By Jeremy Davis
In July, the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board welcomed Mayor Scott Gillingham to present to Members of our Board of Directors, Advocacy Committee and Commercial Division Committee on housing policy, housing starts, permitting, infrastructure and development in Winnipeg.
These topics are important for the real estate industry, as the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board has been advocating for many years on issues of increasing housing supply, prioritizing infill housing, improving the permitting system and building enabling infrastructure.
To start his presentation, Mayor Gillingham updated our Members on the significant progress that was made in the first half of 2026 with over 3,100 housing starts, which represents an increase of 40% over last year and the strongest first half in our city’s history. This contrasts with the national average which has seen housing starts down 1% from the first half of 2025. There were also over 2,600 housing completions in the first half, along with over 1,000 downtown residential housing permits taken out, also a record. He credited the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund for giving the City of Winnipeg the funding required to make substantial improvements to processes while incentivizing a boom in housing not seen before in Winnipeg. There is also more infill housing development than greenfield development, which is important because this maximizes the infrastructure investments already made.
Gillingham stressed the need for clearer rules around permitting which is welcome for many in the development community. The need for over 60 types of permits has already been removed, digital applications for permits have been expanded, Permits Online upgraded, and an end-to-end review of the development process conducted. These are just some of the ways the City has been working toward a more streamlined process. What was most encouraging to hear was the shift in thinking at the City where there is more of a ‘yes first’ culture that is focused on finding ways to get housing built. Specifically, moving to a policy culture that is more predictable for development and routine when consistent with City rules, regulations and plans. In other words, there shouldn’t be a need for public hearings or political intervention when plans already meet the criteria set out by Council. Policy compliance should mean no delays and ensuring that’s the case can lead to a more efficient system for everyone involved.
The zoning by-law rewrite that is currently underway, with a target for completion at the end of 2027, is another way in which the City is seeking to shift their development policy culture. Years of overlays, exceptions and variances to policy have created confusion, and Winnipeg is in need of a modern zoning by-law that is more aligned with growth. The Downtown Zoning By-law and the Winnipeg Zoning By-law are both over 20 years old and aren’t compatible with newer City plans or how Winnipeg has changed as a result of growth. The new Zoning By-law will combine these two, support the needs of today along with future growth, and importantly, be easier to navigate, more flexible and enable a broader range of development.
While infrastructure projects rarely receive the same attention as housing development, the Mayor spoke about how the upgrading of the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC) is among the most important issues facing the City of Winnipeg today.
In any municipality, water and wastewater treatment facilities are literally the foundation upon which cities can operate with existing residents while enabling future growth. It is this point that the Mayor stressed because the NEWPCC is facing limited capacity, and if the upgrades are not completed before that capacity runs out, the City would be in the unenviable position of having to say no to economic and population growth. The City is currently awaiting confirmation from the Manitoba and Canadian governments on whether they will help fund the remaining upgrades which the City has already committed their share of.
The presentation highlighted significant progress in housing construction and development activity, while also recognizing that additional work remains to support Winnipeg's future growth. We hope to see this level of focus continue into the future, especially for the candidates for Mayor and Council in the upcoming Civic Election in October.
One thing you can count on is that the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board will continue advocating on behalf of REALTORS® to ensure there is increased, efficient, residential and commercial development that is free from impediments which, last year, contributed over $6 billion to the local economy.
We thank Mayor Gillingham for his willingness to present to our Members on the issues important to real estate in our market region.
Jeremy Davis is the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Director of External Relations & Market Intelligence.