Winnipeg, Man. (August 31, 2022) - During a campaign stop Wednesday at the Canadian Footwear and FootHealth Centre on Adelaide Street, mayoral candidate Kevin Klein announced a plan that will help restore the confidence of business owners in city hall. Under his leadership as Mayor of Winnipeg, Klein would help eliminate the red tape that is preventing new business owners from entering the city, or adding unnecessary stress to those who are already established. Klein’s plan would see the addition of case managers to city hall who would work directly with small and medium businesses wanting to open in Winnipeg. The deliverables that these workers would be tasked with providing to business owners include:
Establish a 90 day turnaround time for occupancy permits to allow them to open.
A 15 day permit process for essential services such as supportive housing, healthcare providers, daycares and restaurants/food services opening in an existing building with similar activities.
Priority permits for new essential service buildings to get them up and running as quickly as possible.
Support entrepreneurs who are establishing small to medium businesses in the City of Winnipeg.
Create linkages to the commercial real estate sector to encourage investment in Winnipeg.
Under Klein’s modernized plan, demolition permits for derelict buildings and homes would be provided within 90 days of application. Kevin will address vacant property that pose a hazard to community members and first responders by adding fees to property taxes on an increasing scale to ensure that owners maintain the land and promote development on these properties.
Klein said, "people choose to live in cities that are successful. Cities where they can prosper and enjoy a good quality of life. The most important requirement to be a successful city is being a well-managed city and a city that provide quality services. Eliminating the challenges in doing business with the City of Winnipeg will help us grow by attract more small and medium sized businesses, making it more efficient for local businesses to grow and provide more housing options. people to our great city."
Klein added, "I want to have a city that works for people, not against them."