Winnipeg | 2026 Civic Election & City Affairs

[Wpg_Guy]

Winnipeg Labour Council

[Wpg_Guy]

Gillingham Proposes New ‘Winnipeg GO’ Growth Office as Re-Election Pitch
September 21, 2026



Scott Gillingham is proposing a new Winnipeg growth office as part of his re-election campaign, aimed at speeding up service for business and improving the city’s readiness for major investment.

The office, called Winnipeg GO, would be led by a new chief growth officer reporting to the city’s chief administrative officer, consolidating economic development and infrastructure staff currently spread across departments.


“New investment — large and small, public or private — often goes to cities that can say ‘yes’ faster than the others,” said Gillingham, the city’s incumbent mayor, adding the city needs to bring scattered people and plans together to grow to a million people.

Chris Lorenc, president and CEO of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, endorsed the proposal, saying growth depends on infrastructure, planning, permitting, transportation and investment moving in the same direction.

Key functions would include maintaining an inventory of shovel-ready infrastructure projects, working with Manitoba’s new provincewide economic development agency, and creating a “311 for small business” service connecting businesses with human case managers.

Gillingham said at least 80 percent of the new unit would be staffed through redeployment, with a maximum of six new full-time positions created.

Winnipeg voters go to the polls on October 28.

chrisd.ca

[cllew]

From CBC Manitoba

Facing 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges, Russ Wyatt to seek re-election in Transcona
City councillor has denied the allegations and said he will defend himself in court
CBC News · Posted: Sep 21, 2026 5:49 PM CDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt will seek re-election. The councillor got his registration paperwork in on Monday. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)

A Winnipeg city councillor facing charges of 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault is running for re-election.

Russ Wyatt filed his registration paperwork at city hall Monday, a day before the deadline for nomination signatures.

Winnipeg police said in March Wyatt had been charged with 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault in connection with an incident in December 2025.

In August, police said further 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges had been laid against Wyatt in connection with a separate incident dating back to October 2023.

Wyatt has denied the allegations and has also said he will defend himself in court.

Winnipeg councillor charged with 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault, drug offences should step down: Premier Wab Kinew

He did not address the allegations in a statement to CBC News on Monday.

Wyatt said he has "continued to be a thorn in the side of the establishment," who "would love to get rid of me."

His statement said he's decided to run again because the city is in a "mess," with "the disastrous new bus routes, ever rising water bills, developer largesse, and poverty in our streets," and city council needs a "truly independent voice."

Nathine Dagdick, Chris Giesbrecht, Lora Meseman and Shawn Nason are also running in the Transcona ward.

In a statement to CBC News, Nason — who represented Transcona from 2018 to 2022, but was defeated by Wyatt in the 2022 election — said his decision to run "was never based on who else might be on the ballot."

"Any legal matters involving another candidate belong in the courts, where due process and the presumption of innocence must be respected," Nason said, maintaining the election "should ultimately be about Transcona’s future."

Giesbrecht told CBC News in an interview that if anybody thought Wyatt wouldn't run again, "they don’t know Russ Wyatt."

CBC News has also reached out to Mesemen and Dagdick for comment.

With files from Cameron MacLean and Bartley Kives

[Wpg_Guy]

Who will win? Most voters haven’t decided yet
By: Editorial
Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026


MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham

Just over a month before Winnipeg voters choose their next mayor, the most striking number in the latest polling isn’t Scott Gillingham’s lead.

It’s the 51 per cent of voters who still haven’t decided who they’re going to vote for.

That is an enormous chunk of the electorate to have sitting on the sidelines this late in a municipal campaign. And while it may make the current standings look more uncertain than they otherwise would, it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.

Winnipeg municipal elections have not been models of voter engagement in recent years. Turnout has been falling — from 50 per cent in 2014 to 42 per cent in 2018 and just 37.5 per cent in 2022.

Municipal politics tends to struggle for attention until voters start seeing campaign signs on their streets, hearing candidates debate issues that affect their neighbourhoods and, eventually, thinking about where they’ll put their X.

The current numbers certainly suggest many voters haven’t reached that point yet.

