Winnipeg news: The Winnipeg councillors severance bill is coming due, and the number is a big one, about $525,000 in payouts for politicians who left council after the October 28 election.
The Winnipeg councillors severance bill totals about $525,000 for members who left council after the October 28, 2026 election, under a city policy that pays three weeks salary for every year served, up to six months pay. Council voted 10 to 6 in December 2014 to keep the payouts after then Mayor Brian Bowman moved to end them.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 13, 2026
Sources: City of Winnipeg, Northly Winnipeg, Kevin Klein on Instagram | Last updated: November 13, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Outgoing Winnipeg councillors are about to receive around $525,000 in combined severance payments, according to Winnipeg Sun columnist Kevin Klein.
- The same $525,000 figure was reported by Northly Winnipeg on November 3, 2026.
- The payouts follow the October 28, 2026 municipal election, in which nine new councillors won seats, the biggest turnover since 1992, while six incumbents remained.
- The policy pays three weeks salary for every year served, up to a maximum of six months pay, under a formula dating to an external review of elected officials compensation.
- Council voted 10 to 6 in December 2014 to keep the payouts, after then Mayor Brian Bowman moved to eliminate them.
- After the previous election on October 22, 2014, the eight outgoing council members were collectively entitled to more than $400,000 under the same formula.
What is the Winnipeg councillors severance total?
About $525,000, split among the councillors who left after the October 28 vote. Klein put the figure out in a video reel posted November 13, 2026, at 2:35 a.m., saying the departing councillors are about to receive around $525,000 and pointing viewers to winnipegsun.com for the full story. Northly Winnipeg reported the same figure ten days earlier, on November 3. No per councillor breakdown has been verified, so the Winnipeg councillors severance total is the number to watch, not individual cheques.
The timing is no accident. The October 28 election delivered the biggest council turnover since 1992, with nine new faces winning seats and only six incumbents holding on. More departures mean more payouts, and this crop of exits is the largest in a generation.
Related: Winnipeg Mayoral Ballot 2026 — 12 Names, One Wide-Open Race As Half The City Stays Undecided
Where does the severance policy come from?
Before September 2011, Winnipeg councillors got nothing when they left office. Then an external review of elected officials compensation recommended a payout: three weeks salary for every year served, up to a maximum of six months pay. The city adopted the formula, and it has been paying out ever since.
Then Mayor Brian Bowman tried to kill it. In December 2014 he moved to eliminate the payouts outright. Council disagreed, voting 10 to 6 to keep the practice. The policy survived him, and it is still paying out twelve years later.
Winnipeg City Hall, second building, 1886 to 1962. Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
How does this compare with 2014?
The last time council turned over this hard, the bill was smaller. After the October 22, 2014 election, the eight outgoing members were collectively entitled to more than $400,000 under the same formula. This time the total is about $525,000, higher than the 2014 figure, driven by more departures and longer service among those leaving.
Klein knows this file from the inside. He is a former city councillor and former Manitoba environment minister who now writes for the Winnipeg Sun, and he has been hammering city hall spending in his columns for years. His reel is a teaser, not the full accounting, and the Sun story it points to is where the names and amounts should land.
Why does this still sting for taxpayers?
Because the argument never went away. The payouts survived the 2014 vote, and every election since has produced a fresh round of cheques for departing members. Winnipeggers pay property tax, fund the city budget and watch the same pot cover these payouts, so the Winnipeg councillors severance figure lands as a question, not just a number: why does a job voters can take away come with a payout when they do?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Winnipeg councillors severance total?
About $525,000 combined, according to Winnipeg Sun columnist Kevin Klein and Northly Winnipeg, which reported the same figure on November 3, 2026.
How is the severance calculated?
Members receive three weeks salary for every year they serve, up to a maximum of six months pay, under a formula from an external review of elected officials compensation.
Did council ever try to end the payouts?
Yes. Then Mayor Brian Bowman moved to eliminate them in December 2014, but council voted 10 to 6 to keep the practice.
Flag of Winnipeg. Photo: Makaristos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Maplestime will provide updates from Winnipeg City Hall as announcements are made.
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Twelve years after council voted to keep these payouts, is $525,000 the price of turnover or a perk politicians should have lost long ago? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Winnipegger who pays the bill.
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