specific communities would create new budget woes.

"If they keep all of the revenue for themselves, then that just creates a hole somewhere else," he said.

Mayes also questioned the call to consider a shift of roads funding to other priorities, noting Winnipeg’s 2.33 per cent annual property tax hike comes with a promise to dedicate two per cent to roads and 0.33 per cent to rapid transit.

"The tax increase that we put in was designed to go toward the roads, so it would be a pretty big change in our commitment if we reversed that," said Mayes.

At the end of the meeting, the property and development committee opted to pass its department’s budget as is, which only Lukes voted against.

The budget can still be changed before council casts a final vote on March 25.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

@joyanne_pursaga