Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 22, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B1 CITY?BUSINESS CITY EDITOR: SHANE MINKIN 204-697-7292 ? CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM B1 WEDNESDAY APRIL 22, 2020 SECTION BCONNECT WITH WINNIPEG'S NO. 1 NEWS SOURCE? THE City of Winnipeg will soon an- nounce Transit service reductions to cope with the financial fallout of the on- going COVID-19 pandemic, with an eye toward further potential cuts across the board. A new finance department report predicts the city will face a budget shortfall of about $73.2 million if chan- ges related to the pandemic end July 31. That number jumps to $78.1 million if the adjustments last until Aug. 31. Mayor Brian Bowman described the financial concerns as severe. "The numbers are staggering," he said. The city has already cut discretion- ary spending, temporarily laid off hun- dreds of non-permanent staff and fro- zen fleet purchases. The report says the next round of potential changes, or "Tier 1" options, could add a 2020 hiring freeze, ramp up a voluntary furlough program and/or freeze non-union salaries, among other options. On Tuesday, Bowman confirmed Winnipeg Transit service will be re- duced. "We're waiting for those decisions to be finalized very soon. There are a lot of empty buses that are travelling in the city right now," he said. The city estimates it could save $4 million through a Transit service cut, though Bowman declined to confirm any details. Council hopes to maintain its cap- ital spending plan, however, because it expects it to create 2,351 jobs. "That provides very important jobs in our struggling economy," said finance com- mittee chairman Coun. Scott Gilling- ham (St. James). If the financial damage lasts longer, the city could consider a "Tier 2" option that would expand its line of credit to $150 million from $75 million, said Paul Olafson, Winnipeg's chief financial of- ficer. If the city's worst-case scenario proves accurate, "Tier 3" options could include reducing capital spending, seeking temporary wage reductions for all employees, and transferring money out of some key reserves. The mayor stressed the city will do whatever it can to avoid those options. "There's some pretty ugly things in those tiers. We hope that we're not in the position that we have to consider those," said Bowman. For example, the city could draw from its impact fee revenues, which still face a court challenge, or it could transfer funds out of a $166-million reserve meant to support key sewage projects. "Other service reductions/layoffs" is also listed as a last-resort option. The report's worst-case scenario as- sumes a second wave of COVID-19 will force social-distancing measures to resume in December 2020, with non- essential businesses shut down from January to March 2021. Under that scenario, the city estimates the un- employment rate would reach 15.6 per cent in 2021. Unions representing municipal em- ployees objected to the potential cuts. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 officials said cutting Transit will actually harm the city's financial out- look. "Service cuts at this point will hurt the local economy in the short and long term. We believe the city can instead successfully redeploy service with operators on standby, who can ensure social distancing on our buses is ob- served," said Romeo Ignacio, ATU Lo- cal 1505 president, in a prepared state- ment. Gord Delbridge, president of the Can- adian Union of Public Employees Local 500, said any salary cut or layoff could reduce local spending and worsen the economy. If any were considered, Del- bridge argued city council should "lead by example first." The mayor said he expects council would also be asked to accept a wage reduction, if a broad pay cut were sought. "I would expect that if we were look- ing at wholesale wage freezes or re- ductions, that, of course, members of council would have to consider our own wages," said Bowman. Meanwhile, Delbridge also urged the province to help alleviate the need for cuts. "I think that we desperately need to see some support from our provincial government," he said. In an email, Manitoba Municipal Re- lations Minister Rochelle Squires said the city already receives ample funding from the province. "In spite of the significant financial pressures the province is facing as a result of the pandemic, our funding levels to all municipalities remain un- changed," wrote Squires. joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga JOYANNE PURSAGA Transit cuts near in face of 'staggering' financials S CHOOL divisions are spending tens of thousands of dollars on residential router installations and internet service to keep all stu- dents connected to their online class- es, no matter their family's financial situation. This week, Bell MTS launched an internet plan for Manitoba K-12 divisions to help students without internet service access e-learning while schools are closed due to COVID-19. Technicians have already been de- ployed to the first of 200 residences in the Seven Oaks School Division, to install service for families who have so far relied on paper school work packages. "The comparison between a work- sheet and what you can do online, it's night and day," said superintend- ent Brian O'Leary, who oversees 25 north Winnipeg schools attended by a total of 12,000 students. Seven Oaks has already handed out almost 1,300 spare Chromebooks to students in need. But the division also recognized approximately 200 families had little use for devices if they didn't have internet access. Initial ideas included parking school buses equipped with broad- cast routers in neighbourhoods with internet needs and turning schools into Wi-Fi hotspots. Currently, Louis Riel and River East Transcona div- isions are also formalizing simi- lar arrangements with Bell MTS. The move will cost Seven Oaks ap- proximately $40,000, O'Leary said. That's for 200 families to get inter- net at a download speed of 20 mega- bits per second and uploads of three Mbps. Savings from layoffs, field trips and suspended programs are being redirected for the bill. "The consequences of these kids being left further and further be- hind far outweighs the dollar cost on this," O'Leary said. "We want public school to be an equalizer; we want to narrow the gaps, not widen them - whether it's food hampers or (doorstep) visits that educational as- sistants make or getting you a device or connectivity." Angie Lampa, a mother of three, called the division's approach "super wonderful." Lampa's family has internet access, but they initially struggled without enough devices for her children in grades 4, 7 and 10. She's grateful to borrow a Chromebook from Seven Oaks, and her husband could refur- bish an old computer to bring their device count to three. "All my kids need to check their as- signments in Google Classroom and submit all their assignments, so they really need to have access to the in- ternet, good connections - and they need to have a device of their own," Lampa said, adding the extra device has been especially helpful for her son in French immersion, who can now access translation websites. Across the city, in the Louis Riel School Division, nearly 700 families have borrowed a computer. The div- ision has also identified 138 homes without internet access. River East Transcona is currently identifying needs in its division. "(Access) is very important. If a young person isn't able to connect to the teaching that is occurring online using forms like Teams - Micro- soft's version of Zoom - they're left out of that community," said Louis Riel superintendent Christian Mi- chalik. Tom Simms, co-chairman of the Community Education Development Association, applauded divisions and providers for addressing access issues together. Although he ques- tioned if the supplied speeds will meet e-learning requirements. Michalik acknowledged the avail- able Mbps aren't perfect, "but ad- equate" for class video conferencing. "Beyond this pandemic, we really do have to talk as Manitobans about making the internet affordable for folks," he said. Bell MTS did not confirm the total number of divisions it is working with, only that all divisions can access the plan. A spokeswoman said Tuesday the month-to-month service will be available until schools reopen. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca PHOTOS BY MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Angie Lampa and her daughter, Maggie, are adjusting to schooling from home. Lampa says her children have benefited from Seven Oaks' work to connect students with technology. Lampa says Seven Oaks School Division has been 'super wonderful' as her kids, Niqui, Daniel and Maggie, adjust to learning from home. The division is now rolling out an internet plan through a partnership with Bell MTS to ensure access to online education. Bridging the digital divide Seven Oaks School Division takes lead in rolling out internet service to keep students connected MAGGIE MACINTOSH B_01_Apr-22-20_FP_01.indd B1 2020-04-21 10:56 PM ;