Mayoralty race off to glacial start

Just a few months before voters select their next city council, Winnipeg’s mayoral race has barely begun.

Mayor Scott Gillingham, who registered his re-election bid May 1, has yet to share a single promise about what he would do if re-elected.

That decision could reflect several circumstances of this particular race, including the current slate of mayoral candidates, according to a local political expert.

“It could be (Gillingham’s) just keeping his powder dry … I think he’s likely waiting to see what shakes out for his opponents, if there will be somebody of a higher profile, like a Kevin Klein, or somebody from the right or left of him (entering the race),” said Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba.

As of Friday, eight candidates had registered to run against Gillingham. The slate is a mix of political rookies and others who’ve run for mayor previously but attracted two per cent or less of the vote.

“I don’t see any real advantage right now of making campaign promises until later in the election … Right now, too, we’re in summer, so people aren’t following the news as closely as they might in September or October,” said Adams.

During his first mayoral bid in 2022, Gillingham promised on May 16 to release a fully costed platform before the end of the campaign. On June 1, he released a more detailed policy announcement, promising to create more 24-7 safe spaces for homeless and at-risk people.

Gillingham won that mayoral race with 53,663 votes, narrowly beating former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray, who claimed 49,272 votes. Former city councillor Kevin Klein came in third (28,806 votes) and social enterprise leader Shaun Loney finished fourth (28,567 votes).

“I would say that (in the) earlier elections, there were strong contenders … There’s no strong opponent right now, so it’s not a huge danger for (Gillingham) to be leaving (election promises) late right now,” said Adams.

In the past, other incumbent mayoral candidates have also waited months to make campaign commitments. In 2018, for example, Brian Bowman did not make a campaign pledge until after an official re-election launch on Sept. 13.

Adams said he thought more mayoral candidates might emerge following the June release of a Probe Research poll, which found that just 19 per cent of those surveyed thought Gillingham should be re-elected.

Still, an incumbent mayoral candidate has not been defeated in decades, which may deter some people from investing the time and energy required for a political race, Adams said.

Gillingham, meanwhile, said his energy continues to be devoted to this term of office, noting he’s attended 90 community events and 15 media availabilities in the past two months.

“It’s primarily just a dedication and a laser focus right now on the work that … I’m doing as mayor of Winnipeg,” he said. “It’s been a very busy last couple of months and it’s all about building Winnipeg for the future.”

Gillingham said his campaign staff are busy fundraising and organizing volunteers and he will make a mayoral announcement before the end of July.

“Regardless of whether there’s one, seven or multiple candidates and regardless of their stature, I’m focused on delivering a platform for Winnipeg’s future and running on the record I’m proud of as well,” he said.

As of Friday, the other registered mayoral candidates were Christopher Clacio, Michael Vogiatzakis, Umar Hayat, Mazher Alam, Joshua Pagdato, Johnny Calderon, Noah Redden and Don Woodstock.

While some of those have made a few promises through email and online postings, so far only Woodstock has held multiple press conferences to share his platform pledges.

“The ideal thing to do is to start early because you have to give yourself four or five months of campaigning before you actually get to connect with the people … I wish the campaign was a year long,” Woodstock said.

Now running in his third consecutive mayoral race, the security company owner said his past unsuccessful bids taught him to start campaigning early. He’s held six formal announcements and sent out additional press releases.

He believes he has a better chance of success in 2026, given the backlash to some recent city changes.

“Winnipeg Transit is a disaster, everybody agrees … As a former bus driver, I understand transit,” he said.

A new primary transit network added in 2025 has triggered a mixed response, with many riders complaining it now takes them longer to reach their destinations. The network aims to provide more frequent service.

If elected, Woodstock is promising to make major changes to transit routes, reversing parts of the network overhaul. That would include restoring a bus corridor along Graham Avenue and “firing” Transit managers who led the overhaul, he said.

Woodstock also promises a thorough review of Winnipeg water and waste spending, in the hopes of cutting costs and reducing the water and sewer rates residents pay.

“The water rates are though the roof,” he said.

To get their name on the ballot, mayoral candidates must register and complete a nomination process, which requires collecting at least 250 signatures from eligible voters by Sept. 22.

Election day is Oct. 28.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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