Boille running for council in St. Boniface

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This article was published 01/10/2018 (2803 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Marcel Boille is running to represent St. Boniface on city council in the Oct. 24 civic election.

The 66-year-old north St. Boniface resident is the sole candidate running against incumbent St. Boniface city councillor Matt Allard, and he said that part of the reason he is running is that it’s time for a change in the southeast Winnipeg ward.

“The reason I’m running is two-pronged,” said Boille, a proud father of three and grandfather of five.

“One reason is that I’ve been approached by countless people who are fed up with the current councillor. People are telling me, ‘he’s a nice guy, but doesn’t listen to us, and that our voices don’t count.’

“Another reason is that I’ve got five grandkids, and we need to take responsibility for what we’re doing to their future. It’s not our right to mortgage our grandchildren’s futures. There’s a debt at the city and provincial levels, and we can’t keep spending money on things. We need to have better financial responsibility.”

Boille — who has spent his four-decade-plus career working in the construction industry and as a real estate agent — said more focus need to put on policing and safety in the city, and he is opposed to the much-discussed intersection at Portage and Main being opened to pedestrians.

“That money could be better used to fight the drug problems in our city. There’s a difference between wants and needs, and the world would not stop if the intersection doesn’t open (to pedestrians),” he said, adding that rapid transit is also declining in popularity.

When it comes to some of the issues specific to St. Boniface, Boille — who is bilingual, and whose first language is French — said if was elected, he would work with the different levels of government in regards to French-language issues, including education.

“More support and services needs to be provided in these areas, and we need to be proactive and go after the provincial and federal jurisdictions, and work with the proper authorities,” he said.

Referencing a pre-Unicity era when St. Boniface was classified as a city and had its own council, Boille said it’s important the area’s interests are represented on city council.

“I want to see better control of what is done in the community,” he said. “Ultimately, I will talk directly to people in St. Boniface and work to protect their interests.”

Go online at www.marcelboille.com for more information.