Winnipeg councillors want provincial disaster funding redirected to new warming centre

A project helping Winnipeggers survive the winter elements could get a portion of provincial money meant to help the City of Winnipeg weather the impacts of climate change.

Members of the city's executive policy committee voted to ask the province to divert $650,000 from its Disaster Prevention and Climate Resiliency Program to the new warming centre at 190 Disraeli Fwy.

Originally, city administration officials had planned to use a portion of the road renewal reserve to fund the N'DinawemakOur Relativescentre, and then redirectsome of the disaster funding to replenish the road reserve.

That plan would likely have met opposition from some city councillors, Mayor Brian Bowman said during a news conference with reporters.

"Part of the reason is concern about the potential delay in getting the dollars going to the site," he said.

"So what we can do is reduce the time and the red tape associated with getting provincial dollars to flow to support this project."

The committee also asked for a report on what to do with the remaining $1.9 million in provincial disaster funding.

The 150-bed warming centre has already received $1.5 million from the provincial government through a grant to End Homelessness Winnipeg.

The funding proposal still requires approval from full council.