Winnipeg City Council just voted to silence you.
They didn’t say it out loud, but their actions couldn’t be clearer. With a quiet vote, under Mayor Scott Gillingham, this council cut your speaking time at public meetings in half. What used to be 10 minutes is now five. No discussion. No questions. Just five rushed minutes before you're shown the door.
This is the latest step in a growing pattern of control and arrogance. I sat on council for four years. I saw how this game is played. The reality is, decisions are made behind closed doors with Gillingham’s inner circle. By the time meetings start, the votes are locked in. The rest is performance. So from their point of view, why waste time listening to residents? Why give you time to speak when they’ve already made up their minds?
And here’s the part that should concern you most: during my time as a councillor, I was shocked by how many people — especially business owners — told me they were afraid to speak publicly at City Hall. Afraid of retribution. Afraid that pushing back on city decisions would trigger inspections, delays, or other headaches. Now, with even less time to speak and no way to ask questions, we’ve just made it even easier for council to ignore you.
What’s next? A fee to speak at a council meeting?
Don’t laugh. This is the slippery slope we’re on — and we’ve reached a bad place.
This isn’t about efficiency. This is about control. This council isn’t interested in public input — they’re interested in shutting it down.
Only two councillors — Brian Mayes and Ross Eadie — had the courage to vote against this move. The rest fell in line.
Let’s be blunt: City council isn’t a corporate boardroom. It isn’t a private club. It’s supposed to be the place where the people’s voice matters. Cutting down public speaking time may not seem like a big deal to some, but in a city where crime is rising, businesses are leaving, taxes are climbing, and infrastructure is crumbling — reducing public participation is the last thing any serious government should be doing.
Why not expand public participation? Why not let residents submit questions in writing and receive answers publicly? Why not promote and stream public delegations to get more people engaged? Instead, they chose the opposite. Shrink the window. Silence the messenger. Push people further away.
This isn’t about left or right. This is about right and wrong. And this is wrong.
It’s not hard to figure out why it happened. Many councillors simply don’t like being uncomfortable. They don’t want to be challenged. They don’t want to hear from people who disagree with them. They want meetings to be smooth, tidy, and unthreatening.
But democracy doesn’t work that way. It’s messy. It’s noisy. It’s supposed to be.
I’ve seen the courage it takes for people to show up and speak. I’ve seen seniors, small business owners, single parents, and frontline workers come forward — nervous but determined — to speak truth to power. And now, council has told them all: "Keep it short. We’re not that interested."
This council has become more and more disconnected from the people who elected them. I’ve watched councillors scroll their phones, reply to emails, and chat among themselves while a resident stood at the podium speaking — trying to get through, trying to make an impact. Now they’ll have even less time to try.
Meanwhile, councillors are earning over $121,500 per year. The mayor made $217,791 in 2023. This isn’t volunteer work. These are high-paying public jobs, funded by you — the taxpayer. And the very least these officials owe you is the time to be heard.
If this had been proposed by a conservative mayor or council, the media would have lost its mind. It would have been labelled anti-democratic, authoritarian, and dangerous. But now? Silence. Not a word. Because the politics align with the usual narrative, so the outrage vanishes.
That silence should tell you everything you need to know.
This is why people don’t trust politicians; politicians stop trusting the public.
We need to reset how politics works in this city. We need leaders who aren’t afraid to be held accountable, who don’t hide behind closed doors, who actually believe the public has a right to participate.
So I’m saying this directly: It’s time to stand up, demand better, and clean house.
The next election is coming, and you have a voice. Use it because City Hall belongs to the people. People should never need permission to be heard.