Bike Winnipeg calling for Russ Wyatt to be removed from city committee following 'offensive' comments
A local organization is calling on a Winnipeg councillor to be removed from the public works committee following comments made at a meeting on Tuesday.
In a news release Wednesday, Bike Winnipeg said its executive director Mark Cohoe submitted a presentation on the intersection of Osborne Street and River Avenue.
During the meeting, Bike Winnipeg said Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt was commenting on the report and "characterized Cohoe and other delegations as 'Bike Nazis.'"
"Use of the term 'Nazi' is not only offensive, it is also harmful to generations affected by Nazi Germany's murder of six million Jews in the 1930s and 1940s," Bike Winnipeg said in a release.
"The fact an elected official would use such language in a public meeting without immediate censure should be of concern to every Winnipeg citizen."
Bike Winnipeg is now calling for Wyatt to be removed from the public works committee for violation of the Code of Conduct for councillors.
Mayor Scott Gillingham was asked about the incident Wednesday, saying Wyatt's comments were unacceptable.
"I would encourage the councillor to retract his comments and to address Bike Winnipeg," said Gillingham.
Speaking to the media Wednesday afternoon, Wyatt said he doesn't deny using the term and said he would take the suggestion to apologize into consideration.
"When I said that, it was out of frustration. A number of us councillors have been advocating for bike paths to be built," said Wyatt. "They're coming to say, 'take lanes away from cars, people shouldn't be driving cars.'"
Wyatt said to him, the word Nazi means dictator – someone who tells others how to live their lives.
"That's really what it's coming down to. You hear from them speaking in the committee, they're saying, 'Here's how people should live their life.'"
Just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Wyatt issued an emailed statement saying he has read the Bike Winnipeg release, and regrets his choice of words.
"In terms of saying 'Bicycle Nazis,' which was not referring to any one person specifically, as is being claimed now, (as I would never call any person that name), was expressed out of a sense of frustration, as noted above, but was a very poor choice of words, which I regret, and therefore at this opportunity do wish to humbly apologize for," he said in the email.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
PWHL Minnesota defeats Boston to win inaugural Walter Cup
Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston 3-0 in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
'Targeted again': Montreal police investigate after gunshot fired at Jewish school
Police are investigating another building in Montreal's community was struck by gunfire.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.