Manitoba Liberals support rapid transit for Winnipeg

Manitoba Liberals would provide the City of Winnipeg the provincial support package needed to develop a rapid transit system.

The discussion over what type of rapid transit suits Winnipeg’s needs is ongoing. However there is an overwhelming support for some form of rapid transit (be it bus rapid transit, light rail transit or another set of options). Gary Doer’s NDP has never given any real support to the City of Winnipeg for rapid transit. The NDP gave token support to rapid transit when Glen Murray was mayor only to pull back as soon as Mayor Sam Katz was elected. Manitoba Liberals would change this.

A Liberal provincial government would provide a rapid transit provincial support package to the City of Winnipeg within 90 days of being elected. In consultation with the city, our government would provide the needed boost to make rapid transit a reality. The Liberal commitment to rapid transit is not half-way, part-way or reversible like the current NDP government’s promises.

Our decision to support rapid transit comes after I received a report on the City of Winnipeg from Kevin Lamoureux. The report from the MLA for Inkster makes recommendations on a variety of city issues.

In the above picture Kevin Lamoureux, Paul Hesse, and I present Mr. Lamoureux’s report at a busy intersection in the Osborne Village. Paul Hesse is the Liberal candidate for Fort Rouge and has been a strong voice for not only rapid transit but urban renewal in Winnipeg.

Mr. Lamoureux created the grassroots report on the City of Winnipeg which makes a series of recommendations on areas including housing, transit, recreational facilities, green spaces and public safety. Mr. Lamoureux’s report can be found at http://www.4kevin.ca/PDF/wpg.pdf
Many of the ideas presented in the report will be discussed at our AGM on April 27-28 in Brandon.