City of Winnipeg Governance Review

Introduction

From 2019 to 2021, the City of Winnipeg undertook a review of its governance structure and processes. Governance is all about leadership and responsibility for the City to the citizens of Winnipeg. It includes understanding citizen needs and making decisions in the best interests of the City.

The City of Winnipeg is building a City Hall that works through openness and transparency, where elected officials and staff collaborate and work toward the best interests of residents. The City’s governance structure and systems should support these goals.

The legislation and by laws that guide governance of the City of Winnipeg were established following the last comprehensive review of the City’s governance system in 1997. MNP is conducting a review of the City’s governance structure, by-laws and processes to consider ways the current model is effective and how it may be improved to further enable responsible and accountable governance. At the conclusion of the review, MNP will provide a set of recommendations for improvement and how the existing legislation, by-laws and policies would need to be updated to accommodate the recommendations.

Background

The governance review included a review of current documentation, legislation and by-laws, interviews with Members of Council, and City staff and a scan of governance structures and processes in other Canadian cities. A preliminary report of findings was developed based on this information.

Public input was an important component of the governance review. The topics for exploration with the public focused on these key principles:

• Inclusivity – Citizens have a fair and reasonable opportunity to participate in decision-making processes
• Transparency – Information is openly available, easy to access and understand
• Accountability – Council ensures effective oversight and responsibility for the performance of the city, including appeal processes
• Efficiency – Timeliness and effective use of resources by Council and its committees
• Effectiveness – Council ensures the City achieves desired results and addresses citizen priorities
• Impartiality – Decision making is unbiased and considers the best interests of the city.