Weaving a Better Winnipeg: 2026 Alternative Municipal Budget

The 2026 Alternative Municipal Budget (AMB) finds Winnipeg at a moment of enormous risk and potential. The toxic drug and homelessness crisis is denying people their human rights to dignity and basic needs while making life more complex for local neighbourhoods and the downtown. Public safety is top of mind for many, and there is increasing recognition of the need for community-based solutions to help all achieve a good life, while addressing the root causes of poverty and crime. The major overhaul of the City transit system in 2025, without any increase to stagnant operating funding, left many transit riders angry as their commutes are much longer than before. Strategic investment in active transportation, public transit, and transit-oriented development is essential to Winnipeg’s quality of life and climate goals, yet the City continues to invest in low-density, car-dependent infrastructure.

For decades, Winnipeg’s municipal leaders have responded to financial pressures by keeping taxes low and directing new revenues primarily toward roads and policing, while other programs and infrastructure have seriously deteriorated. This approach is not sustainable. If Winnipeg is serious about its commitments to reconciliation, poverty reduction, community well-being, and climate action, it needs a new financial and policy strategy — and the courage to invest in it.

The 2026 AMB provides a realistic, fully-costed blueprint for doing just that. Co-written by 24 local experts from 17 community organizations, it proposes progressive approaches to raising revenue, placing a greater responsibility on those with the greatest ability to contribute while creating incentives that support broader policy goals.