The Abacus Data poll has Gillingham leading former city councillor and provincial cabinet minister Kevin Klein by a considerable margin among decided voters, with 55 per cent supporting the incumbent compared with 23 per cent for Klein. Funeral director Mike Vogiatzakis has 11 per cent, while the remaining candidates collectively account for another 11 per cent.

But those numbers need a giant asterisk attached to them: to reinterate, more than half of all respondents remain undecided, while another 13 per cent say they don’t intend to vote.

That leaves an awful lot of room for this campaign to move.

To some degree, Winnipeg voters have seen this movie before. Five weeks before the 2022 election, a Free Press/CTV Winnipeg poll found that 39 per cent of voters were undecided, with another eight per cent saying they did not intend to vote.

Among decided voters, former mayor Glen Murray was sitting comfortably ahead with 40 per cent support. Gillingham was a distant second at 15 per cent.

Murray looked like the candidate to beat, but Gillingham ultimately won with about 28 per cent of the vote.

There’s another interesting wrinkle in the current numbers.

Gillingham’s 55 per cent support among decided voters is double the 27.5 per cent of the vote he received in 2022. That doesn’t necessarily mean he has suddenly transformed into a political juggernaut.

It may simply mean voters who are currently inclined to vote are having difficulty identifying a compelling alternative.

That possibility is underscored by the lack of strong second choices. Most Gillingham supporters say they don’t have another candidate in mind.

And that may be the central question of this election: not whether voters are enthusiastic about the incumbent, but whether another candidate can give undecided voters a reason to move.

Klein has only recently launched his campaign. He has promised to make Winnipeg the safest city in Canada by the end of a four-year term.

Other candidates will have their own opportunities to define what they would do about public safety, homelessness, addiction, infrastructure, taxes, transit and the city’s strained finances.

For now, the safest conclusion from the numbers is that Winnipeg voters remain largely disengaged from the mayoral campaign.

That can change quickly. The 2022 election proved that a candidate leading the field weeks before voting day can ultimately lose, although there was no incumbent in that race.

So while Gillingham is clearly in front in the latest poll, there is no reason to treat the race as settled.

With a majority of voters still undecided, the real campaign is just getting started.

Winnipeg Free Press

[Wpg_Guy]

Labour leaders, councillors urge Wyatt to reconsider re-election bid while facing 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges
Malak Abas
Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026


Free Press Files

A day after Russ Wyatt announced he would run in the upcoming civic elections, other city councillors and labour leaders called on the incumbent Transcona councillor to reconsider his decision to seek re-election while facing 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges.

City councillors and labour leaders called on incumbent Transcona councillor Russ Wyatt to reconsider his decision to seek re-election while facing 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges.

A day after Wyatt announced he would be running again, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 and the Winnipeg Labour Council, joined by councillors Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) and Evan Duncan (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood), told reporters Wyatt would not be able to serve Transcona while fighting multiple 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges in court and should step aside.

“I am not declaring him guilty of anything, the courts will decide that, and his lawyer says that he is innocent. I’m stating a plain fact about capacity. Every hour spent on legal defence is an hour not spent on Transcona,” CUPE 500 President Patrick Troughton said at city hall Tuesday afternoon.

Wyatt filed his registration papers to run for councillor on Monday, one day before the nomination deadline.

In March, police said Wyatt had been charged with 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault related to an incident in December 2025. Police said last month that further 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges had been laid, accusing him of 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault in October 2023.

Wyatt has denied the allegations.

Duncan said that while he and Gilroy typically disagree on political issues, they felt it was important to speak out after Wyatt’s announcement while he faces “significant and serious charges.”

“I’m disappointed again again that the councillor from Transcona is not prioritizing Transcona residents and Winnipeg residents, but unfortunately, this is a theme that I’ve seen over the last several months,” Duncan said.

When Wyatt attended a council meeting one day after police confirmed the charges in March, Gilroy turned her chair away from her colleagues and faced the audience when he spoke.

She repeated her calls for changes to legislation that would bar people facing criminal charges from running for city leadership.

“It’s important that we make sure that our workforce is safe, and that the public is safe, and that’s what this is really about today,” she said.

At an unrelated press conference, Mayor Scott Gillingham said he’d introduce a motion this week calling on the province to “see what changes could be made to the Winnipeg Charter” to address those concerns.

“I believe Coun. Wyatt should focus on the charges before him and turn his attention to that,” Gillingham said.

The Free Press has requested comment from Wyatt.

In a statement sent to media Monday, Wyatt said he was running because of “the mess this city is in today,” and did not reference the allegations against him.

In 2018, he took a leave from council, citing family issues. He was charged with 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault later that year after a woman told police he had attacked her in his home. The charge was stayed by Crown prosecutors the following year.

He returned to politics and was re-elected in Transcona in 2022.

Winnipeg Free Press

[Wpg_Guy]

I never thought this would actually get addressed, it’s still pretty vague, but it seems like every politician operates with blinders on when it comes to North Main and change has to start somewhere.

Gillingham promises to make north Main revitalization a second-term priority
Joyanne Pursaga
Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026


MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS

Incumbent mayor, Scott Gillingham, scrums with media Tuesday afternoon, outside 1510 Main Street, a brand new 72-unit residential building developed by Inuka. Inuka is a Black-led, community-rooted nonprofit creating sustainable, affordable housing for low- to moderate-income households in Winnipeg.

Scott Gillingham says he will work to “reset and renew” north Main Street, if he wins a second term as mayor.

The incumbent candidate promised Tuesday to devise a long-term plan to rejuvenate that section of the thoroughfare, noting it has recently suffered from decay.

“It has a rich history, a deep and proud history. But the last couple of years, to say it’s been underperforming would be an understatement…. So many stretches of Main Street here, I see derelict buildings, boarded-up businesses, piles of rubble after fires that sit waiting to be cleaned up,” Gillingham said.

“We can disrupt what is going on and turn the tide on north Main Street.”

As the Free Press has reported, rubble left behind by fires has remained on some lots in the 700 and 800 blocks of Main Street for months at a time, creating hazardous eyesores for residents and businesses.

Gillingham’s announcement was held at 1510 Main St., in front of a 72-unit residential building he declared a good example of development that could help improve the area.

“It’s this kind of restoration, this kind of renewal that we can and should see all around Main Street,” he said.

If re-elected, he promised to ask the area’s city council representatives to lead public consultations on how best to address the issues. That would be followed by a north Main summit with other governments, Indigenous leaders, non-profit organizations and foundations, neighbourhood businesses and residents.

He said that summit would take place “early” in the second half of his term and lead to an action plan.

“It’s not an overnight solution to restore or renew north Main but we need to put a plan in place,” he said.

A draft action plan would consider: targeted public safety and security measures; tax-increment financing to support redevelopment of vacant, deteriorating or underused properties; targeted streetscape improvements; community events that attract more activity to the corridor; and increased cleaning and maintenance.

“We could be using tax-increment financing and, perhaps, other grants… so that we can incentivize and encourage investment,” said Gillingham.

While he listed poverty as the area’s “No. 1” concern, the plan would strive to bring people together and better support vulnerable people, not displace them.

“This is not about pushing people somewhere else,” he said.

A campaign spokesman said the north Main zone would include, roughly, the area from the 600 block (at Alexander Avenue) to the 1500 block of Main (at Lansdowne Avenue), though its exact limits could be determined during consultations.

Mayoral contender Kevin Klein also invited media to a campaign announcement Tuesday but it did not include plans for the next term of council. At that event, he confirmed he had completed the nomination process to run for mayor and publicly opposed a change being considered for Winnipeg Transit Plus drivers.

Winnipeg Free Press

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

"piles of rubble after fires that sit waiting to be cleaned up,” Gillingham said.

jeez that sounds like a mess, whoever was mayor should be ashamed, this gillingham guy sounds like he's got a good head on his shoulders and will fix it right up as soon as he's in charge

[Wpg_Guy]

No ‘incumbent factor’ in Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry race after councillor drops out

Jeff Keele
September 23, 2026



The Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry ward will have a new councillor on election day, after the incumbent Sherri Rollins pulled out of the race this summer.

“Once Sherri withdrew, the incumbent factor was gone,” said candidate Brook Jones.

“I was very much surprised yes, that’s actually a big reason why I’ve decided to run,” said candidate Carson Mauthe.


Mauthe is one of four hopefuls vying for the council seat, in a ward that includes Osborne Village, South Osborne, West Broadway and Wildwood.

