Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/3/2019 (565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg councillors had been waiting six days to see the list of residential streets that would not be visited by city work crews this year, as a result of a funding dispute with the province.

Turns out, it’s all of them.

Councillors on the public works committee were shocked when department officials told them no residential street work will be done in 2019.

"I was not aware of this," a surprised Scott Gillingham, chairman of council’s finance committee, told the Free Press. "I understood a list was being developed and presented to councillors, but this is the first time I’ve seen this."

When Gillingham and Mayor Brian Bowman released the preliminary 2019 budget last week, their solution to cover a reported $40-million shortfall from the province for roadwork was to make it up over two years, scaling back the amount spent by $20 million in 2019 and 2020.

Gillingham said he had no idea it would cut all planned residential street work.

"This speaks to the impact of the $40-million hole in the 2018 budget that has been left by the province," he said. "I knew the impact was going to be substantial, but I didn’t know this."

The committee was told the department had a list of 53 streets and 11 lanes — $40 million worth of residential street work — that would have been rebuilt this year. Now, they won’t be.

Jim Berezowsky, director of public works, sprang the news on the committee Thursday, while they were reviewing the department’s budget.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Coun. Scott Gillingham: “I knew the impact was going to be substantial, but I didn’t know this.”

The preliminary budget stated $21.9 million would be spent on local streets this year, but Berezowsky said only $14.5 million of that was actually for significant road rehabilitation.

Of the $14.5 million, however, Berezowsky said $9 million had already been allocated to streets in industrial areas, adding the remaining $5.7 million had already spent on engineering design for street work that now won’t be done this year.

Berezowsky told the committee the work wasn’t cancelled but deferred, explaining street work planned for 2019 would be done in 2020 and 2021.

Gillingham said the city will still do work on regional streets this year, which the province agreed to fund to the tune of $64.5 million.

He said council will have to decide if there are any options to restore some or all of the residential work, which might include an additional property tax increase or borrowing.

"I will listen to what council colleagues and stakeholders will say, and council will ultimately make the determination when we vote to adopt the budget," Gillingham said.

Typically, the amount of street work done each year is spread equally among the 15 wards. With only $14.5 million in total nominally set aside for this year, it would have been less than $1 million for each ward — which would not have amounted to much work.

Berezowsky said there will be $3 million in thin bituminous overlay work done this year (a thin layer of asphalt placed on streets), along with $800,000 for sidewalk renewals along residential streets, $500,000 for recreational walkways and bike-path renewals, and $365,000 for back-lane engineering design.

The committee endorsed the department budget without any changes.

Earlier, the committee endorsed the Winnipeg Transit budget for 2019, also without recommending any changes.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca