A chat with mayoral candidate Idris Adelakun

A professional engineer and project manager is hoping to become Winnipeg’s next mayor.

Idris Adelakun, who is running for political office for the first time, said he’s running for mayor because he wants to help with the city’s issue of homelessness.

“I look at the current state right now and we have 1,000 people that are homeless,” he said in an interview with CTV News Winnipeg.

“I just feel like there is a need for us to do something about it right now.”

Adelakun said his plan is to provide 800 affordable housing units that can be used to help those who don’t have a place to live.

“I can live in a house. I can afford to pay my mortgage, but some people they can’t afford to do that,” he said.

“So my plan is to make sure that we come up with the solution.”

He added that it’s not just about providing affordable housing, but also preventing homelessness as well.

“It’s not only about trying to provide something, but we need to make sure that we reduce it with time,” Adelakun said.

To prevent homelessness, the mayoral candidate said that Winnipeg needs to work as a community, collaborate with agencies, and help support those who don’t have a place to live.

“It has to be a collaborative effort. As a community we have to work as a team in the city,” Adelakun said.

As for how he will deal with rising crime – a top concern for many Winnipeggers – Adelakun said he would implement a youth crime prevention program and restructure the way things are currently done.

You can watch the full interview here with mayoral candidate Adelakun, and hear more about what he is promising to do if elected mayor.

CTV News will be conducting interviews with all 11 mayoral candidates in the lead-up to the election. You can find more coverage of the mayoral race on the CTV News Election Page.