Winnipeg | 2026 Civic election

[Wpg_Guy]

Rollins becomes fifth councillor to bow out of fall election
Malak Abas
Friday, Jul. 31, 2026


MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

After serving as a school trustee for four years, Sherri Rollins was first elected to council in 2018.

Sherri Rollins says she’s withdrawing her bid to keep her city hall seat after eight years, citing her concerns about the “gradual erosion of the role played by council” and the struggle to work co-operatively with the mayor’s office.

The Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry councillor called her time in council “one of the great privileges of (her) life.”

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in the city, but I’m hoping my residents know that it was always personal to me, and bringing my A-game was what I wanted to do for them as long as I could. I’m going to be doing it until November inauguration day,” Rollins told the Free Press Friday.

She listed her achievements as biodiversity-focused amendments to the OurWinnipeg 2045 development plan, her work in parks and recreation, and the city-owned public washroom on Main Street.

“Local government, at the end of the day, is my favourite level of government because it’s just so close to the people, it’s so practical,” she said.

After serving as a school trustee for four years, Rollins was elected to council in 2018. She sat on council’s executive policy committee from 2018 until January 2025, when she abruptly resigned as chairwoman of the property and development committee, the role that gave her a spot in the mayor’s inner circle.

She said Mayor Scott Gillingham’s office was not transparent about the issue of homelessness at the time.

She said Friday she decided to withdraw her registration to run for another term because of the her concern Gillingham’s office “increasingly sidelines the public service.”

She said she and other councillors have struggled to set up meetings with the mayor’s office on issues such as public safety, affordability and homelessness.

“As a councillor, I have come to believe that I can no longer do the work in the way I think it should be done … It looks increasingly like an executive team that is valuing compliance and not fearless advice to council,” she said.

Rollins is the fifth councillor to announce they will leave city hall this year after serving multiple terms.

The others are: Markus Chambers (St. Norbert–Seine River), who was first elected in 2018; John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry), who served 17 years; Janice Lukes (Waverley West), who was elected 12 years ago; and Brian Mayes (St. Vital) who sat on council for nearly 15 years.

Mayes has said he struggled to work with Gillingham and that influenced his decision to leave council. He said their conflict would “probably be the great regret of (his) career.”

Rollins sought the federal Liberal nomination in Winnipeg South in 2023, but bowed out of the race.

She said her future in politics remains up in the air.

“Whether or not another office is in my future is just not what’s on my mind right now,” she said.

The president of Manitoba’s arm of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said the city is losing “a really progressive voice on council.”

“She pushed very hard to fight homelessness, she talked about health and safety, safety in our libraries,” said Gina McKay.

“She was always a consistent and supportive voice to uphold the health and safety of workers, and not only just for workers, but those who access their services, as well.”

McKay said she hopes Rollins’ replacement “prioritizes public services, prioritizes funding and enhancing our services, not looking at austerity budget cuts and privatization.”

Two candidates are registered to run in her ward: city planner Jeff Palmer, and retired finance worker Kevin Stuart.

Winnipeg Free Press