St. James council race wide open with Gillingham running for mayor
St. James and Scott Gillingham have been hand in hand since the 2014 election, as he has represented the ward at city council.
But now with Gillingham running for mayor, the race is wide open.
Winnipeg police officer and former mayoral candidate Tim Diack is running on a platform emphasizing transit safety, small business police assistance and community investment.
"What I see is that we have a city that's unsafe and we're not stepping up to meet the challenges. I'm offering solutions up front for critics to come and say, 'no we can't do that' and then find out the reasons," said Diack.
Lifelong St. James resident Kelly Ryback was at the forefront of efforts to save the John Blumberg Golf Course from being sold. He said if he is elected, he'll push the city to do things better and faster.
"I call my priorities ‘the seven P's’, which is: pavement, pipes, parks, police protection, performance and poverty. We have to focus on those and get back to those essentials," said Ryback.
Community organizer Daevid Ramey helped to make a street in the neighbourhood part of a four-street pilot project reducing speed limits to 30 kilometres an hour. He said he would be a voice for the people in St. James.
"Our city needs to be far more accessible to them, affordable for a lot of people. We need to make investments in our green spaces and places for people to gather. And we need to make sure the people feel safe," said Ramey.
Art City artistic director Eddie Ayoub said he brings 20 years of community engagement to the table and after sitting on several different boards and committees, he feels he is ready to help address the many challenges facing the city.
"I just love St. James. I am St. James. I am so invested in the neighbourhood, but because of all my other work city-wide, I have a huge investment in making Winnipeg a better place. In fact I've dedicated my life to it," said Ayoub.
The final candidate for the ward, Shawn Dobson, declined CTV's request for an interview. He is a former councillor who lost to Gillingham in 2018 when his St. Charles ward was added to St. James.
Chris Adams, an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said Dobson's previous experience could give an edge.
"Shawn Dobson would have the name recognition, would have voter lists; people who voted for him last time. He would have a better chance of identifying who his supporters are, and would have a better chance on getting the boat out on election day," said Adams.
Winnipeg's election is less than two weeks away on Oct. 26.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.