Highlights of My Full Platform Costing
I am pleased to share with you highlights of my platform and their associated costs.
I encourage you to share this document with you family, friends and neighbours and challenge other leading candidates who are asking for your vote to match the clarity, transparency and completeness of my Fully Costed Platform.
A complete listing of my campaign pledges, along with the detailed cost projections and where the money will come from, can be found in one convenient document. Visit shaunforwinnipeg.com/platform and see the “Fiscally Responsible Tax Plan” announcement.
Download Full Platform Costing
A MORE AFFORDABLE WINNIPEG
Property tax increase capped at 3.7%, below current inflation and close to wage growth.
Average homeowner will pay about $70 more in 2023.
Slightly below recent average increases in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa.
No Hidden Property Tax Increase
No increase in Frontage Levy
Record increase of $1.50 proposed by Gillingham is equivalent to a 4% property tax increase on a typical home with a 50 foot lot.
Total increase is equivalent to a 7.5% property tax increase for a typical home when increase in Frontage Levy is combined with Gillingham’s proposed 3.5% property tax increase.
$1.50 represents a 28% increase in the current levy of $5.45 and exceeds the 20% that Gillingham voted for in March 2016.
Frontage Levy is regressive—doesn’t reflect a taxpayer’s ability to pay (e.g., house assessed at $1-million on a 50 foot lot pays same Frontage Levy as a modest $250K house with same frontage.).
Full Disclosure of New Taxes and Tax Increases
Eliminate Business Tax offset by increase in commercial property tax beginning.
Aligns with recommendation from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
Only one new tax, a 25 cent day per day levy on commercial parking spaces.
Starting in 2024, revenue of about $9.1-mllion per year will be dedicated to repairing local roads, back lanes and sidewalks, transit improvements and bike infrastructure.
Aligns with recommendations from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, Alternative Municipal Budget and practices in other cities such as Vancouver and Montreal.
Extension of existing 5% Accommodation Tax to short-term rentals booked online (e.g., Airbnb).
Projected annual revenue of $1.5-million dedicated to reversing planned cuts in the preliminary 2023 budget for arts and culture.
Increase in Advertising Signs Business Tax for digital and non-digital signs
Projected annual revenue of $0.5-million also dedicated to arts and culture.
Increase in rates (40% or Toronto’s rates) to match Administration recommendations.
A SAFER WINNIPEG
New approach to reduce burden and cost of emergency services by modernizing relationships with non-profit organizations rather than spending more money.
Non-profits to be compensated from existing budgets for reductions in emergency service dispatches and justice and health care costs they achieve.
Finally breaks the cycle of significant increases in emergency services budgets crowding out resources for all other civic services (e.g., almost 9 of 10 new civic positions created since 1999 have been for emergency services).
Add 1,000+ social enterprise jobs for Winnipeggers with barriers to employment.
Focus to be on people who have been in constant contact with police.
25 Transit Peace Officers.
To be added to buses beginning in late 2023 to de-escalate conflicts, improve driver and rider security and reduce fare evasion.
$3-million annual cost less increased revenue from increased ridership + reduced fare evasion.
New Transit Safety App.
Beginning in 2023 to empower riders and ensure more effective deployment of Transit Peace Officers.
$105K start-up cost in 2023 and $75K per annum from 2024 onwards.
New measures to reduce bike theft.
$12K in 2023 for a new, more effective bike registration system.
$100K from 2023 to 2026 for incentives for community groups and bike retailers to encourage Winnipeggers to register their bikes.
Expanded use of ‘bait bikes’ to deter theft.
$700K from 2024 to 2026 for 200 new bike lockers at civic facilities and major transit hubs.
A CITY TO BE PROUD OF
Community Housing Land Trust.
Increase supply of affordable housing through new $100-million Community Housing Land Trust.
To be funded from a combination of investments from foundations, Winnipeggers through community bonds and creative partnerships with all three levels of governments.
Land Trusts are becoming more popular. They own land upon which non-profit organizations build and/or manage property with investors receiving a social value from their investments.
There are 10,000 foundations in Canada (e.g., The Winnipeg Foundation has $220 million invested in real estate and mortgages).
Reduce homelessness by modernizing relationships between emergency services and non-profits organizations.
This commitment is revenue neutral.
There are groups of people who are unhoused and in frequent contact with civic emergency service providers. These emergency services provides intervention for events that has already occurred. In many cases, there are other interventions that can result in avoided dispatches that cost less than deploying the usual emergency response.