Mauthe works in the hospitality, film and arts scene. He says the Winnipeg Transit changes and crime prevention are big issues.

“For the people that I’ve been talking to, we want prevention, we want more supports, you know, we want to help people before they get to those stages,” Mauthe said.

Candidate Jeff Palmer is a city planner.


“I’ve been thinking about cities since I was a kid… building them out of Lego,” Palmer said.

Palmer ran a close second in the ward in 2018, inspired to run after his advocacy to get the derelict Rubin Block back in use in South Osborne.

The ward has a lot of the city’s homeless encampments. Palmer says more supportive housing is needed.

“One project that I turn to all the time is the Bell Hotel on Main Street that I worked on 15 years ago. It’s a supportive housing project. The units were converted to bathrooms and kitchenettes,” Palmer said.

Candidate Kevin Stuart also says more housing is needed, and he’d like to speed up road construction.

“That means working evenings and weekends for very high density and high traffic areas,” Stuart said.

Retired from the investment industry, Stuart also envisions a safer and cleaner city, which includes beaches along the Red and Assiniboine rivers.

“That makes us a more liveable city and secondly, you know, it’s very odd we live in a city this size and if you want to go to a beach you have to drive there,” Stuart said.

In his early 20s, Jones was the president of the Fort Garry Community Centre.

“Personally, very passionate about community centres and grassroots community organizations,” Jones said.

The multimedia journalist and freelance photographer says the city needs to focus on the basics like roads, snow clearing, community centres and parks.

He worries about demolition by neglect.

“You can’t forget about these existing facilities, everybody is talking local, local, local.”

CTV News Winnipeg

[Wpg_Guy]

polymarket.com

[Wpg_Guy]

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Winnipeg mayoral candidate unveils plan to address homelessness, addiction
By Kayla Rosen
Published: September 24, 2026


Kevin Klein is pictured in Winnipeg, Man., on Sept. 1. (Jeff Keele/CTV News Winnipeg)

A Winnipeg mayoral candidate is promising to address the city’s homelessness crisis with stronger municipal leadership and improved coordination with community partners.

On Thursday, former city councillor and MLA Kevin Klein unveiled his plan to tackle homelessness, addiction and neighbourhood safety.

“Winnipeg is a caring city, but caring cannot mean accepting the conditions we see today,” Klein said in a news release.

“A child should be able to use a playground safely. A senior should be able to wait for a bus without fear. A downtown worker should feel comfortable walking to their car. A small-business owner should not be left alone to deal with violence, open drug use and repeated property damage.

Klein’s plan includes the creation of a Mayor’s Office of Community Safety and Housing Outcomes, which would bring together municipal departments and community partners.

He is also pledging the establishment of a pilot project that would provide basic services, professional management and individual assessment to those who cannot immediately access housing or treatment.

Additionally, the mayoral candidate’s plan includes consistent responses to violence, trafficking, weapons and property crimes, as well as a focus on public accountability.

“Winnipeg does not have to choose between compassion and safety,” Klein said in a news release.

“We can restore our public spaces without abandoning the people living in them. We need leadership, coordination and a plan that is measured by results — not announcements.”

Klein said his goal is not just to reduce the visibility of homelessness but also to achieve lasting improvements in safety, housing stability and quality of life.

CTV News Winnipeg

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Winnipeg mayoral candidate unveils plan to address homelessness, addiction
By Kayla Rosen
Published: September 24, 2026
CTV News Winnipeg

This is a weak announcement from Klein. His “new” plan is mostly stronger leadership language around work the city is already doing. The current mayor already hired a full-time homelessness advisor, and City Hall already coordinates with community partners and the province. Rebranding existing work isn’t leadership.

[neutroniks]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

This is a weak announcement from Klein. His “new” plan is mostly stronger leadership language around work the city is already doing. The current mayor already hired a full-time homelessness advisor, and City Hall already coordinates with community partners and the province. Rebranding existing work isn’t leadership.

Yup. He's just looking for buzzwords for the voters that are too lazy to look into what the city is already doing. He's looking to 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 votes from serial complainers that don't do any homework into whats already happening (See Brad Gross' promise to make bus GPS status public lol)

[Mr Tall Forehead]

^ you both nailed it. It's a news release that says nothing. I was somewhat surprised he didn't use the phrase 'task force' in it.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

^ you both nailed it. It's a news release that says nothing. I was somewhat surprised he didn't use the phrase 'task force' in it.

