Mike Latschislaw

A franchise business owner is the 14th candidate to register in the race to become Winnipeg’s next mayor.

Gagandeep Bawa, 45, said he has owned a downtown Subway franchise for five years, and believes more work is needed to address safety concerns in the area.

Bawa said robberies and thefts have led some businesses to move out, showing more support is needed. If elected, he would push for a greater security presence, such as more Downtown Community Safety Partnership or Exchange District BIZ patrols.

Bawa said he would also attempt to create water bill rebates for seniors and single parents.

Winnipeg, the capital of ‘Friendly Manitoba’, is becoming far less friendly to anyone who is struggling to survive. The city is also less and less supportive of the not-for-profit sector which struggles to support those struggling to survive.

Municipal politicians have long insisted that social services are provincial responsibilities. However, the city charter makes it clear that mayor and council are “to promote and maintain the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants.”

Mayor and council are empowered to decide how they do that. Every four years, we citizens get to vote on what we think and feel about those decisions. That’s our democracy, weighted against the disenfranchised though it is.

In 2022, only 37.17 per cent of eligible voters, the lowest percentage since 1989, voted. Recent Probe Research data demonstrates that only one-third of Winnipeggers believe the next mayor and council will make even a minor difference in addressing Winnipeg’s challenges, and another third believe they will make no difference at all.

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