What would you do to make transit service in Winnipeg more functional, reliable and safe for its users? What plans do you have, if any, to reduce car dependency in the city?

We made the largest change to Winnipeg Transit in its 142-year history with the launch of the Primary Transit Network in June 2025. The redesign simplified routes, concentrated frequent service and expanded On-Request Transit from four to 12 zones.

It was important to update the system to accommodate Winnipeg’s future growth, and to get us ready for conversion to light rail in the future.

We new a lunch of this scale would have its challenges, and so we’ve made several changes to routes, stop locations and service hours to respond directly to rider feedback.  That work will continue, with a focus on making transit more reliable, accessible and convenient for people who depend on it.

Safety is also essential to building confidence in transit. In 2022, I committed to putting dedicated safety officers on transit, and we delivered on that commitment by creating Winnipeg’s Community Safety Officer (CSO) program. These sworn Manitoba Peace Officers work alongside emergency services and social agencies to support public safety, prevent crime and assist vulnerable residents. If re-elected, I’ve committed to expanding the CSO program and moving ahead with full protective shields for Transit operators.

Reducing car dependency also means giving people practical alternatives to driving. That requires continued investment in reliable transit, active transportation and connections that make it easier to get around Winnipeg. If re-elected, I’ll continue pushing for investments that improve transit service, strengthen our active transportation network and give more Winnipeggers safe, convenient and affordable ways to get where they need to go.

What do you think the city should be doing to ease the housing and homelessness crisis? What specifically would you change about the city’s current approaches?

Housing supply has been one of our biggest priorities. Winnipeg has grown by 80,000 people during this term, and this period marked the strongest four-year stretch for housing starts in the city’s history. Since 2022, the City has helped fund more than 2,600 affordable homes, including nearly 1,000 deeply affordable units.

We’ve also stepped up our response to homelessness. The City is doing more than at any point in recent memory, including funding four 24-hour safe spaces, supporting mobile outreach and public washrooms, and quadrupling our investment in safe spaces since 2022. We’ve made measurable progress, but there is still much more to do.

What we need is a coordinated response that connects people with housing, mental health and addiction supports, while ensuring public spaces remain safe and accessible for everyone. The City has an important role to play, but we can’t solve this crisis alone. Many of the health and social services people need fall under provincial and federal responsibilities, so partnerships and shared accountability are essential.

If re-elected, I’ll continue pushing to build more housing, support effective outreach and safe spaces, and work with provincial and federal partners to connect people with the supports they need. We need to keep building on what’s working, address gaps where the current approach is falling short, and ensure our response is making a meaningful difference for people experiencing homelessness and for the broader community.

Public disorder has become a major concern among surveyed voters. How should the city best deal with it? The police budget is a major expense for the city, are people getting value for money?

Public disorder requires a balanced approach that combines enforcement with compassion. We have a responsibility to ensure our public spaces are safe and accessible for everyone, while treating people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges with dignity.

For several years, I’ve been advocating for a dedicated, community-based Fourth Emergency Response in Winnipeg. Every day, 911 dispatchers receive calls involving mental health challenges, addictions and wellness concerns. The system has three options to send: police officers, firefighters or paramedics, even when a different response may be more appropriate.

The Community Crisis Response model would create a pathway for non-emergency, lower-risk situations, connecting people with the right supports at the right time. This is not about taking emergency responders away from situations where they’re needed. Calls involving violence, crime, medical emergencies or immediate safety risks will continue to receive an emergency response. It’s about ensuring our police officers, firefighters and paramedics can focus their resources where they’re needed most.

When it comes to the police budget, Winnipeggers deserve to know their tax dollars are being used effectively and that they’re seeing results. That means supporting our officers in responding to crime and keeping our communities safe, while also finding smarter ways to respond to situations that don’t require a police response.

Compassion and enforcement are not mutually exclusive. We need both.

While poverty and addictions are largely another government’s responsibility, are there ways that you see that the City of Winnipeg could be doing more to solve these issues? 

While poverty and addiction require significant provincial and federal involvement, the City of Winnipeg has an important role to play, and we need to keep doing our part.

The City has worked in partnership with the Province on the Your Way Home strategy. And we’re seeing progress in connecting people living in encampments with housing. More than 260 people have been housed directly from encampments, and approximately 85 per cent of those individuals remain housed. That’s meaningful progress, and it shows why connecting people with stable housing and the right supports matters.

I also recognized the need for dedicated coordination at the municipal level and fulfilled my 2022 campaign commitment to hire a homelessness adviser in the Mayor’s Office. This work requires sustained attention and collaboration across governments and service providers.

We need to build on the partnerships and programs already in place, expand our ability to connect people with housing and supports, and address the gaps that remain. The goal is to turn the progress we’re seeing into lasting results for people experiencing homelessness, while ensuring our communities remain safe and accessible for everyone.

Voters are concerned about the rising cost of living and affordability. What do you see are ways the City of Winnipeg could make life less expensive for residents?

Affordability matters to every Winnipeg family, and the City has a responsibility to be mindful of the financial pressures residents are facing. Winnipeg continues to have the lowest municipal property tax of any major Canadian city, and we need to maintain that focus on affordability while continuing to deliver the services people rely on. Council has also approved a water and sewer rate freeze for 2027, pending confirmation of federal and provincial funding for the new North End Sewage Plant.

We also need to look at affordability more broadly. Building more housing helps address the cost of finding a place to live. Investing in reliable transit gives people more options for getting around the city, and working with businesses and community partners helps create the conditions for a stronger local economy.

My message to voters is that now is not the time for a different mayor. Let’s keep building on the momentum we’ve established through strong partnerships with the provincial and federal governments, and with community members across Winnipeg. We’ve made real progress, and there is more work to do to make life more affordable and build a stronger city.

On October 28 I am asking for your vote. Let’s keep building Winnipeg together.