Province-city relationship key point during Winnipeg mayoral debate

The relationship between those at the helm at City Hall and the Manitoba Legislative Building was a key, and at times, heated talking point during Wednesday’s mayoral debate on 680 CJOB.

Incumbent candidate Scott Gillingham touted his current working relationship with Manitoba’s NDP premier Wab Kinew, and questioned candidate Kevin Klein’s – who was previously a cabinet minister with the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives – ability to work with the premier, citing his past newspaper columns criticizing the premier and prime minister.

Klein argued he has already gained Kinew’s trust while candidate Mike Vogiatzakis said the city needs a new mayor without political ties.

University of Manitoba political science adjunct professor Christopher Adams says the relationship between the city and province is critical.

“You can’t operate the city without a proper relationship with the premier,” Adams told Global News.

“When the mayor wants to do something like address homelessness, expand transit service, get a water treatment plant built – those things are heavily dependent on the provincial government and the federal government.”

Adams noted there have been communication breakdowns in the past, including between former mayor Brian Bowman and former premier Brian Pallister, which hinders the city’s ability to move forward on certain projects.

“Brian Bowman had a very difficult relationship with Brian Pallister, and Brian Pallister was not willing to be friendly to the mayor and didn’t have meetings with Bowman,” Adams said.

“When Heather Stefanson came in she did reach out to Bowman. One of the first things she did as premier was to meet with Brian Bowman in a cordial way.”

Former Winnipeg mayor Susan Thompson knows the importance of this relationship well. Thompson was the the helm at City Hall during Gary Filmon’s tenure as premier.

“In the end we developed, even today, the best relationship that could be had between the province, the city, and the capital region. It was really productive and it was well-intentioned,” Thompson told Global News.

But Thompson adds in today’s current political climate, the importance of fostering those relationships are more important now than ever before.

“We’re in extraordinary change in our society with our whole economic threat from the United States of America, it’s not being talked about enough at the civic level,” Thompson said.

“And we have a very unique opportunity to build extraordinary strong relationships between Winnipeg, First Nations, the capital region, and the province.

“And it won’t work if those relationships – and dare I saw partnerships – aren’t top of mind today.”