St. Vital city councillor Gord Steeves announced last week he will take his shot at provincial politics, throwing his name into the ring for the Progressive Conservative nomination in the Seine River riding.

Should the high profile politician gain the nomination, he will be looking to unseat incumbent and provincial health minister Theresa Oswald.

"I look at Hugh McFadyen and his team and see their passion and determination to make this Province a better place.  I want to be a part of that, I believe that I can bring a lot of experience and energy to the table," Steeves said in a news release.

Steeves was first elected to city hall in 2000.

Should Steeves win the provincial nomination he will be forced to resign as a city councillor under provincial electoral rules.

Steeves told the Winnipeg Free Press he will likely hand in his resignation letter in August.

According to Mark Lemoine, deputy city clerk  and senior election official, the procedures for dealing with the resignation of a member of city council are dealt with in the City of Winnipeg Charter.

Once a city councillor has handed in his or her resignation letter, the city clerk would advise the senior election official to hold a by-election.

The senior election official would then be required to hold the by-election as soon as reasonably practicable — taking into account factors such as voter participation, availability of workers and voting locations.

The date of the by-election would depend on the date of the resignation and any other procedures listed in the City of Winnipeg Charter.Residents will be advised of the by-election through advertisements and voter’s notices that will be delivered to households.

The provincial election is set for Oct. 4, 2011.