Halloween, an appropriate day to discuss one of the scariest things at Winnipeg’s City Hall, the Executive Policy Committee.
Eliminating the Executive Policy Committee is something often discussed and its dissolution is promoted by many. It would be cost neutral and could have a great impact on civic politics in Winnipeg.
The EPC is a select group of councilors chosen on the whim of the mayor. This group is supposed to be an impartial body that “formulates and presents recommendations to council respecting policies, plans, budgets, by-laws and other matters that affect the city as a whole.”
In its current form, there is nothing to prevent the mayor from filling the EPC with like minded individuals to promote self serving policies that would only require the support of one other member of council. That is to say the support of only one other member providing every councillor is in attendance for the vote in order to pass any motion proposed. An example of the work the EPC currently conducts is that it was through their recommendation that the city hire a Chief Administrative Officer, who was did not have the experience or credentials to match the position and has since been forced to resign because of controversy and allegations of corruption. The EPC also put forth a motion he be replaced by another person linked to and named in the same controversy the previous CAO resigned over. (What!?!)
Without an EPC policy ideas could simply be brought to council meetings by individual councillors and be debated and voted. Part of the advantage of this method is that each ward would have equal representation and decision could then be made based on a citywide perspective. Alternatively we could look to models used in Vancouver, Calgary or Regina who all have a variance of a board style system composed of both councillors and citizens who together make recommendations to City Council. The biggest difference between this board style and an EPC system is that it invites participation and accountability to the people the government is elected to serve.
I believe the idea behind having an Executive Policy Committee is to expedite the policy development process, but all it seems to do is open City Hall to accusations of corruption. What do you think, does Winnipeg need an EPC?
Politix Brain Storm 
EPC should be abolished. Its a voting bloc.
Agreed. I believe it is even more than a voting bloc. It is a perceived elite member’s only club and non-members are almost coerced into voting the same way in hopes of gaining access to the club in the future.