Winnipeg city council will not defer its proposed multi-year budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic reaching the city, despite calls from some politicians, groups opposed to cuts in the budget and unions to suspend meetings.
Council will vote on the four-year budget Friday at a special meeting — five days ahead of schedule, after committee meetings were pushed ahead because of the pandemic.
Seventeen people in Manitoba have been diagnosed with either presumed or confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to public health officials.
Mayor Brian Bowman pushed back against calls to delay the budget during a press availability Wednesday. “We are implementing the measures that are being recommended by Manitoba Health,” Bowman said. “Social distancing,