Mayoral hopeful Woodstock promises to fast-track approvals for Indigenous-led projects

Mayoral candidate Don Woodstock promised Monday to create a new municipal office to “level the playing field” and fast-track city approvals for Indigenous led-projects.

The office would create a direct pipeline for those projects when undergoing zoning regulations and setting up municipal services, such as sewage, so development timelines can be met or sped up, he said Monday.

The office would also be an “important step” in restoring equity for Indigenous developments, Woodstock said.

“If you’re Indigenous, I’m going to make sure that I put in place something that will tell you that under no circumstances you’ll be discriminated against because of your nationality, race, colour, creed,” he said.

Woodstock highlighted the Naawi-Oodena project rising on the former Kapyong Barracks site, which is expected to provide about 5,000 homes, as an example of the importance of supporting Indigenous-led projects.

He also said he would ensure equal representation for Indigenous businesses when applying for city contracts by assigning a weighted score to an application. The measure would also improve transparency for the contract awarding process, Woodstock said.

Neither incumbent candidate Scott Gillingham nor challenger Kevin Klein scheduled any campaign announcements Monday ahead of the Oct. 28 municipal election.

Noah Redden, who is also running for mayor, said he would create an accessibility advisory committee, composed of people with disabilities and advocates, to provide input on municipal policy.

He said city officials need to be informed about disability and mobility issues.

“There’s so many things in the city that could be more accessible, and I think there just really isn’t a good method for people with disabilities to express those concerns,” Redden said.

He cited the loss of bus stops near long-term care homes after Winnipeg Transit’s network overhaul as a sore spot for people with mobility issues.

Redden said he would also create an arm’s-length accessibility ombudsman to investigate complaints and make recommendations to city council and administration about issues raised by the public and city employees.

Mayoral candidate Umar Hayat promised he would create an independent road-construction standards and accountability committee to review practices for building and maintaining roads.

The committee would have a $400,000 annual budget, he said in a news release.

matthew.frank@winnipegfreepress.com