As someone who rides the bus nearly every day (my family doesn't own a car), making sure we can have a robust, reliable transit system is a huge priority of mine. Recently, I was happy to sign Climate Action Team Manitoba's Transit Pledge, to:

• Advocate to the Province for matching transit funding through the restoration of the 50-50 funding agreement.
• Strongly advocate for transit funding at the municipal level, with the aim of increasing spending on transit operations by at least 25% by 2030.
• Attend a community assembly on transit after the election to share my plans for championing better transit while in office.

Prior to 2016, the Province provided matching operating funding to municipalities to incentivize strong transit investment. Since 2016, dedicated provincial funding for Winnipeg Transit operations has been frozen at $42 million per year, while the City has continued to increase its own funding of Transit to $86.6 million in 2026.

The case for an increased contribution to transit by the Province is clear. Better transit service allows more people to reach more job options, making it a sound investment in the economy. More trips on transit rather than in single-occupant vehicles also reduces wear-and-tear on our roads, making it an investment in infrastructure, in addition to an investment in tackling climate change. And since every transit trip begins and ends with a walk between stop and destination, increases in transit ridership can add beneficial physical activity to the daily lives of Winnipeggers, which also makes it an investment in healthcare. All of these are provincial responsibilities.

But we don't need to wait for the Province to step up in order to increase funding to transit. Currently, the City of Winnipeg has plans for two unsustainable road expansion mega-projects: the widening of Kenaston Blvd and the extension of Chief Peguis Trail. Even if we managed to secure provincial and federal funds for their construction, the City's portion of these billion-dollar expansions would be entirely funded by debt, which would add over $30 million in debt service costs to our operating budget for the next 30 years. If we were already willing to find that extra money, simply cancelling plans for these two projects would mean we could be adding $30 million per year to transit operations instead of making payments on unnecessary debt. That works out to an almost 35% increase to the City's operating contribution to transit compared to 2026.

And while I look forward to attending a community assembly on transit after the election, I'd like to share actions I've already taken, as well as ideas for more improvements going forward, right now.

In addition to increasing funding for transit operations, there are also multiple low- or no-cost actions we can take right now as a city to improve transit service, such as:

• giving buses their own lanes at known "choke points" to ensure they stay on schedule
• improving stops with shade and seating
• providing a safer, more pleasant pedestrian experience with traffic calming and intersection reconfigurations
• approving development in places where it is already "on the way" for transit, in locations where more transit demand improves the system for everyone by adding frequency, rather than on the edges of the city where more transit demand simply spreads resources thinner for everyone else

Since taking office last year:

• I've voted multiple times to increase transit hours and frequency
• I've proactively met with transit staff monthly to discuss issues and concerns experienced by Elmwood-East Kildonan residents
• I've proactively met with union leaders at ATU 1505 to better understand the perspectives and needs of transit operators
• I've attended all internal Primary Transit Network council seminars offered by the CAO's office
• I've voted to approve multiple "transit-improving" developments while voting against "transit-draining" developments

WIth your support, I will keep working to make sure transit gets the attention and investment it direly needs, so that we can have a more connected, affordable, and accessible city. As always, don't hesitate to reach out, I'd love to hear from you.