From the sounds of Bart’s Twitter feed, it was a bit of a lively Council meeting today, with nearly everyone beating up on the Province. In the end, Coun. Wyatt’s motion demanding more provincial funding support for ‘highways’ that run through Winnipeg passed by a 15-1 vote.
The lone naysayer was Coun. Swandel, who said negotiating through the media is “pointless.” This is the same Councillor who threw a hissyfit after the Province announced its annual funding allocation to the City earlier this year, claiming the City would be left with a giant hole in its budget. Then he claimed the budget would be fine. Then he criticized media outlets for reporting what he actually said.
The problem with Swandel’s approach wasn’t that he went to the media in the first place, it’s that he didn’t have a plan for how he was going to win the media war. So instead of hitting the Province with a sustained attack that was backed up by actual data, he just stomped his feet a bit, sulked, backtracked and tried to pretend the whole thing never happened.
Personally, I think it’s great that Council appears to finally be growing a set. Successive provincial governments have completely screwed with the City — playing shell games with funding formulas, investing in their own pet projects and disregarding civic jurisdiction over anything. The funding of the Southdale Community Centre expansion and the Mooseplex are two recent examples that jump to mind of the Province essentially giving the finger to City Hall.
The Mayor has tried the diplomatic approach for the past five years. But polite closed door meetings are only going to get you so far with Doer and company. If you want real results then you’re going to have to hit them where it hurts the most: the media clippings file.
If 15 Councillors and the Mayor worked in concert to convince Winnipeggers they’re being screwed (whether that’s true or not is another matter), then I think the Premier is going to pay attention. Yes, it would be messy. Yes, many threatening phone calls would be made from Broadway to Main Street. But what’s your end game here folks? Do you just want a one-day story about how you said some unkind things about the Province, or do you actually want to change things?
Wage the war. Via back-channels, tell the Premier how he can come out of this looking like a hero. And then throw him a parade when he delivers. What do you have to lose? Right now you’re a plaything that gets batted about in Doer’s paws. Roar, mouse, roar!
Filed under: winnipeg blog | Tagged: City of Winnipeg, province of manitoba
Where can I put the cheese for this mouse to give it some energy to fight this battle? Or will the mouse be kind and take the thorn out of the Doer paw, so better cooperation can begin between both governments, and better mutual understanding begin?
Either way, a better process has to be found for this city to get off of it’s butt and grow.
We don’t have the money to deliver basic services…better cut and freeze taxes!
I still think the end-solution is top just give the city a designated sales tax and treat us like adults. Let council take in the money and spend where they see fit rather than going through this song and dance every time we need an ambulance !
Let council take in the money and spend where they see fit
and therein lies the problem.