Listening. Following Up. Reporting Back.

Two weeks ago, while door-knocking in Richmond West, I met a resident at the corner of Meadow Ridge Drive and Kendale Drive who showed me a damaged curb with an exposed piece of rebar. The location is a safety concern because children walk along the street to get to school in Kirkbridge. There are no sidewalks on the two streets.

The homeowner told me that he had contacted 311 and spoken with the City’s maintenance department for more than three years, but the problem remained unresolved. He had even offered to pay for the repair himself. In the meantime, he had planted flowers around the damaged area in an effort to make it less hazardous.

What made the situation particularly frustrating was the response to his repair request: “Your service request is expected to be resolved by Sunday April 2044.” Understandably, experiences like this can leave residents feeling ignored and discouraged from engaging with the City.

Two days after learning about the problem, I was door-knocking nearby when I saw City of Winnipeg engineering staff repairing a damaged sidewalk. I brought the damaged curb to one worker’s attention. Although he appreciated the flowers, he recognized the safety concern and said he would raise it with his supervisor.

This week, while another engineering crew was working in the area, I raised the issue again. One staff member kindly walked with me to inspect the damaged curb, which was concealed by flowers. He listened to the safety concerns and assured me that the issue needed to be addressed promptly. He subsequently indicated that he would work to have it resolved next year.

I also brought to his attention a tree that another resident had reportedly been raising concerns about for about three years. He also undertook to follow up on that issue.

Moving from a repair estimate of 2044 to an assurance that action would be pursued next year is a significant change in the conversation, although the work is not yet complete. This experience illustrates why I believe residents’ concerns must be heard and followed up.