Motkaluk promises to celebrate Winnipeggers’ successes

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This article was published 30/09/2022 (1468 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MAYORAL candidate Jenny Motkaluk is promising a celebration of “all things Winnipeg.”

Motkaluk says she would create an event called Winnipeg’s Own Awards, a “giant party” open to all that would celebrate the successes of residents from a wide variety of fields.

“We’ll be taking nominations in various categories but they would include all the ways that Winnipeggers are successful on the world stage, whether that’s art or music or culture or business or inventing,” Motkaluk said during a Thursday interview.

“I think that we need to tell those stories and make sure that all Winnipeggers are aware and are proud of our city and proud of the people that are from here.”

She said she believes the event could be held at a minimal cost, partially covered by sponsors.

Outsiders too often portray Winnipeg as a negative place, so the celebration would help prove critics wrong, she said, adding the awards celebration would be a casual affair with bonfires, music, food and street performers.

“The mayor’s office has a responsibility to celebrate everything that is great about Winnipeg and by creating the (annual) Winnipeg’s Own Awards… we will enshrine that responsibility for future mayors to come,” she said.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Don Woodstock shared new details about violent threats he said were recently made against him via texts and phone calls.

One text said, “You better up yourself some more security before I wipe that smug little smile off your face,” while another threatened to beat him up and labelled him a “racist piece of crap,” Woodstock said, adding he also received a phone call in which he was threatened with death, called racist and subjected to a racial slur.

He said his cellphone number is posted online since he aims to be open and accessible to Winnipeggers.

If elected, Woodstock said he would lobby the federal government to implement a mandatory minimum jail term of one year and impose a fine of $25,000 for anyone convicted of making threats to a candidate seeking public office.

Woodstock said the threats began after he remarked that Indigenous men must “come to the table” to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls during a Sept. 22 mayoral forum, where he was also deemed to have suggested Indigenous men are often perpetrators of violence against Indigenous women.

Indigenous leaders condemned the remarks as racist.

On Thursday, Woodstock said he was not generalizing his statements toward all Indigenous men and feels his comments were misinterpreted.

“I am standing by my comments,” he said.

Winnipeg Police have confirmed they are investigating threats against Woodstock.

Winnipeggers will elect their next mayor and council on Oct. 26.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga