PLOW, PLANT, PATCH
REPAIR, REPLACE, REHAB
MOVE, MEND AND MOW
Four-Season Neighborhood Action Teams will improve the city “from the ground up”
Many Winnipeggers have been disappointed at the slow pace of on-street work in the last year, and
mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham is among them. “The reality is, if we want our city to be cleaner,
safer and more organized, we need the capacity to work a lot faster to resolve visible problems across
the City,” he said.
While Gillingham points to the long winter, wet spring weather and COVID-19 emergency budget
restraints as causes for delay, he also believes the city needs a different strategy to respond to
complaints and backlogs. “City services need to be more flexible on the ground,” he said. “We need
cross-trained teams available to fix problems the way our residents see those problems: from the
street up, not from the departmental silo down.”
If elected, Gillingham will propose the launch of three “Neighborhood Action Teams” (total 30
workers) in 2023-24, with room to expand if the concept is successful. At the proposed staff level, one
team should be able to visit each official city neighborhood at least twice a year to:
• Clean, clear, plow or mow local streets, bike lanes and other points of access.
• Assist in medium-term fixes like tree planting, curb repair or pothole patching.
• Clear and clean graffiti, litter or other debris.
• Work directly with existing community groups to address priority problems, and flag
backlogged and unresolved issues for follow-up by specialists in other departments.
Teams would report to the CAO, but coordinate with area councillors, MLAs and MPs, and consult with
local businesses and community groups to identify backlogged issues. Each team would file public
reports using 311-compatible data and other metrics to assess value for money. Team staff would also
support city-wide efforts during major weather events.
For more information: Colin Fast - 204-803-6406 - media@voteforscott.ca
BACKGROUND: FOUR SEASON NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION TEAMS
What is the expected impact of Scott Gillingham’s proposal to create these teams?
This proposal will increase city capacity to plow, plant, patch, canvass, cut, clean, move, mend and
mow wherever they go, improving the quality of our neighborhoods and build a stronger city.
What will an Action Team look like?
At full strength, each Action team will have ten staff: two ‘indoor’ staff to organize planning, execution
and community contact, and eight highly cross-trained ‘outdoor’ workers.
Who decides what they’ll do in a particular neighborhood?
Team staff will feed work plans to outside workers based on feedback from elected officials, 311
complaints and local organizations. The CAO will have discretion to redeploy each team for city-wide
work (for example, in support of snow crews during a major snowstorm) whenever appropriate.
What is the expected cost?
Initial estimates based on other departmental staff costs is $1.1m per team, including personnel costs,
equipment, training and a fund to engage specialized contractor support where necessary, plus $0.2m
in central costs. Given the high-degree of cross-training expected for Action Team staff, wage costs
will be higher than for typical ‘outside’ CUPE-member City workers. However, the intention is to buy
extra flexibility so visible problems can be addressed more proactively. Action Teams will be expected
to go into a neighborhood and make visible improvements regardless of the exact mix of challenges
waiting in each particular area.
2023 2024 2025 2026 Total 4yr
Operating Expense (see $3.5m $3.7m $3.9m $4.1m $15.6m
above for included costs)
Capital Allowance $0.25m $0.25m $0.25m $0.25m $1.0m
Scott Gillingham has committed to fund all new commitments before early voting begins on October 3. These estimates may be revised based on additional data before October 3.
How will we measure success?
We will measure organizational satisfaction (e.g. BIZs and resident groups) alongside 311-compatable
metrics. City Council Community Committees will review reports on work completed after any visit(s)
to their respective areas, while the Teams will report directly to the CAO’s office to facilitate
interdepartmental communication. City Council will also review progress with the initiative annually.
Why not just add staff to existing departments?
Scott Gillingham will be speaking to broader City Hall capacity issues later in the campaign. However,
he believes a more flexible response is critical to improve city service delivery.
