The accidental broadcast of a mayor’s frustrated comments may have set off a wave of headlines, but at its core, the controversy unfolding in East St. Paul is about something much larger: How a small rural municipality of 10,000 people should grow as Winnipeg’s suburban edge pushes ever closer.

On Aug. 19, during a public hearing about a new Secondary Plan covering 400 hectares east of Highway 59, Mayor Carla Devlin was caught on a live Zoom microphone questioning how many times a planning proposal could be “dumbed down” for residents who oppose it.

Recommended Videos

During the hearing, frustrations boiled over as one resident directly confronted Mayor Devlin about her hot-mic remarks.

“I’m embarrassed,” the resident said. “These are not the values that my parents would have moved out

See Full Page