Mayoral race into home stretch

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This article was published 19/10/2014 (4030 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Each of the leading mayoral hopefuls made it clear this weekend they are going full out to organize their supporters ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

Several had rallies to thank their campaign workers and boost momentum heading into the final stretch.

 

Robert Falcon-Ouellette

Robert-Falcon Ouellette said Sunday he would scrap the police helicopter program and seek to use the $1.5 million spent on it to prevent violence against aboriginal females.

If elected, Ouellette said he would ask the province to reallocate a “large portion” of the money it spends on the police helicopter to pay for his prevention plan.

He said the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women affects all citizens.

 “When we discuss issues that affect the aboriginal community the hardest, it may be treated as the aboriginal community’s problem to solve on its own,” said Ouellette.

“The loss of Tina Fontaine wounded her family more than anyone, but was a loss to all of us as a community. We need to come together, work together and support one another to make the city a safer place.” 

Tina, 15, was a runaway ensnared by life on the streets whose body was found floating in the Red RIver Aug. 17. Police continue to investigate her homicide.

Ouellette said he would expand the mandate of the city’s aboriginal youth strategy, giving the program more money and more space in community centres.

Ouellette also wants to extend the hours of drop-in centres, especially downtown and in the West End, Chalmers and North End neighbourhoods.

He plans to develop awareness training for city police about risks facing aboriginal women and girls. 

“I spoke to a group of young women in their teens and asked them what they were most worried about in their lives, and the answer wasn’t ‘homework,’ it was ‘sexual violence,’” said Ouellette.

“That is what we must work to change: greater safety for those at risk and greater justice for those we’ve lost.”

 

Brian Bowman

Brian Bowman says of all the candidates, he has the momentum heading toward Wednesday’s election.

Surrounded by 40 to 50 supporters on Sunday, he said he thinks his decision not to attack other candidates has helped him.

“I don’t think you’re going to have the moral authority to move Winnipeg forward and to bring people together if you’re campaigning on hate and lies,” Bowman said.

“We’re not talking too much about the other candidates because really our bigger obstacle right now that we have to overcome is apathy.”

Bowman said his focus is to continue to push forward.

“We’re not across the finish line yet,” he said. “I wish there was 25 hours in each day.”

 

Gord Steeves

Gord Steeves made an impassioned pitch to voters, reiterating his campaign promises and vowing to be fiscally responsible.

Steeves called bus rapid transit “the ballot question of this memorable 2014 mayoral election race.”

“Wednesday ought to be a referendum on BRT and what we are going to do as a city,” Steeves said.

He criticized opponents Judy Wasylycia-Leis and Brian Bowman for not outlining costs for their BRT proposals.

Steeves also said he doesn’t consider Bowman his competition for right-leaning voters. 

“I don’t think Mr. Bowman can credibly lay claim to a centre-right position in this election,” Steeves said, adding Bowman’s policies are more left-leaning than Wasylycia-Leis’s, a former New Democrat MP.

Steeves said he thinks many voters are still undecided with days to go until they can cast a ballot.

He said he has few regrets when it comes to his campaign.

“There’s always things, small issues that could have gone better. But I feel very satisfied with the way that our policy has come out,” Steeves said.

Steeves is a former councillor. He held his St. Vital ward easily in three elections after beating Al Golden in a byelection in 2000, says his bid for mayor has been his toughest campaign yet.

 

Judy Wasylycia-Leis

On Saturday, front-runner Judy Wasylycia-Leis hosted her rally for supporters. There were hugs, lots of friendly chatter and generous slices of carrot cake.

“You can see by the mood in this campaign office, it’s buoyant,” Judy Wasylycia-Leis said shortly after a news conference at the campaign headquarters.