Loney’s plan gives emergency service providers a new tool – the option to pay for the impact that a non-profit intervention has on their system AFTER the outcome is delivered.
Non-profits can use these revenues—plus revenues from similar arrangements with provincial departments of Justice, Health and Family Services—to pay for supportive housing.
Adopt a new Reconciliation Action Plan.
$1-million additional expenditure in 2023 and $3-million total from 2024-2026.
Comprehensive package of 15 measures that includes fast tracking urban reserve partnerships, increased signage promoting Indigenous story, promoting employment and training, violence prevention and respectful behaviour amongst men and boys.
Launch ‘MetroMobility’, a more innovative big-city approach to transit.
Revenue neutral (funded from reallocation of existing $458.7-million transit agreement between City of Winnipeg and federal and provincial governments).
Redirects some funding for purchase of 135 new diesel buses to purchase fleet of electric, dynamically routed shuttle vans to increase transit on demand services and ridership.
Accelerate implementation of Transit Master Plan to 10 years from 25 years.
No fiscal impacts in 2023. Costs from 2024 to 2026 to be determined pending completion of Rapid Transit Downtown Corridors Preliminary Design Study.
City’s cost-sharing portion to come from fees in new transit-oriented developments, new tax on commercial parking spaces, increased ridership, selling carbon credits and lower operating costs.
Launch a ‘Nightlife Mayor’.
$100K in 2023 for salary and convening expenses. Total cost from 2024 to 2026: $325K.
Champion for businesses that operate predominantly at night, especially those related to arts, culture and entertainment.
Facilitate creation of ‘Indigenous Art Hotel’.
No expected budget impact (tax increment financing plus leveraging other existing programs).
Based on successful model from Vancouver, will support local Indigenous artists and attract tourists.
Decline Mayor’s personal transportation allowance and ‘free’ parking’ space.
Mayor is entitled to $550 monthly transportation allowance, $0.15 km to offset gas costs, dedicated parking space at City Hall and annual surface parking card.
Loney will decline the Mayor’s ‘free’ parking space plus the $550 monthly allowance in lieu of $50 per month added to his Winnipeg Transit Peggo card.
No fiscal impact given savings to be reallocated to purchase approximately 8,000 transit tickets for women receiving services from the City’s women’s centres.
A GREENER WINNIPEG
$20.1-million extra for active transportation over the next four years.
$1.5-million increase in 2023 and $18.6-million increase from 2024 to 2026.
Reverses deep cuts in the multi-year budget approved by Gillingham in his role as Finance Chair (i.e., 54% cut in 2023 and a further 50% cut in 2024).
Reverse the neglect and decline of our urban forest.
New Winnipeg Tree Trust to be established in 2023 with funding from fee-for-service agreement with the City of Winnipeg, federal/provincial training programs, philanthropic foundations and selling carbon offsets.
$2-million increase in 2023 budget for tree planting, pruning/removal plus Dutch Elm Disease Control.
Additional funding for 2024 to 2026 budgets to be leveraged from federal 2 Billion Trees Program and Natural Infrastructure Program plus partnerships with community groups.
Accelerate use of natural infrastructure to reduce dumping of raw sewage into our rivers.
Council has already approved $45 million for Combined Sewer Overflow. Plan includes green infrastructure but to be implemented at end of time frame.
Loney’s plan has no fiscal impact in 2023 as green infrastructure will be prioritized where it is more effective and faster to implement to prevent storm water run-off in areas with single-pipe sewage and stormwater systems.
Green infrastructure added in 43 districts via 10 percent of Council’s $45 million CSO Master Plan allocation accelerated to begin in 2023 with 2.5% added annually for four years.
Expand City of Winnipeg Office of Sustainability.
Fiscal impact in 2023 is $1-million (reallocation of windfall revenue from civic tax on energy bills). Total fiscal impact from 2024 to 2026 is $3-million.
City of Winnipeg has far fewer staff working on energy and climate issues than other Canadian cities that we compete with.
Additional staff required to support development of new initiatives to help Winnipeggers reduce their energy bills.
Help Winnipeg families and businesses switch from natural gas heating to electric heat pumps.
Revenue neutral (capital and operating costs offset by revenue from monthly financing fees).
City’s water and waste department to install residential loops for geothermal heat pumps, just like it does with water piping.
