Looking back at 2025 shows a lot can happen in a year. We saw big changes, major milestones reached, and new services launched.
Let’s break down what was a very busy year for us.
Transportation transformation
The Primary Transit Network officially launched last June with 71 routes, nearly every one of them new. The On-Request zones jumped from three to 12 with the network change.
We know this was a significant change. We’re continuing to take in feedback and have made recent adjustments to address concerns.
That wasn’t the only big change for Transit. History was made when 60-foot battery-electric buses hit the road last year. We were the first Canadian city to have these buses in service.
How people navigate our city’s most famous intersection also changed last year. Pedestrians were able to cross Portage and Main at street-level for the first time since 1979.
We also launched leading pedestrian intervals Downtown and piloted a pedestrian scramble intersection at King Street and Bannatyne Avenue.
Fixing things up
Our Streets Maintenance crews were busy keeping things smooth sailing last year. They filled nearly 273,000 potholes and repaired over 6,000 sq. metres of sidewalks.
They also paved over 516,000 sq. metres of asphalt, the highest amount in recent years.
We launched the Neighbourhood Action Teams last spring and they made quite the impact too. On top of patching potholes, crews trimmed 1,615 hazardous branches, repaired 944 signs, and cleaned 506 sq. metres of graffiti.
Our Bylaw Enforcement Officers had a busy year attending to nearly 17,000 service requests. They completed almost 29,000 inspections to help keep our neighbourhoods liveable and safe.
Environmental impact
Brookside Cemetery may be one of the oldest cemeteries in Winnipeg, but it began offering something new. You can now arrange for an environmentally-friendly natural burial at the site. Brookside was the first cemetery in Manitoba to be certified by Green Burial Society of Canada.
We also opened the doors at our newest fire-paramedic station last year. Station 9 in Windsor Park has five bays for emergency vehicles and is very green. Its environmental design means it will have 98.6 percent less carbon emissions each year compared to a conventional building of the same size.
Just over 10,300 residents took part in last spring’s Compost Giveaway. They scooped up a record 820 metric tonnes of compost. In case you’re wondering, that works out to be just over 1.8 million pounds of compost. The compost comes from our curbside yard waste collection program.
You also kept our 4R Winnipeg Depots busy. Over 200,000 vehicles made their way to our three locations throughout the year.
Splashing around
Our spray pads are popular to cool off at when the temperature soars. We turned the taps on at three new spray pads last year. This means we’ve now surpassed 30 spray pads around Winnipeg.
Learning to swim is an important life skill. Our popular courses were 91 percent filled this past year teaching new swimmers about water safety.
Speaking of swimmers, we welcomed them back at our newly renovated Bonivital Pool in November. It underwent several accessibility enhancements, HVAC upgrades, and more.
Check us out
Whether it was physical books, e-books, or audiobooks, it all adds up. Last year over 4.7 million items were borrowed from our libraries.
Our branches also saw over two million visits last year. Around 110,000 people made the time to take part in library programming.
Finding fur-ever homes
Have you licensed your pet? If so, you have one of over 86,000 licences issued in 2025. Those licences meant we were able to reunite over 375 dogs with their families.
Our Animal Services Agency also adopted out over 300 dogs, several birds, a few reptiles, and a rabbit last year. Check out the current adoptable dogs if you’re considering adding a pet to your home.
Marking milestones
We started the year off by wrapping up our Winnipeg 150 anniversary and closing the time capsule. It will be opened in 2074.
What a fitting way to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Carnegie Library opening in October. That’s when we kicked off construction on its redevelopment. It will be the permanent home for the City of Winnipeg Archives.
It was a centennial celebration on the links as Windsor Park Golf Course teed off on its 100th season.
We also earned What Works Cities Silver Certification for our exceptional use of data. In fact, last year we added a record 38 data sets to our Open Data Portal.
Building for the future
We made significant strides last year when it comes to addressing housing availability in our city. We awarded $17 million in grants across 10 housing projects last year.
We’re also now on track to achieve the three-year Housing Accelerator Fund target of 14,101 new housing units in Winnipeg. We ended the year at 9,727 units, 69% of the way towards our total target.
We’re also helping residents build their futures. Our Talent Acquisition team took part in around 100 employment events. If you’re interested in working for us, check out these very useful tips.
Fifteen very deserving Indigenous post-secondary students received scholarships through Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak, the City of Winnipeg’s Indigenous Youth Strategy.
Connecting with you
Whether you were letting us know your garbage collection was missed or had a question about your taxes, our 311 Contact Centre was there to help you. It fielded over 815,000 calls last year. That’s around 141,000 more than in 2024.
We also said hello to our 311 ChatBot pilot project. It can quickly find what you’re looking for on our website or direct you to the right online form to submit a service request. It’s answered over 11,500 questions so far.
Sharing more of our stories
One of the ways we reach you with information about what is happening here is on the Our City, Our Stories platform. Last year it celebrated one million total page visits. Check the site often to learn about different services, programs, and initiatives we have going on.
We’re also sharing an insider’s perspective on Our City, Our Podcast. Thousands of listeners tuned in to its second season last year. We highlight a different service area each month. Find it where you listen to podcasts.
Looking ahead
We know this year will be just as busy around the city. You can stay up to date with what is happening by signing up for our weekly newsletter. It lands in your inbox each Friday.
Sign up for the Our City Newsletter
We have a lot going on at the City that can affect your daily lives. Stay up-to-date on what is happening by signing up for the Our City Newsletter, emailed each Friday.