5 new faces, 10 incumbents will sit as councillors in Winnipeg
Incumbents will return in all wards where they ran; new councillors elected in 5 wards
Winnipeg's city council will have five fresh faces after the 2018 civic election, along with 10 incumbents.
The new members all come from wards where incumbents chose not to run.
All incumbents in the running kept their seats, apart from former councillor Shawn Dobson. Dobson lost a race to rival incumbent Scott Gillingham in St. James after changes to Winnipeg's ward boundaries eliminated his former ward of St. Charles.
Here are the new faces bound for city hall:
- Sherri Rollins — Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry.
- Markus Chambers — St. Norbert-Seine River.
- Shawn Nason — Transcona.
- Vivian Santos — Point Douglas.
- Kevin Klein — Charleswood-Tuxedo.
Sherri Rollins will represent Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry. The former trustee for the Winnipeg School Division will be the ward's first new councillor in 20 years, after incumbent Jenny Gerbasi decided not to run for re-election this year. Gerbasi had been the city's longest-serving councillor after first being elected in 1998.
Rollins has worked with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and is an employee of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Markus Chambers will represent St. Norbert-Seine River, after incumbent Janice Lukes left the ward to represent the newly created Waverley West. Chambers, a former public servant, was previously the manager of employer engagement for Manitoba Education and Training.
Kevin Klein will fill the seat for Charleswood-Tuxedo, formerly occupied by Marty Morantz. Klein was formerly the publisher and CEO of the Winnipeg Sun, and has also worked for MTS as president of the company's digital division.
Morantz, who was elected to council in 2014, decided not to run for re-election. Instead, he will run in the upcoming federal election as the Conservative candidate for the Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley riding.
Shawn Nason will be councillor for Transcona, beating out seven other candidates for the ward that was left open by former councillor Russ Wyatt. Nason will be the first new councillor for the ward in 16 years.
Vivian Santos will represent the Point Douglas ward. Santos will also be the ward's first new councillor in 16 years, after former councillor Mike Pagtakhan decided not to run for re-election.
Returning incumbents
The following incumbent councillors will return to the fold:
- Brian Mayes — St. Vital ward.
- Jeff Browaty — North Kildonan.
- Matt Allard — St. Boniface ward.
- Ross Eadie — Mynarski.
- Scott Gillingham — St. James.
- John Orlikow — River Heights-Fort Garry.
- Cindy Gilroy — Daniel McIntyre.
- Jason Schreyer — Elmwood-East Kildonan.
- Devi Sharma — Old Kildonan.
- Coun. Janice Lukes — Waverley West (new ward).
Incumbent Scott Gillingham defeated rival incumbent Shawn Dobson in the newly expanded St. James ward — previously St. James-Brooklands-Weston.
Gillingham and Dobson both joined council following their wins in the 2014 civic election.
The councillors will be joined by Coun. Janice Lukes, who was acclaimed for the new Waverley West ward when no other candidate registered to run there.
Meet your new city councillors:
Kevin Klein — Charleswood-Tuxedo
Kevin Klein beat out three rivals to represent Charleswood-Tuxedo, after incumbent Marty Morantz chose not to run in order to enter federal politics. The former publisher and CEO of the Winnipeg Sun has also served as president of MTS's digital division.
On his website, he promises to hold at least two town halls a year and create advisory boards for the Charleswood, Tuxedo and Westwood neighbourhoods. The site also says he'll appoint a constituency prosperity agent instead of hiring an assistant. The agent will be mandated to work with citizens to help them access city services and eliminate red tape.
Sherri Rollins — Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry
Sherri Rollins beat six other candidates to earn the seat for Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry. Rollins was elected a trustee for the Winnipeg School Division in 2014 and served as the division's chair. She's worked with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and is an employee of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
On her website, she identifies building safer streets and communities as a priority, including working toward zero fatalities from traffic as well as improving addiction supports and creating a safe injection site. She also champions increased funding to arts and cultural organizations and extending municipal voting rights to permanent residents.
Vivian Santos — Point Douglas
Vivian Santos beat out two rivals to become the new councillor for Point Douglas, after incumbent Mike Pagtakhan decided not to run for re-election. Santos, who is a legal assistant by trade, worked for Pagtakhan as an executive assistant.
Her campaign priorities included infrastructure plans for a new Arlington Bridge and better parking in the Exchange District, as well as a vision for a mentorship, an active transportation trail and park redevelopment in the ward.
Markus Chambers — St. Norbert-Seine River
Markus Chambers will represent St. Norbert-Seine River, after longtime councillor Janice Lukes left the ward to represent the newly created Waverley West.
Chambers is a public servant who has served as manager of employer engagement for Manitoba Education and Training. He campaigned on improving access to public transportation and affordable housing for University of Manitoba students, as well as building on Lukes's work to crack down on illegal rooming houses.