Businesses will be able to finance heat pump installations through their property tax bills to enjoy immediate savings.
Launch Community Solar Action Plan.
Measures include: (1) New civic buildings and major renovation projects must incorporate solar power; (2) New developments to be optimized for solar power; (3) Community-scale solar power to be installed at select civic community centres, utility rights-of-way, parking lots and other civic properties. (4) Expedited and simplified permit and inspection process for solar projects.(5) Bulk purchasing by City of Winnipeg with integration of federal and provincial incentives to reduce upfront costs; (6) Financing through property tax bills to remove remaining upfront costs; (7) Working with other partners to develop solar workforce strategy.
Fiscal impacts: (1) Increased capital costs offset by reductions in long-term operating costs; (2) $50K for external technical support to inform development of new by-law and ‘solar-ready’ guidelines; (3) Capital and operating costs offset by revenue from solar-generated electricity with financing provided by investments by Winnipeggers, businesses and foundations; (4) (5) No cost (policy and administrative reform); (6) Increased borrowing costs offset by payments by borrowers with losses from payment defaults secured by property; and (7) $25K for labour market research and training needs assessment.
Assist Winnipeggers transition to electric vehicles.
Package of measures includes: (1) Establishing Civic Zero Emission Vehicle Advisory Committee; (2) Installing at least 500 public EV Level 2 charging stations within four years including on City properties and curbside; (3) Expanding proportion of civic vehicle fleet that are EVs; (4) Designating preferential parking for EVs at civic facilities for the general public, carshare co-ops and delivery vehicles; (5) Streamlining approval and permitting process for the installation of EV chargers; (6) Supporting on-street charging options for Winnipeggers without access to off-street parking or the ability to install a charger; (7) Introducing a ‘EV-ready’ by-law for new developments and major renovation projects; (8) Offering homeowners, condo boards, landlords and fleet operators installed EV chargers with upfront costs paid back on property tax bills; (9) Making Winnipeg, along with the City of Thompson, Centers of Excellence in Cold Weather EV Testing in cooperation with the Red River College Polytechnic MotiveLab™ Vehicle Technology & Energy Centre, Government of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro.
Financial impacts: (1) $50K per annum (total $200K) from 2023 to 2026 for technical support for Civic Zero Emission Vehicle Advisory Committee; (2) Capital and operating costs offset by ‘pay-per-use’ fees; (3) Increased capital cost to purchase EVs offset by lower operating and maintenance costs; (4) $5K per annum ($20K total) for new signage from 2023 to 2026; (5) (6) (7) No cost (policy and administrative reform); (8) $3.3-million total capital cost from 2023 to 2026 to finance installation of 750 Level 2 chargers; and (9) $50K per annum (total $200K from 2023 to 2027).
Use ‘Property-Assessed Clean Energy’ to help local businesses finance energy retrofits.
Increased borrowing costs by CoW offset by payments by property owners.
‘PACE’ is a widely used, innovative tool that enables property owners to finance the up-front cost of energy improvements and pay those costs back over time through their property tax assessment.
PACE assessments are attached to the property rather than the owner.
Update City of Winnipeg ‘Green Building Policy’.
Fiscal impact in 2023 is $75K for external technical support and analysis plus public/industry consultation. Negligible fiscal impact in 2024 to 2026.
Policy has not been subject to a major revision since its introduction 11 years ago. Update to include ‘net zero emissions’ requirement (with limited exceptions) including the use of emission-free geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling plus integration of solar power.
Launch city-wide food waste and other organics collection service before end of 2026.
Maintain Comprehensive Integrated Waste Management Strategy (CIWMS).
Next steps to be determined by analysis of recently completed pilot project.
Replace outdated civic noise policies and strengthen enforcement.
$125K in 2023 to update policy and purchase equipment for monitoring and enhanced enforcement.
City of Winnipeg’s Motor Vehicle Guidelines have not been updated since October 1984 despite persistent complaints from residents and introduction of new tools for monitoring and enforcement.
A CITY THAT WORKS
Launch ‘Smart Tax’ review.
$100K in 2023 fiscal for external, independent analysis and reports plus public/business consultation.
Scope to include how the amount and way taxes are applied can be modified to make Winnipeg more competitive and sustainable.
Will also include exploring revenue-neutral phase out of Frontage Levy, review of impact fees for new suburban and exurban developments to ensure that ‘growth pays for growth’ and is sustainable from a fiscal and environmental perspective.
