What to know about the River Heights riding for Manitoba's 2023 election

Image | River Heights

Caption: Manitobans head to the polls Oct. 3. (CBC)

The central Winnipeg riding of River Heights, southwest of the city's downtown, has been around since 1969.
The northern boundary of the riding is the Assiniboine River. Its western boundary is the La Riviere rail line. In the western part of the riding, the southern boundary is the Rivers rail line. Immediately east of Waverley Street, the southern boundary is Taylor Avenue for part of the riding. Between Cambridge and Stafford streets, the southern boundary is Grant Avenue. From Stafford to Arbuthnot Street, the riding's southern boundary is Corydon Avenue.
It includes the neighbourhoods of Wellington Crescent, River Heights and Crescentwood.
The riding's population is 21,550, according to Elections Manitoba's riding profile(external link) (compiled using data from the 2021 census).
The median age of the riding is older than the provincial median, at 42.8 in River Heights and 38.4(external link) across Manitoba. The census found the median household income in the area is $102,000.

More facts about River Heights

  • Almost 13 per cent of residents identified as visible minorities in the 2021 census, according to the 2023 riding profile(external link).
  • Almost 72 per cent of residents reported they own their homes and the median value of a home in the riding is $412,000, the profile says.
  • Roughly six per cent of residents identified as Indigenous.
  • More than three-quarters of the homes in the riding were built in 1960 or before.

Voting history

With the exception of the 1995 general election, when Mike Radcliffe won the seat for the Progressive Conservatives, the riding has elected Liberal MLAs since 1986, including former party leader Sharon Carstairs, who held the seat from 1986 until 1994. Incumbent Jon Gerrard has held the seat for the Liberals since 1999.
  • 1958-1981 (eight general elections): Progressive Conservative.
  • 1986, 1988, 1990: Liberal.
  • 1995: Progressive Conservative.
  • 1999-2019 (four general elections): Jon Gerrard (Liberal).

River Heights in the news

Meet the candidates

As of Sept. 11, the nominated candidates for the 2023 election are:
  • Timothy Burt (Progressive Conservative).
  • Jon Gerrard (Liberal — incumbent).
  • Mike Moroz (NDP).
  • Nathan Zahn (Green Party).
Candidates become official when they meet criteria set out in the province's Elections Act, including providing a statement of disclosure after the election has been called. In River Heights, all candidates are official(external link).
Find more CBC Manitoba riding profiles here.