Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg is poised to get even more housing, even more quickly thanks to a series of recent and upcoming improvements to its development review process.
The improvements stem from and affirm recommendations of an end-to-end review of the City of Winnipeg’s development process.
“More homes, built faster, that’s the focus,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “After a historic year in 2025 – with the second-highest total ever for housing starts, and a potential all-time high for Downtown residential permits – we're looking to make even more practical changes that help projects move from application to approval with more certainty.”
The KPMG-led review was conducted as part of our Housing Accelerator Fund agreement. It looked at the development process from when an application is submitted, to when it is approved, inspected, and followed up on.
“Winnipeg must be a city where housing can be built efficiently, predictably, and with greater certainty,” said Councillor Evan Duncan, Chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development. “These improvements are about cutting red tape, improving timelines, and shifting toward a ‘yes-first’ culture — ensuring we get development projects underway faster. That’s how Winnipeg stays competitive and attracts the investment our city needs.”
We have already implemented or are in the process of implementing 12 of the review’s 27 recommendations.
These recommendations directly impact developers’ ability to get approvals quickly and more efficiently, meaning it is easier for them to build housing quickly and more efficiently in turn.
Recent improvements include:
- Digitizing development applications to reduce applicants’ time and effort
- Changing the zoning by-law to make it easier to develop “missing middle housing” city-wide and intensify development at mall sites and along major corridors
- Introducing a concurrent submission and review option for development and building permit applications that has proven to decrease average days from intake to issuance by an average of 50 percent
Next month, we will convene a working group designed to expedite approvals for subdivision and rezoning applications.
We formed the group in partnership with the Urban Development Institute of Manitoba and other stakeholders with the goal of bringing land for housing to the market at a quicker pace. We anticipate the group’s focus on fast-tracking further improvements will result in changes being implemented as early as summer.
“Our ongoing work to help developments that are in alignment with adopted policies get approved and built faster is essential,” said Hazel Borys, Director of Planning, Property and Development. “Every improvement brings us one step closer to our housing goal. Next, we will fully rewrite Winnipeg’s two Zoning By-laws. This will be our first comprehensive update in 20 years. We’re focused on making the rules clearer and enabling development to move more quickly, with a Council-ready draft targeted for 2028.”
A report on the end-to-end development review was published today as part of the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development agenda. The committee will hear the report on March 5.
The Public Service is seeking direction to do a more detailed review of Recommendation 19: Implement a Voluntary Pre-Submission Consultation process. The old process was rescinded by Council in 2024. The new recommendation suggests changes including an opportunity for developers to meet directly with City staff about their projects.
Learn more at winnipeg.ca/endtoendrivew