What promises have Winnipeg's 2026 mayoral candidates made on key issues?

Alam says he will reform the police service.

He pledges to make streets safer with police and community partnerships, introduce outreach programs for gang-involved youth, and address drug issues through enforcement and treatment.

Drexler has pledged to create a emergency services division for mental health crises, using civilian responders from community organizations instead of police. She says she would divert $37 million from the Winnipeg Police Service budget for the new division.

Gillingham would ask city council to establish hiring benchmarks and firefighters to keep pace with growing population. Winnipeg presently has 112 firefighters per 100,000 people; he would increase that to 120 per 100,000 people, which works out to 45 net new firefighters. The city has 170 police officers per capita; Gillingham would raise that to 194, roughly equivalent to 120 net new police officers. The new positions would be added over the next five to 10 years.
 

Gross has promised to add more police downtown. 

He says he would work with police and retailers to put cadets in places where theft is an issue. 

He also says he would add more police officers dedicated to addressing human trafficking.

Klein promised to form a crime reduction task force that would create a way to measure safety in Winnipeg and come up with recommended solutions. Former police Chief Devon Clunis would lead the effort and former Liberal MP Robert Falcon-Ouellette has agreed to serve on the task force.  Klein would hire 100-110 more Winnipeg Police Service officers as part of the plan, some of whom would be assigned to patrol parks, transit and neighbourhoods. 

Klein pledged to work with the province to expand use of the drug treatment court as a means of connecting people with treatment when criminal activity is connected to addiction.
 

Pagdato promised early intervention for youth and post-incarceration programs to help reduce violence and crime. 

He will ensure there are educational resources for youth about sexual exploitation and trafficking, and that young people facing sexual coercion have pathways for immediate support.

Redden promised to spend more money on addictions care to reduce open drug use.

Vogiatzakis promised to create a three-year paid apprenticeship program with 10 spots each for police, firefighters and paramedics, and guaranteed jobs for those who complete the program. He estimated the cost of the program at $1.8 million to $2.2 million per year.

As part of his housing plan, Woodstock vows to target properties repeatedly associated with criminal activity. Landlords would face escalating fines and potential loss of the property if things like drug trafficking or sex trade work occur on the premises. 

He also pledged to usher in an anti-littering bylaw framework, modeled after Singapore's system. It would mandate 500 hours of community service and $5,000 fines for first-time violations, and escalating penalties for repeat offences.

He promises supportive housing for every Winnipegger without a home.

Drexler says she would make it easier for families to buy a home.

Gillingham pledged to ask city council's property and development committee to work on simplifying the city's malls-and-corridors zoning rules to increase as-of-right mid-rise housing construction at mall sites and along major corridors. 

He would also give business students summer co-op job placements dedicated to the city's housing accelerator team to help boost redevelopment at malls and along corridors for the purpose of housing. 

He pledged to partner with universities, colleges, Crown corporations and other public-sector landowners to rezone unused spaces to build more mid-rising housing. 
 

Gross has promised to repair vacant homes and help get people housed.

Hayat said he will freeze rents and build 1,500 affordable housing units every year.

Klein pledged to ensure all demolition applications would be approved within 15 days. He would ask the city to revise policy so derelict properties could be seized more quickly. He also promised to waive demolition fees for landowners who rebuild on the vacant property. He suggested that loss of revenue would be covered through savings from fewer firefighting calls to burning vacant buildings. 

Klein would increase fees imposed on owners of vacant buildings. 

He plans to launch a one-year pilot project that would open a managed space for homeless people, where they could stay for up to a year and receive access to around-the-clock supports. He estimated this would cost $45,000 per person. 

Klein also would create a mayoral office of community safety and housing outcomes within 30 days.

Pagdato would bring homeless shelter intake, supports and community infrastructure together within a system. 

He wants to put levies on corporations that hold more than three vacant properties in the city.

Redden would look at how the city can use existing infrastructure to build more capacity, matched with denser housing. 

He promised to work with developers to build and refit more affordable housing units.

Vogiatzakis said the city would cover a quarter of the capital costs for a $8.75-million 100-unit supportive housing facility for people without housing who need addictions treatment. He suggested the facility would be put in an area without existing residential homes and would be secure. Residents would leave upon completing treatment or opting out. He estimated annual operating costs to the city at $5.1 million per year.

Woodstock has pledged to institute a 30-day deadline for owners of derelict or vacant properties to decide whether to demolish or redevelop buildings. 

As an incentive to build, Woodstock said the city would provide owners with free pre-approved housing designs. 

He has proposed stripping buildings of heritage status, allowing them to be renovated or demolished if they have structural problems and sit vacant for more than one year. 

