Unopposed Klein will run for Tories in Kirkfield Park byelection

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2022 (1113 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former city councillor and Winnipeg mayoral candidate Kevin Klein will carry the governing Progressive Conservatives’ banner in the upcoming Kirkfield Park byelection.

A nomination meeting to acclaim Klein as the Tory candidate is set for Nov. 14 at Sturgeon Heights Community Centre. The west Winnipeg constituency has been without an MLA since June when former cabinet minister Scott Fielding resigned to take a job in the private sector.

Only Klein’s nomination papers were submitted by Thursday’s deadline, Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba spokesperson Michele Halverson said.

“Therefore the meeting will proceed as planned on Nov. 14 as an uncontested nomination with Kevin Klein being acclaimed,” Halverson said in a statement.

Klein served four years on city council after he was elected to represent Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood in 2018. The ward overlaps with the Kirkfield Park constituency.

The former newspaper publisher joined the crowded Winnipeg mayoral race in August and finished third with 14.78 per cent of the vote, 28,806 ballots. His campaign was focused on battling crime. He received endorsements from Winnipeg police officer Rob Carver and Homes for Heroes founder Dave Howard.

Klein, 57, said he’s looking forward to getting back to door-knocking and earning the trust of Kirkfield Park residents.

“I’ve really come to have a place in my heart for that area,” he said in an interview. “I’ve met an awful lot of people there, I know what the issues are there, we did a lot of work in that area… and I obviously want to continue on with that.”

Klein said he considered running for the Manitoba Legislative Assembly prior to entering the mayoral race. He announced he would seek the PC nomination in Kirkfield Park two days after the polls closed on the municipal contest with an endorsement from Fielding.

The provincial government has a larger role in the issues that are most important to him, including domestic violence, crime and homelessness, Klein said. He is also encouraged by the change within the party, brought by Premier Heather Stefanson, he said.

“I like that they’re taking an approach on crime — I’m supportive of that — that they’re trying to make the province more affordable for everybody,” he said.

Klein will face challenges from the New Democrat Logan Oxenham, who has been campaigning since early September, and Green Party of Manitoba candidate Dennis Bayomi, who was nominated on Sept. 25.

CancerCare Manitoba research nurse Rhonda Nichol will represent the Manitoba Liberals in the riding.

Nichol, who formerly worked at the Grace Hospital for three decades, will be nominated at a meeting on Nov. 10 at Woodhaven Community Centre. Her candidacy was announced Friday.

“With all due respect to the other candidates, if you want a candidate who understands health care, and who understands the Grace Hospital, Rhonda Nichol is the best choice,” Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said in a release.

“I’ve seen what works in our health-care system, and what doesn’t,” Nichol said in release. “Now is the time to step up to make change, and I chose the Manitoba Liberal Party because Dougald Lamont and his team have shown they’re not afraid to speak up and challenge the status quo.”

Kirkfield Park has typically been represented by a Progressive Conservative, with the exception of the NDP’s Sharon Blady, who held the seat between 2007 and 2016.

Lamont said he is optimistic Nichol can persuade residents in Kirkfield Park to vote Liberal following a close result in the Fort Whyte byelection in March. Liberal candidate Willard Reaves came within 200 votes of winning the seat held by former premier Brian Pallister, losing to Tory Obby Khan who, like Reaves, is a former member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A byelection in Kirkfield Park must be held by Dec. 13, under provincial law. However, the PCs could drop the writ at any time, sparking a 29- to 35-day election period.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca