'Sends a strong message to us': Pair of RM of Springfield councillors want to opt out of Plan 20-50

A pair of councillors in the RM of Springfield plan on bringing forward a motion to opt out of Plan 20-50 when they are first able to.

Councillors Mark Miller and Andy Kuczynski say they will vote to opt out of the plan after a telephone referendum in the area showed 97 percent of voters who participated were against it.

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Plan 20-50 is a long-term strategy involving the City of Winnipeg and 17 nearby municipalities to manage growth and service development.

“It’s always important to engage with the public and see what the pulse is,” said Miller in an interview with CTV News Winnipeg. “This is a good litmus test of what the community at large feels, and this sends a strong message to us.”

Miller said around 3,000 people voted in the roughly three-week referendum, which was led by the Springfield Taxpayers Rights Corporation.

He noted he is concerned about how Plan 20-50 would impact the area’s identity as a rural municipality and the costs that could come along with belonging to the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region.

“I would have entertained amendments to the existing or proposed Winnipeg Metropolitan Region Plan 20-50, but as it’s presented to us, I believe there’s too many risks, and to be frank, it doesn’t show any clear benefits to the RM of Springfield.”

Miller touched on the Manitoba government planning to introduce new legislation that would allow municipalities to opt out of the plan, saying when that legislation is passed, that is when the motion will be brought up at council.

Despite being against the plan, Miller said he still wants to work with the metropolitan region.

“We don’t want to alienate or, like you said, be an island secluded from everybody else. We absolutely want to continue the discussion and the rapport with them, but in a different context until a new Plan 20-50 perhaps shows us the benefits and is amended to really embrace concerns that we have in Springfield.”

He also noted if the results of the referendum were different and the majority of voters wanted to be part of the plan, he would have been open to changing his opinion on the matter.

To date, a number of municipalities have spoken out against the plan, including Niverville and Selkirk, saying it interferes with local autonomy.