Phase out Business Tax.
Revenue neutral (to be phased-out over four years with decline in revenue to be offset by equal increase in commercial property tax rates).
Winnipeg is only major city in Canada to still have a business tax.
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce recommends a revenue neutral phase-out of Business Tax (projected revenue $57-million in 2022) and gradually incorporate lost revenue into commercial property tax rates. Manitoba Office of the CCPA expresses indifference move as long as it is revenue neutral.
Begin relocation of CP Yards and strengthen CentrePort Canada.
2023 fiscal impact is $150K (expertise to determine the value of the land to the City of Winnipeg). Total fiscal impact in 2024 to 2026 will be determined as opportunity unfolds.
Conditional offer to purchase by City of Winnipeg not to exceed financial benefits to the City.
Conditions include federal and provincial governments paying their obligations and/or savings (e.g., contaminated site clean-up, avoided cost-sharing for anticipated infrastructure etc.).
Address growing backlash against infill development.
Fiscal impact in 2023 is $50K and $1.25 million total from 2024-2026.
Consists of five point plan: (1) Infill compliance team; (2) Considerate Developer Program (3) Green development incentives; (4) Infill Design Excellence Awards; and (5) Local Infill Development Benefits Fund.
Adopt ‘fix-it-first’ policy to prioritize fixing existing transportation infrastructure.
No cost (policy and administrative reform).
For more than two decades, Winnipeggers have ranked fixing existing roads higher than building new ones.
Addresses issue that the City of Winnipeg has long history of building more infrastructure that it can afford to maintain resulting in a multi-billion infrastructure deficit.
Review development charges and fees to ensure that ‘growth pays for growth’.
$75K in 2023 to facilitate discussions, conduct legal review and review development charges and fees to ensure that ‘growth pays for growth’.
Comparisons have shown that CoW’s charges and fees for new residential developments are among the lowest of major urban centers in Canada.
In consultation with stakeholders, a retooled ‘development impact fee’ will be reintroduced.
Revise priority ranking system for major infrastructure projects.
No fiscal impact (policy and administrative reform).
‘Environment’ to be given higher weighting (only 7% at present) to capture benefits cited in recent Community Energy Investment Roadmap and to be consistent with adopted goals in City of Winnipeg Climate Change Action Plan.
Fix broken funding model for transportation infrastructure.
$100K in 2023 to cooperate with other levels of government to jointly develop pilot project to explore and demonstrate use of distance-based user fees to replace five existing taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel.
$300K total for 2024 to 2026 to implement and evaluate pilot project for distance-based fees.
Both senior levels have signaled their willingness to explore new and better ways to finance municipal infrastructure.
Urgent need to address decline in revenue from federal/provincial gas/diesel fuel taxes due to more stringent fuel economy standards and switch to electric vehicles.
Subject major capital projects to scrutiny by independent experts.
$150K in 2023 and $450K total for 2024 to 2026.
City of Winnipeg often ignores its own adopted policy to conduct detailed cost-benefit analysis.
External and expert reviews to ensure that cost estimates, fiscal and economic framework plus other assumptions for major projects are fair and reasonable and can compare to other projects competing for limited dollars.
Launch ‘Build it Better’ Infrastructure Innovation Fund.
Added $250K towards applied research and demonstration projects in 2023 and a total of $750K from 2024 to 2026.
City of Winnipeg design and construction standards roads and other transportation infrastructure do not always represent industry best practices used elsewhere.
Provide a more sensible solution for Route 90.
Current plan has been rejected twice by the federal government (2015 and again in 2018) and will likely be rejected again as currently envisioned.
Loney plan includes measures to address traffic related issues such as doubling resurfacing budget, signal improvements, capacity and safety improvements at intersections, transit priority measures, ‘greenway’ not ‘freeway’ design and community sound mitigation.
2023 fiscal impact is $100K increase in resurfacing, $50K for quick response to incidents). Total fiscal impact in 2004-2026 repeats above plus $4.5-million for preliminary and detailed design, environmental impact assessment, sound control and corridor image enhancement and greening.
Ensure better snow clearing.
$100K in 2023 for independent assessment of snow-clearing policies plus creation of new snow clearing app.
Independent assessment will compare all benefits and costs between two models for Council to choose the one that represents the best overall value.
New ‘See Something, Say Something’ app will make it easier for citizens to report snow clearing issues and reduce 311 call volume.