Half of municipalities cut ties with the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region

Another Manitoba municipality has left the Winnipeg Metro Region, bringing the number that have cut ties to half its members. CTV's Harrison Shin reports.

The Rural Municipality of St. Clements is the latest community to sever ties with the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (WMR), bringing the number of departing members to half of the organization’s original ranks. The wave of withdrawals is fuelling uncertainty about the region’s long-term planning framework.

Deepak Joshi, chief administrative officer for the RM of St. Clements, confirmed council passed a resolution Tuesday to withdraw from the corporation. All seven members of council supported the motion, he said.

The WMR—also known as the Capital Planning Region (CPR)—was formally established in 2023 under Manitoba’s former Progressive Conservative government. The corporation brought together the City of Winnipeg and 17 surrounding municipalities to coordinate sustainable economic and social development across the region.

Under the province’s current framework, municipalities have until the Oct. 28 municipal general election to withdraw. After that, exit opportunities will be restricted to future review periods.

Joshi said the council’s primary reason for opting out was to maintain flexibility for the next council term.

“If the new council wanted to exit and didn’t feel that they should be part of this, they would have to wait eight years for the next review. And so council felt that they shouldn’t impact a future council with a decision of this magnitude,” Joshi said.

The resolution states the council has not yet reviewed the final regional plan, “including its financial, land-use, servicing, and governance implications.”

The planning body must submit a regional plan by Jan. 1, 2027—a deadline extended by the province after legislation introduced by the NDP government. The plan is intended to guide growth, infrastructure and servicing across municipal boundaries.

An earlier proposal aimed at coordinating long-term development in the region, Plan 20-50, was unanimously voted down in December 2024.

Following backlash to that proposal, the NDP government passed the Planning Amendment Act—legislation Premier Wab Kinew has referred to as the “freedom bill.” The changes allowed municipalities to opt out of the corporation.

“This is what it means to have freedom,” Kinew told CTV News in response to the RM’s decision.

“You vote for your local elected representative, and then they get to decide what you’re going to do in your home community. And if you don’t like it, you can vote for somebody else next time,” Kinew said.

“It’s not up to the province to get involved in these municipal decisions, so we just opened it up… We’ll still find a way to do the big things together, but we have to do it by winning support and bringing people along.”

Joshi said the RM of St. Clements remains committed to collaborating with neighbouring municipalities on shared regional priorities.

A letter to the province signed by the region’s mayor Debbie Fiebelkorn formally requesting withdrawal states the municipality “remains committed to constructive inter-municipal dialogue and collaboration … independent of formal CPR membership.”

The RM joins Selkirk, Dunnottar, and the rural municipalities of St. Andrews, West St. Paul, Macdonald, Rockwood, Springfield and Taché in withdrawing from the corporation.

‘Death knell of any sort of regional plan’: Professor

Aaron Moore, a political science professor at the University of Winnipeg, said “it’s unfortunate” that half the municipalities have chosen to leave the WMR.

“It means, I think, less dialogue between the municipalities around important issues within the regions as a result of the municipalities leaving,” he said. “I think that’s driven largely from the previous government’s decision to make and enforce a plan for the region.”

Moore said he’s doubtful an effective regional framework can move forward with reduced membership, saying voluntary participation signals the “death knell of any sort of regional plan.”

“Even if the plan doesn’t have teeth to it, but is something that (the municipalities) agreed to and worked on together, it’s still better than having something in place where half of the municipalities are covered by it,” he said. “Which is largely going to be the outcome of any plan that the remaining municipalities create at this point.”

He added he is not surprised more municipalities are distancing themselves ahead of the election, noting it’s more likely to create backlash than to benefit elected officials.

“Unfortunately, I think a lot of people did not understand what the plan was for and how it would function once it was in place,” he said.

“It really wasn’t publicized very well in the public, so people did not understand what was being introduced or implemented.”

In a statement, a WMR spokesperson said regional planning efforts will continue among municipalities that remain.

“The Capital Planning Region remains focused on fulfilling its legislative mandate and supporting its member municipalities,” the statement reads.

With files from CTV News’ Harrison Shin