Right in the centre - A common problem

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Published on Thursday, December 3, 2015

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

There is a common problem across Manitoba and that problem is all municipal governments, regardless of size, are stretched way too thin. It doesn’t matter if it’s the smallest, most rural RM in Manitoba or the City of Winnipeg. It’s a strictly mathematical problem.

There isn’t enough money to do the work that people need and definitely not enough money to do what people want. Basic municipal needs are being left aside, and have been for decades, because there isn’t enough money. Many politicians have hung their star on the provincial Christmas tree by saying all would be well if one per cent of  the PST was dedicated to municipal work. No doubt that would help but, it’s still an increase in taxes. One per cent doesn’t sound like much, but it’s still an increase in taxes.

The problem runs deeper than just not having enough money. The problem is one of efficiency. RMs, towns and cities  are required to provide services to the residents. Basic things like water, sewer, roads, fire protection and policing. Then other stuff gets added on like recreational services, such as arenas, curling rinks , pools, skateboard parks etc. The problem is always too much cost for the available money to cover. It’s the same problem that faces many businesses and most farms.

Farms are covering too many acres for the return on time and investment. RMs are extended too far, with too many miles of roads. The City of Winnipeg, as has been eloquently pointed out, is spread way too thin as urban sprawl extends the city in every direction. The huge amount of non-resident land in the middle known as the rail yards and all the parking lots all over the city vividly shows Winnipeg is a city spread too thin for its available tax base.

So, in a nutshell, everybody has the same problem, too big a footprint, not enough density. 

The obvious answer is to intensify the footprint. Cities don’t need to get more acreage, neither do farms. The solution is to diversify and intensify. It can take many forms. 

Some farms, a few, can pursue eco-tourism. Some farms, most farms, could pursue intensified production and processing. RMs could limit new road construction and may have to make some tough decisions about abandoning certain roads. RMs should make it feasible for every rural yard site to become a residential small holding. More people in a smaller space means more efficient use of tax dollars and services. Winnipeg’s rail yard problem is a perfect example. The city should be densifying, not spreading. It will cost a fortune to move and make the rail yards more efficient, but what’s the cost of not doing it? The rail yards should be moved to the north-west of the city, adjacent to and in conjunction with the airport and all the hub transportation efforts that are taking place there. Some inner city companies are still dependent on the rails to get their raw product in and their processed product out. There are lots of problems but they have to be addressed. Spreading out of farms to encompass more and more acres may have reached its efficiency limits. The spreading of cities is a problem that has been recognized for a long time.

If cities, towns, villages and RMs are going to survive, there will have to be some very creative changes. If that doesn’t happen, municipalities of all sizes will be faced with stagnation, some will face extinction.