Winnipeg mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham says he has a plan to raise construction capacity so more road renewal gets done each year.
Releasing another plank in his “Big Move” platform, the councillor for St. James said he will ensure industry best practices return more value for the taxpayers’ dollars.
In his announcement September 8 he said if elected mayor, he pledged to:
- Negotiate to lock-in construction labour by pre-tendering road work up to three years ahead, using negotiated inflation adjustments each year to reduce the risk of bidding ahead.
- Modernize construction bids and contracts to match standards in the rest of Canada, cutting red tape that delays Winnipeg projects from moving ahead or reduces the number of bids for construction work.
- Allow use of more recycled materials to meet industry and environmental best practices.
- Hire a veteran construction advisor as Chief Construction Officer, reporting directly and publicly to City Council to improve City infrastructure practices and policies.
- Convene a “Ten-Day Task Force” to work with industry on strategies to increase road repair speed and productivity.
- Work with other governments, agencies, colleges and universities to support industry efforts to grow Manitoba’s construction labour pool. Explore using the city’s recently adopted social procurement policy to create opportunities to recruit more young people and skilled immigrants for construction work.
Candidate Glen Murray, who is a former mayor of Winnipeg, has also said he will develop a strategy to get more out of the city’s investment in roads.
In a meeting August 30 with the MHCA Murray said, if elected mayor, he would make trade growth a priority for Winnipeg, including ensuring trade routes and transportation regulations are protected and work to see that decisions around investments in infrastructure are strategic, tethered to evidence of their economic returns.
Municipal elections take place October 26.