Tache looks to leave WMR

The Rural Municipality of Taché has voted to leave the Capital Planning Region, joining a growing list of municipalities unhappy with the provincial body.

Taché council unanimously passed a motion to file the ask to Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard during a Jan. 27 public works meeting. The move came one week after Springfield passed a similar motion to want out of the Capital Planning Region.

Taché Reeve Armand Poirier labeled Winnipeg an “elephant” and took issue with its voting power on the planning region’s board, which allows it to have a double majority on decisions.

“It’s important for Taché and all the other municipalities to be at the table, to be heard on what we expect to see happen in our jurisdictions, rather than sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that we don’t exist,” he said. “By doing that, we’re going to get chewed up and spit out.”

Since Winnipeg is the most powerful municipality in the province, smaller municipalities have no power to raise concerns on development or counter Winnipeg’s demands, Poirier said.

The Capital Planning Region, formerly known as the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, reset its planning approach in June 2025 to address the concerns raised by municipalities and board members.

The Winnipeg Metropolitan Region is composed of 12 municipalities, as opposed to the 18 that were mandated to participate. Only the Rural Municipality of Ritchot and the Town of Niverville remain as board members representing the Southeast. The region contains two-thirds of Manitoba’s population and its GDP.

It’s now required to submit a new regional plan to the province by Jan. 1, 2027, and development is underway, The Carillon previously reported.

Poirier was also concerned over the lack of First Nation involvement in decision making, noting Indigenous groups were “bypassed” in most meetings or weren’t present. Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky is listed as a member at large on the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region board, according to its website.

Poirier said he was initially optimistic his concerns would be addressed when the organization announced it would reset. But that optimism left when the board had no say in hiring a consultant, and the governance structure wasn’t changed, he said.

Taché council didn’t consult other municipalities before the vote was held, Poirier said.

If the Capital Planning Region collapses, he said the province will be implicated in its neutral stance. Poirier said he would “highly encourage” the province to directly intervene and address the power dynamics between Winnipeg and smaller municipalities.

Ward 2 Coun. George McGregor, who made the motion, echoed Poirier concerns about Winnipeg’s power.

“We felt that it really wasn’t serving Taché because of the ability of Winnipeg to have 51 percent of the vote, and it would be very hard to get things passed that Winnipeg didn’t favor,” he said.

McGregor said the withdrawing municipalities will put pressure on the Capital Planning Region to address the concerns officials are raising. Springfield Coun. Mark Miller previously told The Carillon he voted to withdraw from the planning body due to the lack of public consultation in creating the planning region.

“I think by them (the province) seeing that RMs are not satisfied with the way that the Capital Planning Region is being run right now, there’s going to be some changes hopefully,” McGregor said.

The Carillon wasn’t granted an interview with Municipal Relations Minister Simard. A provincial spokesperson said in a statement the government enacted legislation that gives municipalities to “choose their own future” for regional planning. The province passed a law in June 2025 that would allow municipalities to opt out of the previously mandatory planning region.

“We look forward to continuing to work together with the RM of Taché and the RM of Springfield as they continue to grow and thrive,” the spokesperson said.

Winnipeg Metropolitan Region board chair Michael Moore or executive director Jennifer Freeman didn’t respond to The Carillon’s interview requests.

– with files from the Winnipeg Free Press