Treaty 1 Territory, Homeland of the Red River Métis, Winnipeg, Manitoba –
Today, Winnipeg mayoral candidate Rick Shone announced the first phase of his plan to overhaul how the City of Winnipeg does business.
The plan addresses outdated processes in desperate need of change including speeding up the permitting process, improving service delivery, addressing efficiency problems, and adopting emerging technologies.
“The city moves too slowly, Winnipeg’s economy loses millions of dollars each year because of red tape causing project delays, ” said Shone. “The way we do things is costing us time and money because of too many regulations, overlapping roles and a lack of administrative oversight and accountability.”
As Mayor, Shone will take immediate steps to fix the city’s broken bureaucracy by:
• Conducting reviews of city departments and agencies with an aim to streamline and make them more efficient;
• Appointing a business ombudsman to cut through red tape and help businesses navigate city hall. The purpose would be to make services such as plan examinations more expedient and clear;
• Working with the business community to identify and reduce regulatory burdens by establishing an independent commission to review city regulations and make recommendations for improvement;
• Improving the use of digital technology to enhance service delivery and ensure all city departments communicate effectively with each other.
“We need a culture shift at City Hall towards providing exceptional customer service. That means being responsive to the needs of residents and businesses by ensuring that they have a positive experience when dealing with the city. To improve our service, we must develop solid benchmarks that allow us to be held accountable,” said Shone.
“Winnipeg’s business community has been clear that the city needs to cut red tape and make it easier and faster to do business here. As Mayor, I will work with the business community to make that happen.”
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