\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (John Woods \/ Free Press)<\/p>\n Mayoral candidates Scott Gillingham (left), Kevin Klein (centre) and Mike Vogiatzakis (right)<\/p>\n \u201cWe are 100 police officers short of the very bare minimum of the per capita (number) right now. We have to replace those officers,\u201d said Klein, a former city councillor and Tory cabinet minister.<\/p>\n Klein estimated his plan to hire the additional officers would cost $3.99 per month, per taxpayer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to raise taxes. We are short police officers and we know from a recent Winnipeg police poll that Winnipeggers don\u2019t feel we have enough police officers. We\u2019ve got to be able to cover the calls we have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Klein\u2019s campaign team declined further comment Wednesday, while promising to release its fully costed platform on Friday.<\/p>\n Klein said he would have police cadets wait at hospitals with people who are in custody and require medical treatment, instead of police officers, to free up the more specialized, higher-paid officers for other calls.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s move the cadets into the hospitals so that we can do a handoff and we can get police cars back on the street,\u201d said Klein.<\/p>\n Vogiatzakis called Klein a \u201crecycled politician\u201d for that response, noting hospital offloading delays have been a problem for many years. He said he would \u201cget tough on crime\u201d instead.<\/p>\n \u201cStop with the garbage. Stop with the catch-and-release program. Work with the (senior) governments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Vogiatzakis added he\u2019d also \u201cinstruct the police board, the police chief\u201d to address the issue.<\/p>\n Klein challenged that claim, since Winnipeg\u2019s mayor does not have the power to direct police operations.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have the authority, Mike. You don\u2019t understand. You don\u2019t live in Winnipeg and you don\u2019t have the authority,\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n Vogiatzakis, whose primary residence is in St. Andrews<\/a>, has said he will live in Winnipeg full-time, if elected.<\/p>\n Gillingham said data shows crime rates are going down but it\u2019s critical to ensure Winnipeggers actually feel safe.<\/p>\n \u201cI, too, have committed to adding more police officers. We have added more police officers in my term of office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Mike Deal \/ Free Press files) Klein estimated his plan to hire more police officers would cost $3.99 per month, per taxpayer.<\/p>\n The incumbent said he would seek city council approval to gradually increase the number of police officers to about 196 per 100,000 residents, up from about 170 currently. That target would raise the number of police to 1,666 from about 1,443.<\/p>\n He also plans to add a fourth emergency response team to handle mental health calls to free up more time for officers.<\/p>\n Vogiatzakis said his pledge to create a three-year \u201ccadet-to-career\u201d apprenticeship program would help boost the response to property crimes and train staff who could fill future police positions.<\/p>\n Gillingham and Vogiatzakis have not revealed their taxation plans.<\/p>\n In 2022, Gillingham campaigned on raising property taxes 3.5 per cent each year. However, city council approved a 5.95 per cent hike in 2025 \u2014 its highest annual increase since the 1990s. At the time, the mayor said the city needed the revenue to balance its budget without cutting critical services.<\/p>\n The tax increase returned to 3.5 per cent in 2026.<\/p>\n Gillingham has said he will release a costed platform before election day.<\/p>\n The trio also shared their views on supervised drug consumption sites.<\/p>\n Gillingham said he\u2019s hopeful Winnipeg\u2019s site will get people off the street and into treatment, while calling for more spending on detox and long-term recovery.<\/p>\n Klein said supervised consumption must come with 24-hour support and immediate access to addictions treatment. He suggested the city could offer empty buildings to help expand treatment.<\/p>\n Vogiatzakis said the site, which is on Henry Avenue<\/a>, should never have been added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s wrong, it\u2019s killing the neighbourhood. It needs to be closed down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Vogiatzakis said his campaign pledge to convert a large warehouse into 100 tiny apartments to provide transitional housing for people battling homelessness and\/or addiction would be more effective.<\/p>\n The candidates were asked how they would address the perception of some residents that the North End does not receive \u201cits fair share\u201d of city investment, especially for recreation.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Mikaela MacKenzie \/ Free Press files) The city’s supervised consumption site opened in August.<\/p>\n Gillingham noted his campaign pledge to seek a $60-million fund for community centres, for which he hopes the city, provincial and federal governments will each commit $20 million to fund.<\/p>\n He said a replacement for the North Winnipeg Nomads field, which was recently deemed unfit, is a prime candidate for that funding, while he would also seek a plan to revitalize north Main Street.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve made a commitment \u2026 to stop the decay on north Main Street,\u201d said Gillingham.<\/p>\n Klein accused Gillingham of failing to maintain recreation facilities during his time on city council, noting the recent closures of the city-owned Terry Sawchuk and West Kildonan arenas as examples.<\/p>\n \u201cThey got shut down, so there\u2019s ice time that\u2019s not available to these kids,\u201d said Klein.<\/p>\n He promised to redirect some funding intended for bike lanes to fix the aging rinks.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tElection Extra<\/p>\n During Elections<\/p>\n Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during civic, provincial and federal elections.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for Election Extra<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Several times during the debate, Vogiatzakis described himself as a political outsider who could spark change.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that you need somebody new at city hall, somebody who\u2019s not politically connected, somebody who\u2019s going to make these changes and somebody who\u2019s going to come in with a fresh perspective on what needs to happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Chris Clacio, Tracey Drexler, Johnny Calderon, Joshua Pagdato, Umar Hayat, Brad Gross, Don Woodstock, Mazher Alam and Noah Redden are also running for mayor.<\/p>\n joyanne.pursaga@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n X : @joyanne_pursaga<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joyanne Pursaga 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"(John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4653922_web1_Debate-Oct-21.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"(Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4653922_web1_260430-Police-0346.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"(Mikaela](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4653922_web1_260811-Consumption-site-00293.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sign](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/electionextra2026-tile.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Joyanne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792632863_300_joyanne-pursaga-mug.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n