Lukes to be challenged in Waverley West

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This article was published 28/09/2022 (1314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Janice Lukes and Pascal Scott have been nominated for city councillor in the Waverley West ward. The municipal election is Wed., Oct. 26.

Janice Lukes (incumbent)

Incumbent councillor Janice Lukes has served two terms as city councillor for Waverley West, after being elected in 2014 (when the ward was known as Winnipeg South–St. Norbert), and she is seeking re-election for a third term.

Lukes said she’s recently worked with colleagues to help secure nearly $90 million for a new recreation centre with $31.6 million from the federal government, $31.1 million from the province, and the rest from the city.

She said her priority is to “engage the community to get involved in the design and planning” of the building, and to see it built.

She said city councillors must rely on partnerships to get things done, and that candidates need to be aware they cannot “move Mount Everest.”

The city’s finances have taken a severe hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lukes said. The effects of the city’s financial situation will be felt at city hall and throughout the city, and councillors will have to be realistic in what they promise to their constituents, she said.

Luke’s website is www.votelukes.ca

Pascal Scott

Pascal Scott is a former grain trader at James Richardson International and worked for the past 15 years in property development and planning in Asia.

Scott said he hopes to bring his global knowledge of how cities can function to his Winnipeg hometown. He said the city needs to revamp its thinking on infrastructure to include measures that prevent or reduce long-term issues.

“I’m advocating for something called the ‘health-of-all policies’ approach. That sounds like a really grandiose phrase, but all it means is, whenever we make a decision as a city, whatever it is, let’s take a step back and say, ‘Will this have a positive impact on public health?’”

Scott said the metrics to measure these impacts already exist, and the city must put them to use.

“Everybody knows social determinants of health and how much all these things impact things. Why are we not making those decisions right now to positively impact things for the future?” he said.

Scott said he’d work to reduce urban sprawl and make the city more easily walkable. He said he was pro-development, but that the manner in which the city is developing needs to be addressed.

Scott’s website is www.pascalscott.ca