Mayor pushes for Waverley West
By Alex Reid

The Waverley West proposal got a boost from Winnipeg's Mayor on Wednesday. Sam Katz and his Executive Policy Committee (EPC) passed the Plan Winnipeg amendment necessary to give the subdivision the go-ahead.

The decision to give the 10,000-home subdivision the green light comes only a week after EPC held its public hearings. EPC heard from nearly 200 people over two days, where the support was practically twice that of the opposition

"In my opinion, the applicants (Ladco and the Province of Manitoba) met the requirements set out in Plan Winnipeg to allow for this change," said Katz. "We are running short of housing lots, and we need to sustain the necessary land supply to allow our citizens to have their choice of housing. This land was put aside to meet this need. I think we should use it."

The decision now goes to City Council next Wednesday for its first vote. If City Council approves the zoning amendment, the decision will be sent to Manitoba's Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. The Minister, Scott Smith, may request a review and another public hearing by the Municipal Board. But it's assumed that the province would like the amendment expedited as the government owns nearly half of the land and stands to profit by over $225 million from the development. Once the Minister approves the zoning amendment, the decision comes back to EPC for a third reading and then goes to Council again for a final vote.

City Councillors Donald Benham (River Heights - Fort Garry) and Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge) - both the strongest critics of the Mayor - are expected to vote against the amendment next week. Benham says that while he agrees that Waverley West is needed, he says he will only support it if a Bus Rapid Transit is put in place first. He argues that Waverley West, without a Rapid Transit system, will lead to more traffic through his neighbourhood.

"Unless we have a system for the people who build new houses in Waverley West know for sure that they can get on a bus in the morning and get downtown in half a hour or less. If we can deliver that, I will support Waverley West," Benham said.

Many other City Councillors appear to be backing the Mayor's plan though, citing recent studies that estimate that the city will earn $74 million over the next 23 years.

"We should give Winnipeggers a choice of where they live," City Councillor Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said, adding that while some infill land is available in the inner city, much of it "isn't desirable."