What 'Work the Vote' looks like in some Winnipeg organizations

For some Winnipeg employers, that 3.6 million Canadians voted in advance polls in October — more than 1.5 million more than in Canada's last federal election — is not enough.

Several organizations have signed up for the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg's "Work the Vote" campaign. It encourages employers to empower those who work for them to cast a ballot by promoting conversation about the election in the workplace.

• New 'Work the Vote' campaign targets Winnipeg employers

Nicole Chammartin, the executive director of Klinic Community Health Centre and SERC, the Sexuality Education Resource Centre, both in Winnipeg, has brought Work the Vote to her organizations.

She said she's been distributing information about what different political parties are saying, particularly about issues that are important to her organizations and employees. Long before that, however, democratic engagement was a focus at work because the people they support encounter barriers to voting, Chammartin said.

"When you live in poverty, you may not have … updated ID. You may not have ID that matches your gender … if you're trans," she said.

Voting is good for one's well-being, and that's the message the organizations are sending with Work the Vote, she said.

"[Voting] is a way that you feel empowered by your society.... Feeling like you can be a part of change is actually an excellent way to improve your mental health," she said.

James Magnus-Johnston owns Fools and Horses, a "pro-vote" coffee shop on Broadway in Winnipeg. Like Chammartin, Magnus-Johnston said he is working to push his employees to vote, but there is no pressure to adopt a particular political position.

"Inviting conversation encourages a kind of debate among employees that's healthy," he said.

The shop holds a weekly morning gathering called Friday Fools when members of the media, the legislature and the public gather to discuss issues of the day.

And if customers prove they voted by posting pictures of themselves outside polling stations on social media, they will receive a 20 per cent discount on their order at the coffee shop.