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Winnipeg mayoral candidate Kevin Klein says property taxes would rise to help pay for his promise to add 100 more police officers.
“We’re going to have to raise taxes,” Klein said during a Wednesday morning debate on radio station CJOB.
The plan would cost $3.99 per month, per taxpayer, Klein said during the debate with mayoral candidates Scott Gillingham and Mike Vogiatzakis.
That works out to about $11.7 million in additional police expenses per year, based on the fact the City of Winnipeg has approximately 244,000 taxable parcels of land.
Klein’s campaign said a fully costed platform will be published Friday.
Incumbent Gillingham said 100 more police officers would cost closer to $15 million a year.
Klein disputed that, saying his pledge would reach a cost of $15 million per year only after five years, because new police officers earn a lower salary than they’d make after five years.
He pointed to a recent Winnipeg Police Service survey that suggested a majority of Winnipeggers believe the city doesn’t have enough officers.
“We are short police officers,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to cover the calls we have.”
Klein reiterated campaign promises to establish a crime-reduction task force and get cadets to replace officer shifts in hospitals.
Gillingham said he’s also committed to adding more police officers.
He has previously pledged to raise the number of officers per 100,000 people from 170 to 194, which works out to roughly 120 net new officers — positions that would be added over the next five to 10 years, he said.
During the debate, Gillingham also pointed to the community crisis response model the city is exploring, which he said could divert 10,000 calls away from first responders every year.
“[Those mobile crisis units] are in the community now. They’re just not plugged into 911, and that’s my commitment. I got unanimous support of council to move to that model, and then I’ve had an initial discussion with the premier about establishing that model.”
After a tense back and forth between Klein and Vogiatzakis earlier in the debate, Vogiatzakis later said he hasn’t spoken to the police union about his plan for a three-year apprenticeship program for cadets, who could attend more non-emergency calls.
Klein, Gillingham and Vogiatzakis will spar again Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a debate hosted by CBC Manitoba and moderated by Information Radio host Marcy Markusa.
CBC Manitoba limited participation in the debate to candidates who polled above 10 per cent, plus or minus the margin of error, among decided voters in the Sept. 18 poll from Abacus Data (previously Probe Research).
Where to watch and listen to the debate on CBC:
Online: CBC Gem, YouTube and cbc.ca/manitoba.
TV: CBC Television (check your local listing for channel).
Radio: CBC Radio One in Winnipeg at 89.3 FM/990 AM or listen online.
Mazher Alam, Johnny Calderon, Chris Clacio, Tracey Drexler, Brad Gross, Umar Hayat, Joshua Pagdato, Noah Redden and Don Woodstock are also running for mayor.
Election day is Oct. 28.