GILLINGHAM SAYS PARTS OF CITY GOVERNANCE MODEL ARE
“HOLDING CITY HALL BACK,” COMMITS TO REFORMING EPC
Today, mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham committed to change City Council governance
and its Executive Policy Committee model.
“As a two-term City Councillor who worked both inside and outside the Mayor’s Executive
Committee, I know the system has to change if we’re going to get the best out of City Hall for
the people of Winnipeg,” he said.
Gillingham’s proposed changes include:
§ Lobbying for long-term change. As Mayor, Gillingham would ask the Province to
amend the Winnipeg Charter to allow City Council to reform or remove the EPC model.
§ Limiting EPC size and authority immediately. In advance of any provincial changes,
as Mayor, Gillingham would bring a by-law to Council to ban the “EPC+2” practice,
limit EPC to six (including the Mayor) and limit EPC briefings to selected issues.
§ Documentation. Gillingham would require any changes made to public service
reports at the request of elected officials or political staff be publicly documented and
explained. The proposed by-law would also require that a City Clerk take minutes at
any EPC briefing or Council seminar held under Section 78(1) of the City Charter.
§ Shared planning. Council would hold at least two new informal meetings annually to
jointly develop and update a strategic plan and to set budget goals as a group.
§ Information access. Gillingham would ask the Governance Committee to codify a
“Councillor and Citizen Information Rights” by-law.
§ Council support. Two Mayor’s Office staff posts would be deleted. In their place,
council would be given a budget to hire two advisors for research and policy work.
“I worked within Winnipeg’s current system as a City Councillor, but in my experience, the socalled EPC+2 model held us back from opportunities to build public support for new ideas,”
Gillingham said. “I’m running for Mayor to improve Winnipeg, not to protect the status quo,
and this is one City Hall habit that has to change,” he said.
Gillingham noted that both Mayor Glen Murray and Mayor Brian Bowman committed to open
up the EPC model when they were candidates, but both instead reinforced the Committee’s
authority once elected. “To me, being specific is the best tool I have to show voters I’m
committed to real change – so I will release a draft by-law on reform before Election Day to
remove any doubt that these reforms are legal, practical and imminent.”
Most of these commitments mirror a statement made by Gillingham as a City Councillor in
response to the MNP report on Governance, forwarded to all members of City Council in
March 2022. The full text of that statement is attached below.
For more information: Colin Fast 204-803-6406 / media@voteforscott.ca
