Longtime Tory looks to unseat Kinew

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This article was published 27/08/2019 (2290 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Entrepreneur and community advocate Edna Nabess is running in the provincial election to be a voice for Fort Rouge.

The 62-year-old is the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba’s candidate in the constituency currently held by Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew. 

“I’m a people person. I look around and I see things and because I live in this area, I want to make things better, I want to be a voice for the people,” Nabess said. “That’s what I’ve done my whole life. If I see something I’ll go and I’ll roll up my sleeves and I’ll help.”

Nabess, who lives nearby in the River Heights riding, is the founder and lead designer of Cree-Ations, a North End-based gallery showcasing moccasins, mukluks, art and designs by Indigenous creators. Nabess started the business 25 years ago in Winkler, Man., where she cooked and made moccasins based on designs she learned from her mother, a residential school survivor. About 12 years ago, she moved the store to Winnipeg at its current location at 586 Main St.

“I started that store with two pairs of slippers. I didn’t even have the first months’ rent,” Nabess said.

The longtime Tory currently sits on the Winnipeg Police Board (but is on a leave during the provincial campaign), Efficiency Manitoba, Manitoba Public Insurance, and the Manitoba 150 Celebration Committee, and in the past has let her name stand for election with the PCs in The Pas (2009 byelection), and Keewatinook (2016). The mother of five grew up in Cormorant, Man., east of The Pas, and spent her formative years on the trap line and fish camp. She is also a member of the Mathias Columb Cree Nation and has fostered kids in Manitoba for 25 years.

In deciding to run in Fort Rouge, Nabess said she appreciates the diversity of the community and wants to work hard to represent all people at the legislature.

“I think every part of Winnipeg is sort of basically the same. We all need someone there to speak for us. With the way things are right now, affordability is a big issue, child care is a big issue, and that’s what our government wants to do, we want to make things more affordable for people.”

Nabess said the concerns of folks in Fort Rouge are no different from the whole of Manitoba, and affordability, climate change and pollution, and jobs are main concerns, and pointed to the PC party’s commitment to build new schools in communities across Winnipeg, tax reductions on select products and services, and the PCs’ “Made in Manitoba” green plan.

“These commitments are from the heart. I’m not just going to see them on paper. I’m going to go in there and I’m going to talk about these things. We need these things,” Nabess said.

“I have 12 grandchildren. I want safer streets, I want childcare, I want people to be able to afford health care, afford housing. This is what I’m very passionate about.”

If elected, Nabess said she would like to spend her time in the legislature working on files related to child care, seniors, and end of life care.

“In our last years, we should be comfortable and we should not have to worry about how are we going to eat, how are we going to afford our medicine,” she said. “These things should be a given and should be taken care of.

“We need to make sure people have a good life.”

Also running in Fort Rouge are Green Party leader James Beddome, Manitoba Liberal Party candidate Cyndy Friesen, and NDP leader Wab Kinew. Manitoba Forward candidate Bradley Hebert could not be reached by press time. Manitoba First candidate Michael McCracken was announced after press time. The provincial election is Sept. 10.