City services and 311

Canadian municipalities concentrate non-emergency contact in a single service line. Where a city runs 311, that number reaches every municipal department, and the people answering can route a request to the right one. For Winnipeg that is City of Winnipeg.

Numbers and contacts

• City services (311)311

  Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

  Official page

• 311 toll-free (outside Winnipeg)1-877-311-4974

  Free of charge; wireless carrier minutes still apply.

  Official page

• 311 TTY line204-986-1311 (TTY), or the 7-1-1 relay service

  For callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability.

  Official page

• Police non-emergency (Winnipeg Police Service)204-986-6222

  For emergencies call 911; police non-emergencies should not go to 311.

  Official page

• City Hall / 311 Services counterSusan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main St., Winnipeg, MB R3B 1B9

  Counter open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

  Official page

• Transit information (Winnipeg Transit)311

  311 handles Winnipeg Transit schedules and trip-planning questions.

  Official page

Official city services

These go directly to the municipality’s own pages for the services residents use most. Fares, fees, hours and collection schedules change, so each link is the live source rather than a snapshot copied here.

• Winnipeg Transit fares — Fares, tickets and passes.
• Winnipeg Transit routes and schedules — Schedules, trip planning and service information.
• Recycling and garbage — Collection days, what goes where, and drop-off depots.
• Road construction and closures — Current road closures and the road construction map.
• Road and boulevard maintenance — Street maintenance programs; 311 takes snow clearing and pothole reports.
• Building and trade permits — Apply online and find residential and commercial permit resources.
• Winnipeg Public Library — Administration office 204-986-6462, 251 Donald St.

Getting a request acted on

A municipal request is only as useful as its location. Whatever the issue — a pothole, a broken streetlight, missed collection, a water main leak, an unshovelled sidewalk — the details that get it fixed are the same:

• The exact address, or the nearest intersection, plus which side of the street.
• What the problem is and when you first noticed it.
• A photo, where the problem is visible — most cities accept attachments online.
• Whether it is on public property or private. Cities can only act on what they own, and this is the most common reason a request is closed without action.
• A reference number. Keep it: it is what you quote when you follow up.

What is not the city’s job

A surprising share of complaints go to the wrong body. In most Canadian cities, the following are handled by someone else entirely:

• Police, fire and medical emergencies — 911. Not the city service line.
• Highways and provincial roads — the province, not the municipality. City crews maintain local roads only.
• Electricity, natural gas and telecoms — the utility or the provider. See the driving and utilities information for who regulates them in Manitoba.
• Landlord and tenant disputes — a provincial tribunal, not the city.
• Schools and hospitals — school boards and regional health authorities.