‘I am a little anxious’: Winnipeggers weigh in on proposed 5.95 per cent property tax hike

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Peggy

Winnipeggers are mulling over a nearly six per cent property tax hike.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city needs the money, but the proposed increase is nearly double what he promised during his campaign.

“It’s a huge increase. I am a little anxious about what that means for us going forward,” said Shelley Demski, who owns a house in the city.

The proposed 2025 budget has the property tax increase pegged at 5.95 per cent.

Gillingham said he knows he’s broken an election promise to keep the increase at 3.5 per cent.

“I would rather do what I believe the citizens of Winnipeg need for the future than protect myself and others from public criticism,” Gillingham said Wednesday.

Property tax jumps aren’t isolated to Winnipeg. Many major Canadian cities are doing the same to pay for growing populations and crumbling infrastructure.

Last year, Brandon’s increase was 9.4 per cent. Mayor Jeff Fawcett said this year will likely be somewhere similar.

“You can kick things down the road, or you can address them, and we’re addressing them so we can have a better future, and there’s a little bit of hard times before we get there,” said Fawcett.

Aaron Moore, a political science professor at the University of Winnipeg, said given the state of affordability, the timing is bad but he also isn’t surprised.

“I think if this happened a decade ago, the backlash would have been much greater. But I think people have woken up to the issues the city is facing,” said Moore.

Demski understands the money needs to come from somewhere, but said her family now has to figure out where their share will come from.

“We have three kids in university. So it’s one thing on top of another on top of another,” she said.

Gillingham said the city is targeting 3.5 per cent increases for 2026 and 2027.

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