Winnipeg poised to offer free Wi-Fi on a dozen buses next year

Mayor Brian Bowman tried to check off one of his 2014 campaign pledges by endorsing a Winnipeg Transit Wi-Fi pilot project.

A request to spend $300,000 in leftover cash from 2016 on a one-year pilot project that would offer free Wi-Fi on 12 buses will be considered by council's innovation committee on Friday.

The cash comes from the unspent balance oflast year's innovation capital fund, a pot of money set aside for projects that employ new technology or make city processes more efficient.

Important for inner-city

Council innovation chair Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) said free WiFi on buses would improve safety for residents of her inner-city ward.

"For a lot of my constituents they don't have data plans, they have a number that's attached to a cell or a number that's attached to an IPod, and sometimes it's being able to connect with Mom and let them know, I'm on the bus, maybe I don't feel so safe," she said on Monday at city hall.

She also said WiFi may alleviate problems with the Peggo electronic-fare-payment system, which requires buses to download data in transit garages instead of wirelessly.

Earlier Monday, asa report recommending the project was made public, the mayor's office endorsed the plan in a news release. Bowman promised during the 2014 election campaignto offer free Wi-Fi on buses.

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The request will not compete with other proposals that go before council's innovation committeeon Friday in a meeting that resembles the format of reality TV show Dragon's Den.

Once a year, councillors on the innovation committee listen to proposals from city departments interested in accessing $1 million worth of funds set aside in the innovation capital fund.

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On Friday, the committee will consider 16 new pitches with requests for funds totalling almost $1.9million. The pitches include:

• $480,000formaking oldcity buildings more energy efficient.
• $390,000 for creatinga lane-closure app andwebsite.
• $197,000to purchase two electric cars for the city fleet and install two Level 3 charging stations.
• $160,000 to create analarm-permit management system.
• $150,000to find efficiencies in city capital processes.
• $150,000 to create a 311chatbot.
• $129,000to buy and installLED emergency-exit signs.
• $43,000to create interactive software forpublic engagement.
• $40,000to valuate city assets properly for potential sponsorship.
• $37,000to buy a drone to identify places for the insect-control branch to apply larvicides.
• $37,000to investigate the potential for solar power cells on thesouth side of Pan Am Pool.
• $37,000 to investigate heat recovery at the St. James pool and ice rink.
• $12,000to buy a thermal imager for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service drone.
• $10,000 to continuecomposting at city hall.

The committee can accept or reject any of the pitches.