On January 26, UDI Manitoba hosted a general members meeting at the Caboto Centre. Donovan Toews from Landmark Planning provided an overview of the Development Agreement Parameter review process.  Marc Pittet, Acting Director of Winnipeg’s Planning & Development department provided members with updates on department activities and took questions from members. Tim Loeb from Manitoba Hydro also provided members with an update on its Customer Journey review. Thank you to those members who attended. We encourage all UDI MB members to attend our upcoming meetings.

Upcoming meetings:

UDI MB’s annual general meeting will be held on April 27, 2023 at 8:30 am at the Caboto Centre.

UDI MB’s next general members meeting is scheduled for September 21, 2023 at 9:00 am at the Caboto Centre.

Details for these upcoming meetings will be circulated to members in advance of each meeting.

Premier Heather Stefanson announced changes to the provincial cabinet on January 30^th. A number of changes were made to portfolios important to the residential construction and land development industries, including:

• Hon. Andrew Smith, Minister of Municipal Relations;
• Hon. Cliff Cullen, Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydryo;
• Hon. Jeff Wharton, Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade;
• Hon. Jon Reyes, Minister of Labour and Immigration;
• Hon. Sarah Guillemard, Minister of Advanced Education & Training; and
• Hon. Kevin Klein, Minister of Environment, Climate and Parks and Minister responsible for Efficiency Manitoba;

Letters of congratulations will be sent to each of the Ministers and we will be contacting them to discuss issues important to our sector in the coming weeks.

To read the Province’s news release, click here. 

The City of Winnipeg has recently completed a Park Standards document for construction work within new and existing park spaces. They have also developed a Park Development Process and Guidelines Document. City administration has asked UDI members to review the two documents and provide comments and/or questions before this goes live on our website. The target date for the two documents coming into effect is May 1, 2023.

Once adopted, these documents are anticipated to be reviewed yearly and the City has indicated that they hope to have open communication with UDI on what is and what isn’t working from the standards documents once they become common place.

Please review the Park Standards document and the Park Development Process and Guidelines document and provide any comments and questions to [email protected] by February 24^th. UDI will compile the questions and comments and provide them to the City administration at that time.

UDI Manitoba Chair Michael Carruthers, MHBA Board Chair Jason Jaquet, and MHBA CEO Lanny McInnes met with Mayor Scott Gillingham on January 23^rd to discuss key industry priorities and provide updates on initiatives we are working closely with the City of Winnipeg on. Topics included an update on the review of Winnipeg’s Development Agreement Parameters, discussions on ways to improve investment certainty for builders and developers, residential infill development, the need for a strategic regional infrastructure plan, and budget priorities for 2023.

Thank you to Mayor Gillingham for meeting with us to discuss issues important to residential construction and land development in Winnipeg.

Three courses delivered as part of Engineers and Geoscientists Manitoba’s Manitoba Climate Resilience Training (MCRT) Project are now available for registration.

Online 90-minute courses will take place on 'Infrastructure Climate Risk Assessment: Featuring the PIEVC Process', 'Natural Infrastructure Solutions to Enhance Climate Resilience' and 'Introduction to Climate Change Through Codes, Standards, and Regulations' on dates in February and March, with two dates offered to choose from for each.

Newly developed 3-hour in-person workshops will offer "deeper dives" into the topics through presentations, discussions and/or small group exercises.

Click on the course titles for further information and to register for these MCRT courses. To see other upcoming climate change training that has been identified by the project team, see Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba's events calendar. 

The Manitoba government is now accepting nominations for the first provincial board member appointees to the newly established Capital Planning Region.

The Manitoba government established the Capital Planning Region to enhance economic and social development by improving and co-ordinating sustainable land use and development between the 18 member municipalities. The board of the Capital Planning Region consists of one director from each member municipality. The province will add up to four additional board members to facilitate conversations among municipalities and add provincial perspectives and relevant expertise.

The Capital Planning Region board will be responsible for:

• adopting a regional plan that is set in by-laws;
• leading the development of regional responses to the planning issues of its member municipalities; and
• identifying and promoting opportunities for the regional member municipalities to co-operate in the cost-effective development of infrastructure and the provision of services on a regional basis.

The new board will also ensure the organization complies with applicable legislation, regulations, and provincial policies as well as transition related functions from the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region organization.

Directors will serve a three-year term, after which they may be re-appointed and continue to hold office until a successor is appointed.

The deadline for applications is February 1, 2023.

For more information about eligibility or to apply, visit https://jobsearch.gov.mb.ca/generateBulletin.action?ID=96833.

The Manitoba government is launching the Work in Manitoba job portal, a one-stop website that will connect job seekers and employers based on qualifications and labour market needs.

The user-friendly platform is free for both job seekers and employers. Job seekers can create profiles that capture their skills, experience, education and career preferences. When employers upload job postings, the portal will send notifications to job seekers with relevant qualifications and goals.

For more information and to register on the site, visit www.workinmanitoba.ca.

To view the province’s news release, click here.  

The Province of Manitoba has approved a regulation that will enables the creation of a regional planning board with members from capital region municipalities effective January 1, 2023 . The new board that includes at least one director from each of the 18 member municipalities in the capital region. The province will add up to four additional board members to facilitate conversations among municipalities and add provincial perspectives and relevant expertise. Nominations and applications for the board of directors will begin in early January.

The new Capital Planning Region will build on the positive legacy of the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (WMR). The province will work with the WMR to transition to the new planning region framework that is supported by legislation to deliver for the first time a regional plan set in by-laws that are developed and informed through public engagement.

The provincial government also proclaimed a number of sections of the The Planning Amendment and City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment Act (Bill 37) that will take force on January 1, 2023. These sections primarily enable the creation of the Capital Planning Region.

Bill 37 as passed by the Manitoba Legislature can be found here.

The December 7^th order in council implementing these sections of Bill 37 can be found here.

To view the province’s news release, click here.

On November 30^th, the provincial government also proclaimed a number of sections of the The Planning Amendment and City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment Act (Bill 34) that will take force on December 31, 2022.

Bill 34 as passed by the Manitoba Legislature can be found here.

The November 30^th order in council implementing these sections of Bill 34 can be found here.

The City of Brandon Development Services Division will be changing the fee structure for water and sewer permits for 2023. Starting in 2023 fees associated with water & sewer permits will now be $234. The purpose of this change is to consolidate the two existing fees associated with water & sewer permits and streamline the permit application process by eliminating the need to choose a type of permit and applying a single fee, regardless of the type of work being undertaken.

Historically, the water & sewer permit fee has been split into two fees, one associated with work on private property $84 (2022), and one for work in the public right of way, $184 (2022). The permit fee associated with work that takes place on both the private property and public right of way amounts to $268 ($84 + $184). Fees associated with servicing new construction would be split, with the developer paying for the public portion on the building/foundation permit ($184) and the excavation contractor responsible for the remaining fee ($84) by way of a water & sewer permit. The new process will see fees associated with new construction moved to the water & sewer permit with the applicant of the water & sewer permit paying all fees associated with the permit ($234). The water & sewer permit fee will be removed from most building/foundation permits.

Starting January 1^st, 2023, when applying for a water & sewer permit, applicants will no longer be required to choose between works taking place on public and/or private property. Rather than being required to choose a scope of work, applicants will simply apply for a single water & sewer permit. Removing the potential for an incorrect application will result in an application process that is smoother and more efficient for the applicant and the City.

If you have any questions or feedback related to this process and the fees associated with water & sewer permits, please contact:

Murray Fischer

Building Safety Manager

Planning & Buildings Department

204-729-2151

[email protected]