ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITY: Be Heard Winnipeg

We’ve been made aware of a new campaign, Be Heard Winnipeg, to fully fund the Residential Infill Strategy. There is a petition calling on the City to fully fund the Strategy. As well, they’re encouraging people to contact their councillors and the mayor with messages of support for funding the Residential Infill Strategy fully.

YIMBY Winnipeg was founded following the presentation of the first draft of the Residential Infill Strategy, back in January. Since then, we have followed the development of the Infill Strategy and other infill development policies coming from City Hall. Our main goal and strategy has been to engage with the Residential Infill Strategy process as it exists. And as it exists is as an underfunded strategy that likely will not be that well advertised, meaning we have to do hard volunteer work on our part to get the word out to a diverse cross-section of Winnipeggers.

There is, however, considerable merit in Be Heard Winnipeg’s advocacy for a better funded Infill Strategy. The City, ideally, should be doing the work of ensuring a broad cross-section of Winnipeg is aware of the Infill Strategy and the impacts it could have on our City for decades to come. A lasting policy framework also depends on thorough consultations, whereas frameworks built on a shoestring budget are much more likely to crumble as time goes on.

This is why we encourage people to sign Be Heard Winnipeg’s petition and contact their councillors and the mayor. A better funded infill strategy will lead to better consultations with a broader range of Winnipeggers. This leads to a better policy framework.