On February 26th, the Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce held its Annual General Meeting (AGM). One of the components of the event was Mayor Henry Siemens’ State of the City Address, which reflected on developments Winkler has seen in the past year and on its position to build for the future. A well-attended event Mayor Siemens said 2026’s AGM, which took place at Central Station this year, was well-attended. “It was really good to see as many people as we did. I believe they were sold out, and people were interested to see what's happening in our community,” he said. “I was pleased to be able to give them an update in terms of where things are on projects and where we're going and how we intend to keep doing business. I thought it went quite well.” The more routine moments are what make a city successful One of the main themes of the mayor’s speech centred on the types of moments that contribute to a city’s success, which Mayor Siemens drew on his business experience to illustrate. He said that, in the business world, it’s common to “always be hustling” to build and grow and move forward — which is how many days feel for the Winkler municipal government — but what really makes a city shine and flourish is the more routine moments. Related stories: Historic weekend ahead for Flyers in newly renovated Centennial Arena Winkler, Stanley, Morden leaders reflect on past (and future) collaboration The mayor views this “routine excellence” as the foundation upon which success is built, and attributes Winkler’s developments in the past year to this diligent work. “I think when we look at doing some of the not-so-exciting stuff well, that it sets us up to where we are today,” he said. “When we plan well, when we finance well, when we make sure that we're careful in everything that we do, it allows us to be in the place that we are.” An important wastewater project As for the major projects that Winkler has seen completed (and nearly completed) as a result of consistent behind-the-scenes efforts, Mayor Siemens named the new wastewater treatment facility and the renovation of the Centennial Arena as high points for Winkler. “Those are the key pieces that set Winkler up on a trajectory that should allow growth to continue. We know that many communities are looking for water or wastewater solutions, [and our facility] is literally in place today. It is fully funded. It's there for a population of up to 25,000 people. We're excited about that,” he said. “We know that there's a lot of work to do on many different areas, and we want to continue to work with our regional partners to help them get to that same place, because we know that we need this entire region to be able to grow effectively so that we can all grow in a healthy way.” Refreshing a 50-year-old community staple As for the nearly completed Centennial Arena, Mayor Siemens’ vision is that it provides the region with rich recreational opportunities. In his speech, he outlined some of the features of the space that stand out. “I can tell you that one of the things we’re most excited about is the new cutting-edge centre ice digital scoreboard. It changes how we’ll watch events in the arena and the marketing opportunities we’re now able to offer,” he said. “If all goes according to plan and we get the occupancy permit, our staff will feverishly spend the next week prepping the arena so that the Winkler Flyers can welcome their fans to see it on March 6th when they host the Steinbach Pistons, and March 7th when the Niverville Nighthawks come to town. The Flyers are in the thick of the MJHL playoff race, and these games will be huge.” A connected region On the topic of recreation, Mayor Siemens also touched on Winkler’s role in creating opportunities with and for the communities across the region, especially in its collaboration with Morden and the RM of Stanley. The biggest project — completed in 2025 after years of preparation — is the Stanley Community Pathway. He added that the region’s golf courses, parks, arenas, and programming allow the community to “compete at a much larger level." “When Winkler, Morden and Stanley work together, we're a community of 30,000 people. That's significant and allows us to do things that we couldn't, any one of us, do on our own,” he said. The 3-year budget plan Mayor Siemens said that one of Winkler’s “most important achievements” in 2025 was the implementation of the city’s 3-year budget plan. “We’re planning financing with the same discipline and foresight as we’ve put into projects,” he said. The budget plan strives to create predictability for taxpayers, prevent sudden financial shocks (meaning surprise large tax increases), and align funding with infrastructural priorities. It's also designed to allow departments to plan and deliver efficiently and support sustainable, long-term growth, according to the mayor. “We believe this is a fairly good step forward today. We're in year two of a three-year plan, and from what we're seeing so far, it seems to be bearing fruit." The importance of Winkler’s business community For Mayor Siemens, presenting 2026’s State of the City Address to Winkler’s business community made for a fitting audience. “We recognize that our community is a very pro-business community. We also believe that that's a big part of the reason for our success,” he said. “Our businesses consistently punch above their weight here locally, provincially, nationally, even internationally. That group of people, the fact that they continue to invest in our community, allows us to find ways to support them as much as possible because ultimately, it is our business community that is growing our community.” Doing the little things well and consistently In the end, Mayor Siemens summed up Winkler’s progress by reiterating how effective it is to take the time to get the details right. “It really comes down to just doing all of the little things well consistently, and we have a staff that works very hard to do that for us. They do an exceptional job of making those small things consistently work well and providing guidance to Council that allows us to make decisions for the long term,” he said. “I think that’s really where you're seeing Winkler today, you're seeing an example of that.” He added that the routine excellence that defines the city is the product of many citizens who have shaped the community through generations of wisdom. “We have had decades of wise decisions by councils that have allowed us to be at this place today. We've had long-term, committed staff who've provided really good advice to those councils that have set us up, now [putting us in a position] where, if we continue to be careful and disciplined, we can have a fully financially sustainable community. That's exciting to see,” he said. With files from Dan St. Yves