Samuel Michael Katz OM (born August 20, 1951) is a Canadian businessman and former politician who was the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 2004 to 2014.

[2] His entertainment company, Showtime Productions Inc., brought artists such as Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney, and musicals such as Evita, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera to Winnipeg.

[5] On June 22, 2004, Katz was elected mayor of Winnipeg,[2] beating Dan Vandal, Al Golden, and MaryAnn Mihychuk and receiving 42% of the vote.

[12] Councillors Jenny Gerbasi, Mike Pagtakhan, Harvey Smith, Lillian Thomas and Dan Vandal voted in opposition to this board because it meets behind closed doors.

This method is reported to have ensured the Charleswood Bridge project (completed in 1995 during Mayor Susan Thompson's term) was built on time and on budget.

[31] He also committed to alternative options for at-risk youth including participation in sports and activities in community centres as a preventative measure.

[35] After touring New York City, Katz was interested in the creation and implementation of Crimestat, an interactive system to provide up-to-date information to help protect citizens.

[44] Their song "And the Final Words are Yours, Sam Katz" was entered in medium rotation at a number of local radio stations and offers Katz ironic sympathy for the difficulties of running "a city, a business and a baseball team", the use of Malathion for mosquito fogging, and a military training exercise (Operation Charging Bison).

[44] Katz also came under fire from the city's French-speaking population after removing a bilingual requirement from the criteria for awarding a restaurant license on the Esplanade Riel bridge and backing away from earlier promises to help fund a French-language theatre.

This drew criticism from councillor Jenny Gerbasi and the Manitoba director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Adrienne Batra.

[48] A 2013 city-commissioned report on the construction of new fire halls alleged that Shindico, a Winnipeg-based commercial real-estate developer, received the contract due to favouritism.

[49] According to CBC News, the developer was granted building rights after previous correspondence between Shindico and the former fire chief, Reid Douglas, despite being the highest bidder.

[50] Immediately after the report was published, multiple city councillors asked for Katz's resignation due to the fire hall situation.

Katz's friendship with Phil Sheegl, the former City of Winnipeg Chief Administrative Officer who negotiated the fire hall contract, received substantial attention.

[51] Shortly after the fire hall report was released, an opinion piece written by a volunteer was published by the Uniter, the University of Winnipeg's main student newspaper.