Nason to fight for Transcona seat as Wyatt faces charges

Former Transcona councillor Shawn Nason said he plans to run against the incumbent who is fighting a sexual assault charge.

Nason, who represented the ward from 2018 to 2022, said Friday he intends to register as a candidate when registration opens June 30 for the Oct. 28 election.

“I was always visible in the community … and I think our community needs that. They need to be aware of what’s going on, both positive and negative, to be well-informed,” Nason said.

Russ Wyatt, the current councillor, was charged in March with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance. It’s alleged that during a gathering in December in the east area of the city, the victim was sexually assaulted after being given an illicit drug.

Nason won the race in 2018 when Wyatt wasn’t on the ballot. That year, Wyatt took a leave from council to seek addictions treatment and later faced a sexual assault charge, which was eventually stayed. Wyatt had represented the ward since 2002.

He unseated Nason when he ran in 2022.

Nason said he had been thinking about running for some time, but allegations involving Wyatt accelerated his decision.

“It’s a black eye for the community when these allegations come forward,” he said. “I was having serious conversations while in advance of that. It certainly accelerated decision making.”

Nason said he’s not sure how business would get done in the Transcona ward if its representative is not able to be “fully participating” on council, referencing a recent vote by council to remove Wyatt from several city committees and boards due to the ongoing criminal proceedings.

Nason wants to once again be a voice for Transcona and tackle the issues in his community and finish important projects, such as the East of the Red RecPlex, a platform he ran on in 2018.

Nason ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the Transcona constituency in the 2025 byelection after MLA Nello Altimore died.

In a prepared statement, Wyatt said he will decide whether to stand for re-election “in due course.”

“We as a community together have accomplished so much, and as the only member of council who has consistently stood up against the mayor and (executive policy committee) over the last four years, often alone, we still need a strong voice doing just that,” the statement read.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca