Winnipeg cut down 'extraordinary' number of trees with Dutch elm disease: report

City forestry crews removed 6,250 elms suffering from Dutch elm disease this year, a figure parks and open spaces describes as extraordinary.

The city budgets to remove 3,500 diseased trees each year but typically winds up chopping down and carting away 5,500, parks and open spaces manager DaveDomkesays in a report to council's finance committee.

The number in 2016 was closed to 6,250, creating a request for $576,000 to cover the additional cost.

Finance committee will consider the request.

More red-light camera offences a mystery

MoreWinnipeggerswere caught speeding or running through red lights by photo-radar cameras fixed at intersectionsthis summer and police are at a loss to explain why.

The Winnipeg Police Service says photo-radar cameras installed at intersections resulted in962 red-light offences and 4,218 speeding tickets in August 2016. That's up from 779 red-light offences and 3,289 speeding tickets in August 2015.

Senior police managers told the Winnipeg Police Board they had no explanation for the rise, as motorists are expected to slow down more often at photo-enforced intersections as they become aware of the locations.

St.James-BrooklandsCoun.ScottGillingham, who chairs the police board, called the rise in offences concerning, as the cameras are supposed to promote safety.

Year-end deficit on way down

The City of Winnipeg's year-end deficit is trending toward elimination, according to the latest financial status report.

Accounts from the end of August suggest the city will havea $3.1-million deficit at the end of 2016, says a report that goes before council's finance committee onThursday.

That's down from a $5.4-million year-end deficit projected at the end of June. Corporate finance officials say they expect the city to wind up with a balanced budget by the time the final 2016 figures are tallied, in February 2017.

• City of Winnipeg on track to post $5.4M year-end deficit

"The public service anticipates that the projected deficit will decrease over the remainder of the year based on financial improvements typically realized from that forecasted for Aug.31, as well as through continued efforts to control expenses without impacting the delivery of core services," corporate finance officials state in their report.