Brian Bowman

They should pay their fair share and, um, and then they would have the services that they're wanting there.

Um, also bringing back, uh, the development fee, and I know there was a huge, um, uh, issue with that and, uh, the Home Builders Association, that group sued Mayor Bowman at the time, uh, or City Hall under his leadership, and we no longer have this development tax or, or income tax, or, uh, not income tax, impact tax.

Um, however, there's still costs of development that are not being covered, um, and arguably there could be a more streamlined, specific development fee introduced that would raise more money to help pay for the costs of these, um, suburban neighborhoods, um, that would only be nominally more for the homeowners buying in those areas.

Interesting.

I mean, here we have sewage going into our rivers because of o- old sewer systems.

So, um, we are no better in terms of, um, old infrastructure and, and it is a problem with municipalities across Canada, this old infrastructure, um, that needs to get replaced and upgraded even to deal with climate crisis and, um, everything else.

But I think in Winnipeg what's happened is that because of the property tax freeze from 1998 to 2012, and then very small increases under Bowman of, um, 2.5%, all going to rapid transit, um, and other infrastructure, then everything's been cut to the bone.

Any new increase went to roads and police.

I mean, the...

Bowman once got in the car with me and we drove around, and he actually said, "Wow, this is brutal.

I haven't been down here." And the word was brutal.

So we tried to put in some limits in the infill guidelines.

And I said, "Now you see what I'm up against." And she said, "Yeah.

Now I see what you're up against." And so she's, she's been out there trying her best to preserve her neighborhood in, in some fashion.

Um, did, during his term as mayor or for that matter, even in his term as the finance chair, did Scott Gillingham ever go personally to your ward to see this mess? I, I can't believe I'm in a position where I have to compliment Brian Bowman for doing something reasonable and sensible by doing so with you.

Did Scott Gillingham follow in those, uh, follow in the, those footsteps, so to speak? Did he ever see this for himself?