Winnipeg mayoral candidates continued the campaign trail on Friday, discussing issues ranging from water bills, preserving the Seine River and auditing the city’s finances. Scott Gillingham said if he were re-elected mayor, he would create a new Seine River Historic Municipal Riverway and establish the river corridor as a permanent recreational paddling and nature attraction. “What we want to do really is to establish the permanence of this river and allow its beauty and the opportunity to enjoy it to be something that we don’t just leave to volunteers alone, but come together and focus on establishing it as a place that gets focused attention and investment,” Gillingham said. Gillingham said the decision would involve the creation of a working group to formalize the long-term plan and work out legal or practical issues. He is also in favour of a conservancy model, similar to Assiniboine Park, for helping maintain the river. The corridor would also be improved with new docks, launch points, parks and other amenities. Gillingham did not have a cost estimate available for the plan, saying a lot of the ideas and priorities would be developed over time by the working group. Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Mike Vogiatzakis promised to introduce 24-hour construction on major routes and make sure roads or lanes are only closed when absolutely necessary. “I’ve heard it from numerous people… Construction is a huge problem, and it’s all happening at once,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to be a plan, and why are we waiting until September or October to start these construction projects? “We need to work better. We need to work faster, and we need to do this for the citizens of Winnipeg.” Vogiatzakis also wants the public to be more informed about why closures are necessary, how long they’ll be in place, the best alternative routes and if any extensions are required. He said the information would be posted to electronic signage near any construction site and be available by phoning 311. Separately, Vogiatzakis promised to freeze water and sewer rates for four years and says he would pause penalties and disconnection notices for unpaid bills while appeals are underway. In a Friday morning news conference, Don Woodstock said if he was elected, he would have financial audits performed on the city to trace where taxpayer money is being spent. “For far too long, the people of Winnipeg have watched their hard-earned dollars vanish into a black hole of budget overruns, shadow consultancies and defensive legal retainers,” Woodstock wrote in a statement. “That ends the moment I am sworn in as mayor. We are going to find out exactly where all the money is really going, where it went, circle every single anomaly and fix the holes.” Woodstock said he would also use advanced data analytics to track department and project budgets, and he would ban people who have been found to have stolen money from the city from working for the city. He would also ban corporations that have deceived the city from bidding on contracts. Election day is Oct. 28.
