Winnipeg’s new city council has officially taken the reins after being sworn in at city hall Tuesday.
Nine new faces are sitting on Winnipeg’s freshly elected city council alongside six incumbent city councillors. Mayor Scott Gillingham also retained his role in last week’s election and is set to begin his second term.
He will lead the council alongside 15 city councillors, including St. James representative Kelly Ryback, who will serve as the presiding officer, which is the city’s equivalent of the speaker.
The 14 other ward representatives include: Evan Duncan, Cindy Gilroy, Emma Durand Wood, Jeff Palmer, Natalie Smith, Jeff Browaty, Greg McFarlane, Vivian Santos, Sara MacArthur, Matt Allard, Ray Dubois, Chris Sigurdson, Lora Meseman and Jasmine Brar.
The councillors were sworn in at Winnipeg city hall during the inaugural meeting on Tuesday evening. All the elected officials took the Declaration of Office, vowing to represent Winnipeggers and their ward residents fairly. They also swore they would not take bribes or engage in other corruption.
“In this town, change is always necessary but it’s never easy. New faces and new laws, and new promises can create exciting opportunities for change. But on their own, they’re not enough. Lasting change takes hard work, determination, risk, (and) follow through,” Gillingham said, addressing the councillors after they took the declaration.
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“Let’s approach the next four years with determination, with humility, and a willingness to work together.”
Among the items on his new council’s agenda is further developing downtown to attract new residents, investments and businesses. The city will also respond to riders’ feedback by improving upon Winnipeg Transit, Gillingham said.
“We can bring new life to old streets. It’s been a struggle for decades, like (at) north Main Street,” the mayor continued, noting that new life would involve the city having “to address homelessness, mental health and addictions.”
“Bringing housing, treatment, outreach and ongoing supports together while improving public safety.”
On Wednesday, he will get to work by establishing his new executive policy committee. The EPC consists of a handful of city councillors who will join the mayor’s equivalent of a cabinet. The mayor will serve as that committee’s chair.
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