A Civic Election Issue
September 12, 2006I made mention a week or so ago that everyone’s ‘favourite’ city, Toronto, was holding its own civic election a mere three weeks after Winnipeg’s will have taken place. I also talked about Chicago’s Bike 2015 Plan, the comprehensive alternative human-powered transportation plan that the City of Chicago was implementing to make the metropolis an attractive place to cycle (and walk, and take public transit).
Put the two together and add some more progressive organizations (including the Sierra Club and Mountain Equipment Co-op) and what do you get? TCAT, or the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation, a group aiming
“to make cycling and pedestrian issues a major factor in the upcoming municipal election. (from the spacing.ca/wire)
Furthermore,
it has developed a platform of important issues that should be addressed by the city, and will be conducting a candidate survey.”
Funny how the issue of sustainable transportation is rearing its head both in Canada’s largest city as well as in Winnipeg just before their respective civic elections. It would do the candidates in Winnipeg’s election (though some would be well aware of them already) well to pay attention to the questions and issues being raised in Toronto, because similar issues have been and will continue to be brought up here as long as there seems to be little action on Council to cater to forms of transportation other than the private automobile.
winnipeg: an undetermined urbanity 
Gordon Warren, Mayoralty Candidate: I get more media attention than the other candidates combined, but for all the wrong reasons. I am the only candidate thus far that has offer concrete solutions to real problems, including transportation. This city doesn’t need a “Hollywood” mayor; it needs a fix-it (wo)man! Consider the following and compare it to the hatchetjobs I’ve received from Global & the Sun. They received the same info you are about to read.
FAQ’s of Mayoralty Candidate Gordon Warren
1. You say the North End will not come alive without the helping hand of the First Nations people. Why focus on the First Nations people and why did you write an open letter to them saying that you wanted to bulldoze the North end?
Sadly, First Nations people are the ones most often left out of the political decision making process. Consequently, many have withdrawn from society and have stagnated as a people when they once flourished. The open letter was designed to free imaginations that had been imprisoned by the hopelessness of their circumstance. Once people see beyond their circumstance, their imaginations are free to explore the possibilities that are available to them through the Spirited Energy movement. The people I spoke to in the North end understood the purpose of this exercise. It was the media and those outside the North end that took the “bulldozing” suggestion literally. It is my hope that through this campaign, all imaginations that are imprisoned by their circumstance will be freed by the Spirited Energy movement.
2. You say you want to continue the Spirited Energy movement in our city, starting with the North End. Clearly, for the average citizen, describe what you believe the Spirited Energy movement is.
The Spirited Energy movement is the invitation to all people from all cultures to join in community for the common good, as we did and continue to do at the Forks. If 9/11 has taught us anything, it is either all of us or none of us who will go forward in this world. I want to see the spirited energy we experience at the Forks grow throughout Winnipeg and beyond.
3. If you are not going to physically “bulldoze” the area, then what specifically is your plan to bring the North end alive?
I don’t have “the plan.” The plan will be realized by the awakened imaginations of the North End. For example, I was invited to a block party that took place on Boyd Avenue. It was like a mini-Folklorama for neighbours in the area–many who had not met previously. Child-focused activities exposed young children to the spirited energy I mentioned earlier. People I have spoken to see community centres as an important catalyst for positive change. As mayor, I would direct resources to these centres and would encourage an ongoing dialogue with residents to facilitate positive growth in the North end.
4. People in Winnipeg will want to know how you plan to unleash this “Spirited Energy” What tangible
information can you give them to convince them you are the leader that can make it happen?
’The Spirited Energy in Action’ platform will make that clear. It is a win-win for everybody. My knowledge of economics and group dynamics enabled me to do something other planners have failed to do–create a functional, economically sound taxation system that addresses the needs of all people without hindering the open-market economy.
5. Being a mayor means being a leader and speaking on behalf of citizens. How would you lead the citizens of Winnipeg?
Should the Spirited Energy movement prevail on October 25, I will lead how I have always led–by example. My primary leadership roles as mayor would be to function as a facilitator and goodwill ambassador rather than as an instructor, per se. Policy changes endorsed by the voters and city council will provide Winnipeg and other cities with a paradigm for functionality in the 21st century.
Our Mandate: To create a functional, economically sound taxation system that addresses the needs of Winnipeg’s citizens without hindering the open-market economy.
The Plan:
•Eliminate property, business, and amusement taxes in favour of an infrastructure maintenance tax. The mayor will instruct councilors in each ward to gather information from his/her constituents regarding their desired preferences vis-a-vis the quality and quantity of infrastructure maintenance.
•Supplement the healthcare system with alternative health practitioners that will be compensated in a similar way that M.D.s are.
•Implement fast-track accreditation programs for immigrant professionals.
•Introduce low-cost on-line courses that are accessible to all and can be put towards undergraduate degrees and diplomas.
•Amalgamate Police, Fire, and Paramedic services and streamline these by having key administrators oversee the transition. There will be an increased use of street patrols, video equipment, and neighbourhood watches to provide city-wide coverage.
•Empower street patrols to issue tickets to anyone giving panhandlers money. Issue “busker” licenses to qualified performers.
•City administrators will ensure that all contracted services (e.g. snow & garbage removal, & street cleaning) will have clearly mandated standards & practices (e.g. public areas will be cleared before private ones), with the city being compensated for poor performance.
• Begin transition to eco-friendly bus transportation and a rapid transit system. Decrease fares to encourage regular use.
•Charge commuters from satellite communities an entry toll via license plate photos as they enter the city to ensure they are paying their fair share of infrastructure maintenance.
•Award companies and institutions that achieve cartel or monopoly status. Adjust the fees they charge to open-market values and ensure that expenses are not passed down to consumers.
•Offer “good-will” opportunities to these champions of capitalism in the form of city/life enhancing not-for-profit ventures.
•Some of these might include:
oCleaning up the city’s rivers
oIncreasing “green-space” within city limits.
o Building community centres and workshops in the inner city
o Building more recreation centres like skateboard parks, rock climbing walls, and wavepools
o Supplementing library resources
o Restoring historical buildings
o Supporting the arts, cultural, and science communities
o Bringing back the Winnipeg Jets
o Purchasing the Blue Bombers from the city
o Creating a state of the art recycling system that offers free shuttle service to and from waste sites. Recyclables returned for deposit by interested citizens would be considered “windfall,” and would therefore be non-taxable.
o Perhaps you have a few suggestions? Let us know.
Other Candidates are banking on multi-media and self-promotion to win the mayor’s chair. I am relying on the Spirited Energy movement and the citizens of Winnipeg. We’ll see who is successful on Oct. 25.
Gordon Warren
Mayoralty Candidate
284-2624
gordvw@canada.com