He pledged to establish memorandums of understanding to secure permanent housing in the renovated Bay building, Portage Place, Kapyong Barracks, and through private builders and non-profits constructing affordable housing units. 

He has also committed to introducing an encampment-to-housing system that woud move people into private residential units.

He promises to reverse increases to water bills and property taxes.

He says he will stop "wasteful spending" at the city to lower property taxes.

Cloacio said residents need clear information about how their tax dollars are being spent and committed to regular expense reporting by the mayor's office. 

He promised to set a $200,000 maximum on total annual compensation for the mayor, city councillors and senior city administrators.

Drexler has promised to freeze property taxes and water rates at current levels. 

Gross says he would control overspending at city hall. 

He says he would bring in new revenue for the city through advertising, development and tourism.

Hayat said he will freeze property taxes and give eligible homeowners a $30 monthly property tax rebate. 

He also promised to freeze water and sewer rates, and introduce a $20 monthly water and sewer rebate for eligible households. 

Klein promised to freeze water and sewer charges at 2026 rates — $1,624 annually for the average Winnipeg household. 

He would also work with the federal government on securing funds for the North End Water Pollution Control Centre project.

Pagdato said new initiatives and programs with spending increases must report whether they achieved their goals and whether the additional spending met related promises.

He does not plan to raise property taxes, but if faced with the choice between raising taxes or cutting services, he would choose to maintain services.

Vogiatzakis pledged to freeze water and sewer rates and bring down rates by 10 per cent.

Woodstock has pledged to reduce water and sewer rates by 50 per cent and conduct an audit focused on identifying financial mismangement.

He says he'll focus on security on buses and change bus routes.

Clacio said transit should be treated as essential infrastructure, with better connections and more reliable service.

Drexler says she would introduce a new police system for Winnipeg Transit, with special constables with peace officer status and unarmed greeters to help with fare collection. 

She also supports installing full protective driver shields on nine high-priority routes. 

She says she would restore bus stops in lower-income areas, and has promised to make transit fully accessible.

Gillingham would increase the number of community safety officers from 33 to 75, some assigned to Winnipeg Transit buses, with fare enforcement one of their core responsibilities. 

He also promised to complete the installation of full protective shields for transit drivers.

Gross says he would use security cameras to prevent people from using drugs in bus shelters.

Hayat said he will add more Winnipeg Transit routes and restore old ones. 

He also promised Winnipeggers free transit for six months. 

Klein would order a review of the Winnipeg Transit bus network within 120 days, with a focus on providing service for seniors, people with disabilities, late-night workers and hospitals. 

He also pledged to restore 150 of the highest-priority stops by fall 2027, at a cost of $6.6 million to $8 million. 

He guaranteed a stop near the entrance of each city hospital. 

The city's transit advisory committee meetings would also become open to the public. Klein pledged to add bus panic buttons linked to the 911 response system. 

The Winnipeg Transit fare for seniors would drop to $2 from the current $2.95.

Pagdato wants the transit system to prioritize access to destinations like Manitoba Housing communities, hospitals and recreation facilities. 

He also wants to develop a new service that connects major shopping malls in the city. 

He promised to review the new Winnipeg Transit routes and identify where riders have more transfers or have lost direct connections. 

He would put money toward full shields for bus operators, while having police and safety staff along high-risk routes and transfer locations.

Redden would invest more in Winnipeg Transit. 

He promised to add more frequent and later trips, and a transit safety team made up of police and community support workers. 

He would build dedicated bus lanes and add more priority signals. 

He pledged a monthly bus fare cap, and to add debit, credit and phone tap payment as options for paying bus fare. 

He also promised to start planning for a new light-rail transit system. 

He promised to bring Winnipeg Transit Plus under full public ownership.

Vogiatzakis committed to reversing a Winnipeg Transit system overhaul, implemented last year, within his first 30 days in office. 

He would ask police to create a unit responsible for safety on buses, major stops and in transit shelters. 

He wants fully enclosed safety shields for bus drivers. 

He would introduce a free transit safety pass, linked to a rider's transit account, that would be scanned upon boarding and enable Winnipeg Transit to know who was aboard during serious incidents, which he said would also minimize people riding without paying. 
 

Woodstock has proposed cancelling the city's master transit plan, bringing back runs that were cut or altered last year, and reopening Graham Avenue to buses. 

He has promised a tap-to-pay system on city buses allowing riders to pay for fares by phone and pledged to electrify 30 per cent of Winnipeg Transit buses. 

Woodstock would also deploy small electric transit vehicles to low-ridership neighbourhood routes.