Green Party Candidate Nicolas Geddert facing uphill battle in Fort Whyte by-election

The Fort Whyte by-election has its share of high-profile candidates, though one face that is not as high profile is a community organizer and avid volunteer.

Nicolas Geddert is running as the Green Party candidate in the by-election set for March 22, 2022.

"I think that community is the solution to bad government," Geddert said.

He was a candidate in the 2019 general election representing his home constituency of Elmwood.

"Elmwood itself is a really vibrant community for community organizing, so I am hopeful that I can bring some of that to Fort Whyte," he said.

The sand truck driver and youth basketball coach said he is running to give people a wide range of choices and help grow his party in preparation for the general election next year.

"I'm running to give our youth a chance to get involved in campaigns and get a little bit of political experience under their belts," he said. "I am running to give Greens in the riding an opportunity to vote Green."

Geddert is up against former football stars Obby Khan, who is running as a PC candidate, and Willard Reaves, who is the Liberal candidate. The other candidates include former WSO executive Trudy Schroeder, who is running with the NDP, and Patrick Allard who is running as an independent.

The Green Party has never won a seat provincially and garnered less than seven per cent of the vote in Fort Whyte in 2019.

Chris Adams, adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba, doesn't see that changing much in the traditional Tory stronghold.

"I don't foresee them having a large amount of support," said Adams, adding winning is not the only goal for Green candidates like Geddert.

"Nicolas Geddert I think is running more just to highlight issues of environmentalism."

The Green candidate is not dissuaded but recognizes this race is an uphill battle for him.

"I hesitate a little bit to use the word battle. I don't think we need to be fighting with each other," he said.

Geddert said he hopes this will be less of a campaign and more of a conversation between candidates.