COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WINNIPEG Wednesday, May 24, 2017 The Council met at 9:39 a.m. The Clerk advised the Speaker that a quorum was present. The Speaker called the meeting to order. The opening prayer was read by Councillor Gilroy. ROLL CALL Clerk: Madam Speaker Councillor Sharma, His Worship Mayor Bowman, Councillors Allard, Browaty, Dobson, Eadie, Gerbasi, Gillingham, Gilroy, Lukes, Mayes, Morantz, Orlikow, Pagtakhan, Schreyer and Wyatt. INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME OF GUESTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Madam Speaker: We have two pages with us that have been serving throughout the year. Please join me in again welcoming to the Chamber, Quiana Kumar from River East Collegiate who resides in the North Kildonan Ward and Marianna Pozdirca from Miles Macdonell Collegiate. She resides in the Elmwood-East Kildonan Ward. Thank you for joining us today and for your services this year. Mr. Mayor, you now have the floor for your morning announcements Mayor Bowman: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker and good morning to everybody that's here on the floor of Council, those that are in the gallery and watching online. Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity over the last month to tour three of Winnipeg's great organizations who exemplify our city's leading innovation, technology and manufacturing environment. These organizations included Exchange Income Corporation, Magellan Aerospace and the Composites Innovation Centre. These companies, Madam Speaker, together with many, many others are helping showcase the depth and the strength of Winnipeg's business community. It was a pleasure to meet employees, staff and members of the senior leadership teams at those respective organizations to hear and to learn more about their businesses as well as their opportunities and challenges. I was also pleased earlier this month, Madam Speaker, to be joined by Premier Brian Pallister and to speak at the conference organized by the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships. The City of Winnipeg, as members of Council will know, has proven itself as a national leader in getting value for money with P3 partnerships. We all know every good thing that happens in our city is a result of partnerships, every good thing. And infrastructure is the number one issue for citizens and it‟s the number one issue facing our city. The Southwest Rapid Transitway Project, as well all know, is a great example of P3 partnerships that saved over $120 million from the project estimate and has reduced the anticipated annual maintenance costs. And I‟ll continue working with the Province and the private sector to continue to build partnerships and find ways to deliver even greater value to taxpayers. Speaking of partnerships, I was pleased to once again meet with Premier Brian Pallister last week. I want to let Council know it was a very productive and a very positive meeting. I feel we continue to have a committed provincial partner willing to collaborate to find ways to be more efficient while also improving service for taxpayers. In this regard, we discussed the various ways to reduce red tape. At the City, we are trying to find innovative ways to improve procurement and it's important we also look at what opportunities might exist for the City and the Province to collaborate in a similar way so that the City is working to improve its procurement processes. And I look forward to sharing with the Province the results of my challenge, the business community, to find ways to reduce red tape here at the City to see if there are additional ways that the City and the Province can work together to reduce red tape together. We discussed the 2017 provincial budget and its implications for the City of Winnipeg. There are still some unanswered questions with respect to what impact the new basket funding model will have on the City's 2017 and 2018 budgets, what is positive, however, is the Premier committed to continuing working through these important details. We discussed economic development and the positive changes under way at Economic Development Winnipeg. As the province's economic engine, the City needs to work closely with the Province to support immigration, training and job creation. And finally, we discussed the federal cannabis legislation and anticipated increased costs to public safety investments. It was great to speak again, Madam Speaker, at the YMCA/YWCA Women of Distinction Awards. Winnipeg, as all members of this council will know, is home to an exceptional number of strong and intelligent leading women whose projects and accomplishments have made a positive difference in Winnipeg and have impacted our community for the better. I want to thank the YM/YWCA. for recognizing the amazing women in our community and for all the opportunities and support that the Y provides right here in our city of Winnipeg. Madam Speaker, I was very pleased earlier this month to present Ms Evelyn Hart, a strong and successful woman, with the key to the City. Ms Hart is a very special performer and without a doubt one of Canada's most treasured artists. Her pride, her dedication to her craft, and her love of dance have contributed significantly to Winnipeg's pride and Winnipeg's identity. As well, a big thank you to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, they rightfully hold the distinction of being Canada's premier ballet company and I‟m thrilled to have here in Winnipeg, the 2 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WINNIPEG May 24, 2017 longest continuously operating ballet company in North America, Madam Speaker. Lastly, Winnipeg's first Neighbour Day is scheduled for this Saturday, May 27th. And I want to thank the many capital region mayors and reeves from our neighbouring captain region, municipalities who took time to help us launch Neighbour Day here in Winnipeg. As well, thank you to the councillors who were able to participate in that launch. As Winnipeg‟s municipal neighbours, I was pleased to see capital region mayors and reeves accept a very simple invitation to join us here in Winnipeg. It was a great demonstration of partnership and collaboration and by putting aside our politics, putting aside our differences, we were able to demonstrate how little measures like these can help us be better neighbours. As I said earlier, Winnipeg's first Neighbour Day will be on Saturday May 27th, this Saturday. It's my hope that the day will become an annual event that Winnipeggers can use to get together with...as neighbours and as friends and as a day we can get together as a city. Small neighbourly gestures like a barbecue, a block party, a neighbourhood clean-up or a picnic in the park can help strengthen relationships and help build a better, stronger city. So I encourage all Winnipeggers to use Neighbour Day as a day to show your neighbours, your community and your city some neighbourly love. Madam Speaker, May is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and I would like to recognize Ms Barb Van Walleghem, Multiple Sclerosis Ambassador who is with us here today. MS is a chronic, often disabling neurological disease affecting an estimated 3,500 Manitobans. It's an unpredictable and costly disease directly and indirectly impacting the lives of thousands of Canadians and their families and there is no known cause or cure for multiple sclerosis. The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, founded in 1948, is the only voluntary organization in Canada that supports both research and services for people with multiple sclerosis and their families and at this time, I would like to invite Barb to please come forward. Thank you, merci and megwich Madam Speaker: Good morning, Ms Van Welleghem. Welcome. Barb Van Welleghem: Good morning. It's certainly a pleasure to be here today speaking to all of you. My name is Barb Van Walleghem. I am a wife, a mother, a teacher, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a person living with MS. My journey with MS has been one that too many Canadians experience. It is filled with so many emotions. MS is difficult to diagnosis because it presents itself in so many ways and my diagnosis came after multiple trips to the doctor, several hospital visits and two fairly severe relapses, although at the time I did not know that they were relapses. I was frustrated with my situation and finally, in the summer of 2011, I continued to make trips to the doctor because I just wasn't feeling right. I was losing my balance for no reason. I couldn't think straight. My eyesight was blurry and I was tired all the time. My doctor decided to schedule an MRI and it was the MRI that led to the diagnosis: multiple sclerosis. I have relapse remitting MS, which means that I experience times where the disease is active and my life can be severely affected to the point where I can't get out of bed or in a more minor way. One of the things that I find most difficult about this disease is that for me, MS is invisible. I‟m sure that if I didn't tell you that I had MS that you would not know. However, being invisible doesn't mean that I don't experience some very difficult symptoms. Fatigue is a devastating symptom for me. It invades all areas of my life. In fact, I never feel well rested. I am always living under a cloud of exhaustion. Fatigue causes me to change my plans frequently or cancel commitments at the last time…at the last minute. And this can cause a ripple effect when the person on the other end doesn't understand why I may have to cancel.