Winnipeg mayor, incoming Manitoba premier hold first meeting as leaders | CBC News

Manitoba’s incoming premier and Winnipeg’s mayor met for an hour at city hall, and that meeting’s length signified the continuation of close relations between Broadway and Main Street.

Premier-designate Wab Kinew and Mayor Scott Gillingham met in the mayor’s office for about 20 minutes on their own and in a larger meeting with members of their respective staff on Monday.

Afterward, the two leaders said they share some common priorities, including the need to address homelessness, combat drug trafficking and complete upgrades underway at the North End Water Pollution Control Centre, the largest of Winnipeg’s three sewage-treatment plants.

“The homelessness issue is at the top of our shared agenda and I think we’re both committed to moving the ball forward there,” Kinew told reporters in the foyer outside the mayor’s office.

Both the premier-designate and the mayor said they hope Winnipeg can emulate Houston’s efforts to reduce homelessness by prioritizing help for the most vulnerable citizens, adopting a housing first strategy and co-ordinating the efforts of non-profit agencies and governments.

This approach has helped Houston — which sits at the centre of the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the United States — find housing for at least 25,000 people over the past decade.

Gillingham said Winnipeg must try similar means “for the sake of the people who are struggling in our community right now. Some are unsheltered, some struggling with addictions, some struggling with mental health issues.”

Kinew’s meeting at city hall follows visits to the mayor’s office by outgoing premier Heather Stefanson, who has sat in both Gillingham’s office and that of his predecessor, Brian Bowman.

Stefanson’s friendly gestures to city hall marked a change in direction from her predecessor as premier, Brian Pallister, who had a frosty relationship with Bowman, especially after his PC government effectively froze funding for Manitoba’s largest municipality in 2017.

Stefanson ended that freeze in 2022. Kinew promised on Monday he too would increase funding for the city, but would not say by how much or whether provincial money will be forwarded without any strings attached.

“At this stage, before I’m even sworn in, I don’t think I’m ruling too many things out,” he said. “I would ask for your patience as we set up our new government.”

Kinew also met Monday with Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett and Kam Blight, the president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.

The new premier is expected to be sworn in next week.