With 8 candidates running in Transcona, voter worries crowded race 'becomes almost a chatter'

Noraine McDougall rides the bus nearly every day, getting on at her stop on Bond Street, in Winnipeg's Transcona ward, and travelling to work, to shop or to visit friends. The 17-year-old has used Winnipeg Transit buses since she was five years old. 

"I don't have a car," and with the high price of gas, her parents can't drive her around everywhere she needs to go, she says.

While McDougall cannot vote in Winnipeg's upcoming civic election, the results will have a major impact on her day-to-day life.

The fate of a hotly debated eastern rapid transit corridor, which would connect the downtown and Transcona, is up in the air after mayoral candidate Jenny Motkaluk announced she would put a stop the project if elected.

Barrett Bjornson lives on Kildare Avenue, and wants to see the project move forward.

"Right now, any bus traffic throughout the city, this is probably the furthest you can get from most places in Winnipeg," he said. "Transcona's kinda way out of the way."

'A run of really good representatives'

There are eight candidates running for Transcona's wide-open council seat, after longtime councillor Russ Wyatt decided not to run for re-election.

Alex Allard, Basil Evan, Shane Geschiere, Steven Lipischak, Shawn Nason, Sandeep Sharma, Raymond Ulasy and Wally Welechenko are all vying for the Transcona seat.

Wyatt is facing a sexual assault charge, and took a leave of absence from council earlier this year to seek treatment for substance abuse.

The eight candidates looking to replace him were largely silent on the issue of rapid transit. Of the seven candidates interviewed, only one candidate voiced support for and one against rapid transit.

While McDougall can't vote, Bjornson can. He, and other Transcona voters, have the largest slate of candidates in the city to choose from this year.

"[Wyatt] was very knowledgeable," Bjornson said. "He was really good for the Transcona area. It was very unfortunate to lose him."

Transcona has been a stable ward. Since 1986, it's seen just three councillors (Wyatt has held the seat since 2002. He was preceded by Shirley Timm-Rudolph, who held it from 1986 to 1992, and again from 1995 to 2002. Rick Boychuk won the seat in the 1992 election.)

"It's a run of really good representatives," Bjornson said, "which is the reason why we have stability. If you don't have really good representatives, that won't be in place."

Ian Briggs, who lives on Victoria Avenue, reacted with shock when he heard eight candidates are running for council.

"I don't know who any of these people are," he said. "With eight people, it becomes almost a chatter."

'Diversity is a great thing'

Darren Thiessen, like Briggs, lives on Victoria Avenue and said he's happy to see so many candidates running.

"Diversity is a great thing," he said. "It gives people an absolute choice. The candidates can be all over the spectrum and it gives people a really, really good educated choice."

But he said he, too, is sorry to lose the long-time councillor.

"I'm sorry to see Russ Wyatt leave. I hope him well in his future, with everything he's gone through," Thiessen said.

Thiessen is optimistic about the future no matter who wins this election, pointing to extensive bike paths and new developments as proof Transcona is on the right track.

"We're one of the few communities where all the neighbours know each other and look after each other," he said.

Transcona residents head to the polls, along with the rest of the city, on Oct. 24.

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More CBC Manitoba election ward profiles:

• Charleswood-Tuxedo
• Daniel McIntyre
• Elmwood-East Kildonan
• Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry
• Mynarski
• North Kildonan
• Old Kildonan
• Point Douglas
• River Heights-Fort Garry
• St. Boniface
• St. James
• St. Norbert-Seine River
• St. Vital
• Waverley West​

​​Journalism students from Red River College's creative communications program have prepared profiles of each city of Winnipeg ward ahead of the 2018 civic election for CBC Manitoba. Read all of our election 2018 coverage here.