Most mayoral candidates have come out with specific campaign promises related to transit in Winnipeg, providing a truly mixed bag for voters to choose from. Here’s what they’ve said so far.
UPDATED: September 24, 2014
Robert Falcon Ouellette has promised increased bus frequency, with a target for time intervals between buses and longer service hours, in Phase 1 of his plan. He has committed to diamond lanes and transit priority signals as well as changing some routes. However because he does not plan to add any new buses to the fleet and has not made any funding promises, it is unclear how he would meet his frequency goals. Later phases of his plan involve LRT.
David Sanders opposes the Southwest Corridor and would stop construction if elected. It is not clear exactly what he will replace the current route with but he said that LRT is a good option. In the past he has defended the route down the CPR tracks. In his announcement he says he believes the provincial and federal money will still be available if the city comes up with a new transit plan.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis wants to complete the Southwest Corridor but has made no promises about transit policy beyond that project. She promised to invest the money necessary to get the job done.
Brian Bowman has promised to complete the Rapid Transit network by 2030. The costs are unknown. The exact routes are also unknown.
Gord Steeves wants to cancel BRT and has not made any-transit related promises. He has said he will invest $5 million of money reserved for BRT in community centres.
Paula Havixbeck would halt construction of the Southwest Corridor pending reviews on cost and choice of developers. She supports a combination of BRT and LRT for the long term. She has said she would like to see bedroom communities served by some form of transit.
Michel Fillion has included “improving transit” in his four-point plan for Winnipeg. He has said if elected he would cancel the Southwest Corridor and ‘start from scratch’ with planners on a new transit plan. He has expressed support for BRT and also for bus frequency throughout the city.