City's neighbourhood-action teams trained to get residents' concerns rectified quickly
A team of cross-trained city staff is now in place to mow, plow, plant, patch and repair, among other tasks, with the goal to shorten the wait for municipal services.
In the first round of work, three neighbourhood action teams with six members each will address the highest needs areas in all 15 Winnipeg wards by the end of October.
'It is a nimble, more responsive, innovative way of delivering service…. They are teams that are cross-trained to take care of multiple issues at once, all in one visit. They can fill potholes, (fix) broken signs, do tree repairs, pick up debris, deal with sidewalk issues and sidewalk repairs and more,' said Mayor Scott Gillingham.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham at the official launch of Winnipeg's Neighbourhood Action Team program at Machray Park, Monday.
Gillingham promised the teams in a 2022 campaign pledge, initially proposing three teams of 10 workers, which he once expected to be fully deployed by early 2024.
The current staff have been on the job for months prior to Monday's official launch, the mayor noted, filling thousands of potholes, fixing dozens of street signs and clearing snow around transit stops.
The city doesn't expect to clear every outstanding 311 request but will rank tasks through feedback from residents, city councillors and businesses, said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council's public works committee.
'We'll never solve all of this, but we can target and hone in and focus on specific areas,' said Lukes (Waverley West).
The new strategy should cut the wait from traditional city responses, which relied on scheduling each specialized crew separately for each task.
Gillingham said the teams will also answer requests from residents they encounter at a job site.
'If a neighbour comes out from their house onto the street… the neighbourhood action team member will not say 'call 311.' They'll say, 'We'll fix it,'' he said.
After the new crews worked on streets surrounding Machray Park Monday, one resident welcomed the strategy.
'I think that's a great idea because… everything's getting done at once, rather than something gets done here and there and it never seems like it's ever finished,' said Tyrone Deise.
Deise said tree pruning, for example, requires immediate attention near multiple intersections in his neighbourhood.
'You've got to (drive) further up to the corner just to be able to see if there is any traffic. That's dangerous… and there's a lot of spots like that,' he said.
Another resident, who did not want his name published, said he expects the multi-tasking crews will face plenty of requests.
'It's been long overdue… and it's great to see the neighbourhood getting revamped, rather than just seeing it go down,' he said.
Jim Berezowsky, the city's public works director, said neighbourhood-action team members received almost a year of training for their roles, much of it on the job.
The total staff of 18 falls short of an original call for up to 30 more employees. Berezowsky said the program's $2.5-million annual budget must also cover equipment, which limited the number hired.
The teams could also be redeployed at times to address urgent city needs, such as cleaning up after a major snowstorm, he said.
Gillingham said the program is starting later than expected due to other important priorities, such as city council's efforts to attract more home-construction projects.
Residents have approached team members with impromptu requests and give feedback on a daily basis so far, largely asking for tasks already on the employees' radar, according to the supervisor of the neighbourhood-action teams.
'Each team reports back at the end of the day that they've heard from at least one resident, whether it be identifying additional issues… or even just coming out with commendations and thanking them for the service that they provided because they've been waiting for that service for X amount (of) years already,' said Keenan Boles.
One team member, who worked as an arbourist in the city's forestry department before joining one of the new teams, said he's enjoyed learning new skills.
'It's an all-in-one crew that does a little bit of everything, kind of a support department for other departments within the city,' said Colin Campbell.
The head of the city's largest union said he expects the highly trained teams will improve city services.
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'It is quite a task to have people cross-trained and be able to be effective in this work and do it in a safe manner…. It appears like that (has) come to fruition,' said Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500.
Delbridge said the pay rate for neighbourhood-action team members starts at $28.97 per hour, rising to $30.13 after one year of work.
The teams are now working in parts of the Daniel McIntyre, Mynarski and River Heights-Fort Garry wards.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
X: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne PursagaReporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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