A NEW BATCH OF COUNCILLORS COULD TRANSFORM CITY HALL
Well, here we are folks, just a few weeks away from the civic election and the political
landscape at City Hall is about to change.
And, with any luck, it could change for the better.
We already know that 5 council seats are open races, due to the withdrawal of longtime
councillors like Janice Lukes, Sherri Rollins John Orlikow, Markus Chambers and Brian
Mayes.
But what’s equally interesting are the campaigns being launched against city council
incumbents like Jeff Browaty, Ross Eadie and others.
Browaty has dominated North Kildonan civic politics for 20 years, but after a term
characterized by some serious public gaffs – not the least being his reference to homeless
people as “drugged out zombies”- he’s now facing stiff competition from candidates like
Orvie Dingwall.
Dingwall, past President of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association and one time
VP of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, has launched an expansive door-to-door and
social media campaign, capitalizing on her record as a skilled labour leader.
So perhaps it’s no accident that incumbent mayor, Scott Gilligham, has joined Browaty on
the North Kildonan campaign trail to - of all things – rake leaves on camera and bolster the
councillor’s profile as well as his own “Build Winnipeg” campaign.
And while we’re on the subject, whoever came up Gillingham’s 1950s-era, “Build Winnipeg”
slogan must be utterly tone deaf to the issues Winnipeggers care about. Top of the list
being affordability, homelessness, better public transit, safety and fixing what we have.
Also getting a run for their money are incumbents Ross Eadie, Shawn Dobson and Russ Wyatt. All three are facing tough challenges from progressive candidates like North End activist, Natalie Smith, St. James hopeful, Tyler Chrichton and Transcona community leader, Lora Mesemen respectively.
All of these challengers, like incumbent Councillor Emma Durand-Wood in
Elmwood-EK, had already established a tangible volunteer presence in their communities
long before the election.
And for the past three months, they’ve been out on neighbourhood streets, knocking on doors and basing their platforms on what they’re hearing from residents.
So what are the chances that these progressive candidates will unseat their incumbents?
Well, if you take a look at what’s happening in the open races you begin to see a trend. Just take Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry, where urban planner and community revitalization
specialist, Jeff Palmer, seems to have surged ahead by banging on doors and reaching out
to constituents via a smart and incredibly upbeat social media campaign.
Ditto in John Orliokow’s old ward, River Heights-Fort Garry. There, urban planner, Sarah
MacArthur, culture ambassador, Jorge Requena Ramos and incumbent-anointed
candidate, Georgina Sabesky, are slugging it out in the rush to the polls.
Given Orlikow’s endorsement, it looked as if Sabseky would be the frontrunner, but at
this point the race is too close to call as MacArthur and Requena Ramos build their
platforms and public profiles via door-to-door campaigns and regular social media posts.
The same is true in St Norbert, where another progressive candidate, Louise May, has run a smart, issue-focused and even collegial campaign, which has seen her, and her fellow
candidates, cycling together through their ward to meet with residents.
And in St. Vital, where the “anointed” candidate, Chris Sigurdson, seemed a shoo-in to
win given public endorsement by long-time councillor Brian Mayes, things aren’t turning
out to be quite as predictable as some thought. In fact, Sigurdson is facing significant opposition from Metis educator and community activist, Season Kirkwood, a candidate whose roots in St Vital stretch back generations.
So what is it that unites all of these candidates?
Well, despite being new to the game, each one of them knows that they can’t
singlehandedly change the culture at city hall. Only an alliance of like-minded progressive
councillors can do that, especially if they wind up facing down a conservative mayor.
Most of them are grassroots activists and volunteers who have already helped to make
positive change in their own communities.
A majority of them also favor evidence-based and community-led programs to address
social issues like homelessness and public safety. And all of them have signed the Trees
Please “Save the Shade” pledge and responded to the People’s Climate Mandate Survey.
Finally, each of them is focused on creating a greener, more sustainable and equitable
city, not just for today, but for future generations.
So get on your phone or computer, find their webpage and read their platforms. If you
still have questions, give them a call, because most candidates have their phone numbers
listed on the city website.
And if you’re still not sure, then take a look at their competitors platforms to see if their
values better reflect your own.
After all, it’s your vote, and you get to choose. I just hope you choose wisely, with your
kids, their kids and their future wellbeing in mind.
You can find the phone numbers and websites for all mayoral and council candidates in your
ward by going to: https://www.winnipeg.ca/city-governance/wards-elections/2026-election/information-voters/candidates
To learn more about which candidates have signed Trees Please “Save The Shade” Pledge
as well as their responses to the People’s Climate Mandate Survey, check out these
websites: https://treespleasewinnipeg.com/
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