We're chatting with Michel Durand-Wood today—Winnipeg’s “Elmwood Guy,” municipal finance guru, and author of the upcoming book You’ll Pay for This. Michel’s passion for cities and their financial sustainability is contagious, and we dive deep into why every citizen is a co-owner of their city, not just a customer.

Here’s a taste of what we cover:

🏙️ Why municipal finance is the “connective tissue” of everything you care about—from parks to potholes.

🚗 The hidden costs of car-centric infrastructure and how it’s bankrupting cities (hint: roads are expensive).

📉 The trillion-dollar infrastructure deficit in Canada and the USA and what it means for your daily life.

🚶 How incremental, low-cost solutions—like bike lanes and tactical urbanism—outperform mega-projects.

🏡 Michel’s journey from frustrated citizen to author and advocate—and how YOU can start making change in your neighbourhood.

Michel’s book You’ll Pay for This (out May 20 in Canada, June 24 elsewhere) is a hilarious, eye-opening guide to demystifying city budgets. Pre-order it now or request it at your local library!

Love your city? Check out Michel’s blog DearWinnipeg.com for no-nonsense takes on urbanism that applies to not just Winnipeg, but all cities. Share this episode with a neighbour, too! Let’s build cities that work for everyone—forever.

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If you've found this worth your time, you can get early access to videos and exclusive behind-the-scenes content access to our extensive brainstorming sessions, full interviews, and video commentaries over at https://www.patreon.com/bendurham

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• where to find me •

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Website: https://bendurham.ca

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SUBSCRIBE to and RATE Wheels and Beyond on:

» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2XgnlWWDihE1WFvEEC1868

» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wheels-and-beyond/id1761207261

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⏰ CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

02:31 Michelle's background & expertise

06:27 Citizens as city co-owners

09:07 The Portage and Maine story

16:42 Municipal financial realities

24:23 Transportation & infrastructure costs

34:30 Personal mobility choices

43:36 Solutions & citizen action

53:46 Book announcement & closing

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NERDY RECORDING DETAILS:

This recording took place on the morning of April 18th, 2025 via RiversideFM.

Edited and mixed in Davinci Resolve Studio. 1080p render.

Audio is optimized for an ITU-R BS, 1770-4 standard at -1dBTP and -16LKFS, specifically for Spotify standards.