Shawn Nason —Transcona
Shawn Nason will represent Transcona after beating seven other candidates in the ward.
Nason previously worked as the constituency manager for former Conservative MP Lawrence Toet, after a 15-year career in information technology and project management. He has served on community organization boards and coached basketball and hockey in the area.
His campaign included promises to support local community centres, expand the Transcona Trail system and support a reliable and efficient transit system, as well as a focus on community-building and community safety.
Returning incumbents, alphabetical by ward:
Cindy Gilroy — Daniel McIntyre
Incumbent Cindy Gilroy, who defeated longtime councillor Harvey Smith to win the seat in 2014, earned a second term as councillor for Daniel McIntyre.
Gilroy was previously a member of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg. On her site, she identifies some of her accomplishments on council as monthly community meetings, improvements to area parks and recreation areas, and service on 11 committees, including the executive policy committee, and service as acting deputy mayor.
Jason Schreyer — Elmwood-East Kildonan
Incumbent Jason Schreyer earned a second term in council this year, after he was first elected in 2014. Schreyer, who is the son of former Manitoba premier Ed Schreyer, was the assistant to former NDP MLA Steve Ashton.
As councillor, he has served on the city's standing policy committees for innovation, water and waste, riverbank management and the environment. On his website, he notes he was one of the councillors who voted against the bus rapid transit corridor budget this term and the opening of Portage and Main to pedestrians. He also highlights his push to replace the Louise Bridge and keep Concordia Hospital's emergency room open.
Ross Eadie — Mynarski
Incumbent Ross Eadie will serve a third term as councillor for the expanded Mynarski ward. Eadie previously served as a trustee in the Seven Oaks School Division from 2002-06 and has a business degree from Red River College.
He's a disability and community advocate and currently serves on the police board. He has previously served on the taxicab board, although he quit the position in 2017.
Jeff Browaty — North Kildonan
Incumbent Jeff Browaty will serve a fourth consecutive term in this election, making him the senior councillor in city hall. Browaty was first elected in 2006, when he defeated incumbent Mark Lubosch.
Browaty served as chair of the police board, although he resigned following a call from the board itself for his removal after he questioned the need for all city staff to receive education about the legacy of residential schools. Browaty pushed for the plebiscite on reopening Portage and Main to pedestrian traffic.
Devi Sharma — Old Kildonan
Incumbent Devi Sharma won a third term in Old Kildonan Wednesday evening after being first elected in 2010. Sharma was the only candidate for the ward who actually lives in Old Kildonan.
In her time as councillor, Sharma has sat on committees including the infrastructure renewal and public works committee and the access advisory committee. She is the Speaker of council and chairs the governance committee.
John Orlikow — River Heights-Fort Garry
Incumbent John Orlikow will continue to represent the River Heights-Fort Garry ward, where he has served since 2009. Before becoming city councillor, Orlikow was a member of various community boards and served as a trustee for the Winnipeg School Division for 10 years.
As councillor, his work has included supporting investment in public spaces and protecting the city's trees. His campaign priorities included continued investments in roads, improving existing recreation facilities and increasing community supports to reduce vandalism.
Matt Allard — St. Boniface
Matt Allard will earn a second term as councillor for St. Boniface in this election, after first being elected in 2014. Before that, Allard was the CEO of the Francophone Chamber of Commerce of St. Boniface and a small-business owner.
His campaign platform included promoting urban density, investment in his ward and improving public transit.
Scott Gillingham — St. James
Incumbent Scott Gillingham will return to council after running against another incumbent, Shawn Dobson, following changes to the city's wards. Gillingham was elected to the city council seat for the former St. James-Brooklands-Weston ward in 2014.
Before that, he served as the pastor for Grace Community Church in Charleswood for 12 years. In his time as councillor, Gillingham chaired the finance committee and was a member of Mayor Brian Bowman's inner circle for two years. His priorities for the ward include road and sidewalk renewal and park and playground renewal.
Brian Mayes — St. Vital
Incumbent Brian Mayes will return as councillor for the St. Vital ward; he was first elected in a byelection in 2011. Mayes has served on the board of directors of Old St. Vital BIZ, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the 2017 Canada Summer Games and Morrow Avenue Child Care.
His platform for 2018 included emphasis on increased funding to improve roads, modernizing the city's sewer system, reducing traffic congestion, continuing emergency services and police investments and expanding recreational facilities for Sage Creek, Royalwood and Bonavista.
Janice Lukes — Waverley West
Janice Lukes was acclaimed in the new ward of Waverley West, as no other candidates registered to run there in the 2018 election. She's already been on city council for the past four years, serving as councillor for the former South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward since 2014.
Before politics, Lukes was self-employed as an infrastructure fund development consultant for 25 years. Her platform this year included commitments to push for a strategic plan of priorities, a recreation campus for southwest Winnipeg and fighting illegal rooming houses.