I’ve been waiting for this announcement from him. I thought homelessness and the addiction crisis would be the issue that set him apart from the other candidates. Instead, it just underlines how tied the city’s hands are on crime, addiction, and homelessness. This isn’t a problem City Hall can deal with on its own. The real initiative has to come from the province and Ottawa, but the public takes it out on the city and they've made it a front-burner municipal issue while holding the wrong level of government accountable.

[Wpg_Guy]

Mayor introduces charter change motion to remove council members charged with crimes
Joyanne Pursaga
Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Mayor Scott Gillingham believes the province should allow a forced leave of absence to be imposed on any city council member charged with a criminal offence.

Gillingham introduced a new “notice of motion” at Thursday’s city council meeting that calls for the change, days after Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt registered to run for re-election despite facing 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault charges.

Union leaders, the mayor and some councillors have publicly urged Wyatt to step aside from his council role to deal with the charges.

The mayor’s motion will be considered after the Oct. 28 municipal election.

“A statutory leave of absence framework would preserve an elected member’s office, remuneration and benefits while providing clear, consistent and provincially authorized rules respecting the exercise of council powers and duties while a criminal charge is before the courts,” the motion states.

Under the City of Winnipeg charter, a provincial law, a member of city council automatically forfeits their seat if they are convicted of certain serious criminal offences. It does not apply when charges are laid.

Gillingham’s proposal calls for the province to change that legislation so that a member charged with a criminal offence may be placed on a leave of absence from council duties, effective from the date the charge is laid until the matter is resolved.

If the change is approved, two-thirds of city council would be required to vote in favour of imposing any leave of absence.

Wyatt, 56, was charged in August with 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault and administering a noxious substance in an October 2023 incident. He was previously charged with 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 assault and administering a noxious substance in March, based on allegations tied to a 2025 gathering.

Wyatt, who attended Thursday’s council meeting, declined to speak to media.

Wyatt has said he is innocent of all charges.

Winnipeg Free Press

[bomberjet]

What do you folks think of this? As someone who has family living next to the Seine, there's not much need for this IMO. The current conservancy model, Ie: do nothing and let nature do it's thing, works just fine.

https://www.chrisd.ca/2026/09/25/scott-g...candidate-seine-river-conservation-plan/

Gillingham Pitches Seine River Conservation Plan
September 25, 2026 12:29 PM

The plan would start with a working group before evolving into a Riverway Conservancy model, blending city-run park services with formal partnerships involving Métis organizations and Save Our Seine. Gillingham said the full rollout would take up to four years.

In the first two years, the city would map its land along the corridor, develop environmental protections and access rules, formalize its relationship with the paddle festival, and begin adding docks and launch points to make the river navigable.

By years three and four, the conservancy would be established, potentially bringing in partners like The Forks to support tourism, education and low-income access to canoe, kayak and ice-trail programming.

[Wpg_Guy]

As a frequent user of the Seine, I welcome any plan that continues to enhance its naturalization while also improving access to the river for recreation. It’s a win win, continuing persevering the natural habitat and a great way to connect residents with nature in their own backyard. It's such an asset to have in the city to paddle on in the summer and snowshoe or ski on in the winter.

Originally Posted by bomberjet

What do you folks think of this? As someone who has family living next to the Seine, there's not much need for this IMO. The current conservancy model, Ie: do nothing and let nature do it's thing, works just fine.

https://www.chrisd.ca/2026/09/25/scott-g...candidate-seine-river-conservation-plan/

Gillingham Pitches Seine River Conservation Plan
September 25, 2026 12:29 PM

The plan would start with a working group before evolving into a Riverway Conservancy model, blending city-run park services with formal partnerships involving Métis organizations and Save Our Seine. Gillingham said the full rollout would take up to four years.

In the first two years, the city would map its land along the corridor, develop environmental protections and access rules, formalize its relationship with the paddle festival, and begin adding docks and launch points to make the river navigable.

By years three and four, the conservancy would be established, potentially bringing in partners like The Forks to support tourism, education and low-income access to canoe, kayak and ice-trail programming.