Property tax hike included in Gillingham’s costed platform

Mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham says property taxes will rise another 3.5 per cent in 2027, with no set cap on potential increases in each of the following three years, if he is re-elected as mayor on Wednesday.

A new property tax target would instead be determined by city council for the following three budget years, with a goal to keep annual hikes “close to inflation,” respect affordability and protect essential services, Gillingham said while releasing a costed election platform Monday.

“To say today we’re going to set a (property tax hike) target, set an amount without knowing where the inflationary rates would go would be irresponsible,” he said.

In his 2022 election campaign, Gillingham promised to raise taxes by 3.5 per cent per year. However, the city instead imposed a 5.95 per cent property tax hike in 2025, Winnipeg’s largest single-year increase since the 1990s.

On Monday, Gillingham said being “forced” to implement a larger tax hike offered an important financial lesson.

“We did raise property taxes in 2025 higher than the target for that one year to protect city services,” he said.

When asked what he meant by keeping the tax hike “close to” inflation, Gillingham defined “close” as within about “half to three-quarters of a (percentage) point” of the inflation rate.

City council could also consider a “potential” frontage fee hike of $1 per foot in 2028, if that extra revenue is needed to “maintain infrastructure investment against inflation,” he said.

Gillingham said that “possible” fee increase would raise $18 million of revenue, which could help pay for major projects, like widening Kenaston Boulevard, extending Chief Peguis Trail and completing the north end sewage treatment plant upgrade.

City council already voted to freeze sewer and water rates in 2027, as long as the federal government provides $500 million toward the last phase of that sewage upgrade, he noted.

Gillingham said he would also freeze the business tax at its current rate, while maintaining front-line services.

“Today, this platform has no service cuts and no layoffs,” he said.

He expects his campaign commitments will create $4 million of “immediate” costs for 2027, such as restoring fall street cleaning, a pilot program that adds neighbourhood library hours and extending the outreach support tied to a police crackdown on open drug use.

Gillingham would ask city council to consider multiple options to fund those measures, such as a one-time reduction in a “communities fund” provided to every council ward, increased in-year savings targets for city departments or transferring money from “underspent” projects.

“We can accomplish the goals set out in this platform through working with corporate finance and council,” he said.

Gillingham also promised he would hold annual city council meetings dedicated to reviewing the following year’s road repair plans, better align hiring programs for Indigenous workers with city opportunities, create new public service standards for key city services and ensure arts funding rises with the inflation rate.

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein criticized his competitor for failing to follow his tax plan during his first term as mayor.

“I don’t know why anyone would trust him this time because of what he did last time … He raised taxes by a much larger amount than he had promised to and now he’s committing a totally different number of taxes and a different way of doing taxes,” said Klein.

The candidate deemed it “political spin” to tie the amount taxes rise to unpredictable inflation rates.

“We know inflation could go through the roof here soon. We know that we’re in economic trouble in the country. We’re trying to fix that, we have things going on in trade wars and such. But taxpayers could end up paying so much more,” said Klein.

Reducing wasteful city spending would better ensure taxes and fees are affordable for Winnipeggers, he said.

He said his platform wouldn’t result in city service cuts.

“No front-line services are affected. I can guarantee that,” said Klein.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Don Woodstock promised to create a food security program, if he’s elected.

To ramp up access to food, the plan calls for four indoor, year-round vertical farming hubs to be built in warehouses.

The strategy is key to well-being, not just basic nutrition, he said.

“Without basic needs of food being met, the stress level goes through the roof,” said Woodstock.

The plan also calls for: new grants to support community gardens, cold storage, and emergency pantries; four-year funding commitments to major food security organizations; city utility and tax rebates for grocery stores and other businesses that donate surplus food; and dedicated “anchor” funding for key organizations that donate food, including groups who salvage leftovers that would otherwise be thrown out.

Woodstock said he plans to release a costed election platform Tuesday.

joyanne.pursaga@winnipegfreepress.com

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