PCs choose former councillor Nason to run in Transcona byelection

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This article was published 21/02/2025 (199 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former Winnipeg city councillor Shawn Nason is running as the Progressive Conservatives’ candidate in a provincial byelection in Transcona next month.

The party announced Nason’s candidacy Friday, after a nomination period closed late Thursday afternoon. A selection meeting was scheduled for March 3 in case it was a contested nomination.

“After my (municipal election) defeat in 2022, I still felt I had more to give to the community,” Nason told the Free Press. “It’s that passion for political work and giving back that way. I still had a want and desire to do that.”

The byelection, which was called Tuesday, is being held March 18 to replace former Transcona MLA and NDP education minister Nello Altomare, who died Jan. 14 after a battle with cancer.

Shannon Corbett, the vice-principal of Transcona Collegiate, is the NDP’s candidate in the east Winnipeg riding. The Liberals will announce a candidate next week, leader Cindy Lamoureux said.

The Green Party decided not to run a candidate because it felt it wouldn’t be appropriate following Altomare’s death, said Dennis Bayomi, the party’s president and co-deputy leader.

Nason, a Transcona resident for more than 20 years, said he decided to pursue the PC nomination after being encouraged by family and friends.

Three-time Olympic speedskating medallist Susan Auch expressed interest in seeking the nomination prior to Thursday’s deadline.

Nason said the cost of living, including housing, is one of the key issues in Transcona.

“Affordability is a big one for our residents. I hear that time and time again,” Nason said. “The other issues include crime in the community.”

He was the city councillor for Transcona from 2018 to 2022, when he was defeated by Russ Wyatt. Since then, Nason has worked in sales for a local manufacturing company and volunteered for community organizations. He is a youth soccer coach and co-ordinator in northeast Winnipeg.

Prior to city hall, Nason worked as a special legislative assistant to former Tory cabinet ministers Scott Fielding and Eileen Clark. He was a constituency manager for former Conservative member of Parliament Lawrence Toet in Elmwood-Transcona.

“With deep roots in the community and a strong record of service, Shawn’s the right choice to represent Transcona,” interim PC leader Wayne Ewasko said in a news release.

Transcona has mostly been held by the NDP since 1969, including Daryl Reid’s long run from 1990 to 2016. The Liberals (Richard Kozak from 1988 to 1990) and the PCs (Blair Yakimoski from 2016 to 2019) have each won the seat once.

Altomare won his second term when he defeated PC candidate Titi Tijani by more than 2,000 votes in the 2023 general election.

The NDP holds a majority with 33 of 57 seats in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly. The PCS have 21 seats. There is one Liberal, one independent and one vacancy that will be filled by the byelection.

Elections Manitoba said eligible voters in Transcona can cast advance ballots starting March 8 at two locations: a local election office at 100 Paquin Rd. that will be open up to and including election day, and All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church, at 1500 Day St., up to March 15.

Voters can attend any polling station on election day, not just the suggested location on their voter information card, Elections Manitoba said.

Voters can apply at wfp.to/WYA for absentee voting and at wfp.to/WYW to vote at home.

The PCs are scheduled to announce a new leader at a party convention April 26. Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan and businessman Wally Daudrich, who does not have a seat in the legislature, are vying for the role.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca