Polling station venue ‘inadvertently double-booked’ with political fundraiser: Elections Manitoba

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This article was published 09/03/2025 (237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An advanced polling station in Transcona doubled as the venue of an NDP fundraiser over the weekend, but Elections Manitoba says the accidental overlap was above board.

For the second time in six months, Transcona residents were called to the polls on Saturday to cast early ballots in a March 18 byelection.

Former education minister Nello Altomare, who had represented the provincial constituency since 2019, died on Jan. 14.

All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church opened its doors to voters to choose Altomare’s successor on Saturday, starting at 8 a.m.

Later in the day, NDP supporters arrived at the place of worship at 1500 Day St. for a fundraising dinner in support of newly elected MP Leila Dance.

“The NDP booking at a voting station was not in the spirit of keeping voting stations nonpartisan, and we are continuing to pursue and rectify the matter with Elections Manitoba to ensure this oversight doesn’t happen again,” said Michele Halverson, chief executive officer of the PC Party of Manitoba.

Mike Ambrose, director of communications and public information for Elections Manitoba, said his office worked with event organizers to ensure they respected all provincial legislation.

“The church had inadvertently double-booked and we only found out about it after the voter information cards had already gone out,” Ambrose said.

Ambrose said his office worked with event organizers to ensure they respected all provincial legislation. They agreed not to use any exterior signage with the party name, logo or anything of the sort, he said.

The Elections Act prohibits anyone from distributing political party pamphlets and materials within 50 metres of an entrance of a polling station during the voting period. It outlaws the posting of related signage within the same proximity and time frame.

Ambrose said the two activities on Saturday took place more than 50 metres apart and NDP representatives agreed not to use any exterior signage with the party name, logo or anything of the sort.

Their designated entrances were situated on opposite corners of the place of worship and Elections Manitoba had extra staff on site to help voters find the right door, he said.

Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor in political studies at the University of Manitoba, called the situation “quite unusual,” although he said the overlap was minimal — about 2.5 hours — and is unlikely to impact voters or turnout.

“There’s a lot of political noise going on and it’s hard for voters to be made aware of a byelection so I would say that’s really the (main challenge) right now,” said Adams, who lives in the constituency of Transcona.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders and leadership contests both among the Liberal Party of Canada and PC Party of Manitoba have proven distracting, he said.

At the same time, he suggested political volunteers may be experiencing fatigue as they’ve been repeatedly tapped to campaign in the Transcona area in recent months.

The federal New Democrats did not provide comment Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba NDP said the party was not involved in planning the fundraiser. “Our focus is on the people of Transcona and our positive vision to fix health care and make life more affordable,” they said in a statement.

The party has nominated Shannon Corbett, a vice-principal at Transcona Collegiate, to secure the seat. Former city councillor Shawn Nason is running to represent the Progressive Conservatives.

“My focus has been knocking on the doors, having volunteers out to help by the dozens and just meeting the residents of Transcona. That’s what I’ve been doing since I got the nomination,” Nason said Sunday.

The Manitoba Liberal Party has endorsed policy adviser Brad Boudreau in the race. Olympian speed skater Susan Auch has mounted an independent campaign.

The spokesman for Elections Manitoba said it can be difficult to find a suitable location available for eight days of advanced voting.

“Churches are often a good solution. They’re in the community. They have availability,” Ambrose said, noting that his employer has relied on Transcona’s All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church in recent general elections.

Parish president Len Matiowsky said the challenge for the church was that Elections Manitoba had tentatively booked a chunk of time, not knowing exactly when the writ would drop.

Neither group could cancel because they’d both already printed and distributed materials with the date and venue on them, Matiowsky said, adding that the parish made last-minute adjustments to accommodate both parties.

“We’re part of the community and we want to contribute, but it was challenging,” he said.

Doors for the NDP dinner, which cost $150 for a regular ticket, inside a church hall opened at 5:30 p.m. The political party planned the International Women’s Day gala to honour Dance as the first woman elected to represent Elmwood-Transcona.

Dance won the Sept. 17 race — which was called after Daniel Blaikie resigned to take an adviser role with Manitoba’s NDP government — by more than 1,100 votes, securing her party’s stronghold in east Winnipeg.

There have been three political races in Transcona over the last 18 months, each of which Luciano Isaak has participated in. “Every vote counts,” the 22-year-old said.

Isaak said he typically votes blue, regardless of the type of election. “I’m not a big Trudeau guy,” he said, before cementing his support for the Tories at an advanced poll on Sunday. “Things seem to be going in a worse direction, every day.”

The state of health care and interprovincial trade barriers were top of mind for Brian Derkach as he voted early on Sunday afternoon.

“The PCs seem quite incompetent and uncaring about the population and I can’t stand them so I’m going to vote for the party that’s not them,” Derkach said from the All Saints parking lot.

Career teacher Kris Frederiksen said he, too, was voting for the NDP despite knowing little about the current candidate, owing to the quick timeline for the latest race.

“We’re pretty stable and locked-in with our NDP government. There’s not a lot of controversy around that so I’m not hearing a lot of conversation (about this byelection),” added Frederiksen, who’s lived in Transcona for more than 20 years.

Advanced voting is taking place daily at the church, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through next Saturday.

Eligible residents can also vote during those hours — except for Sundays, during which polls are only open from noon to 6 p.m. — at the Transcona Local Election Office at 100 Paquin Rd. until March 17.

A total of 460 ballots were cast on Saturday, the first day of advanced voting.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca