Transit safety was top of mind as most of Winnipeg’s mayoral candidates outlined their plans for the future of the service. Ten of the 14 mayoral candidates joined the debate Monday night hosted by the Amalgamated Transit Union. “On day one, we will execute an immediate mandate to accelerate the full protective barriers across the fleet,” promised former PC MLA and city councillor Kevin Klein. Throughout the debate, candidates pitched some unique ideas to improve safety, like adding cameras on bus shelters. “Today I see four guys in a bus shack smoking crack. That’s going to stop,” said Brad Gross. “We have a camera on there, we see that, we bring our security team in there, they’re out.” Mike Vogiatzakis suggested requiring passes to enter bus shelters and outlined a plan to boost the number of transit safety officers. “Why not bring those retired police officers on who have experience, who want to work? We can make it part of the transit police and they can help make the city safer,” he said. Several candidates pledged a return to the old transit system, including Vogiatzakis, Umar Hayat and Johnny Calderon. “Eighty per cent of people hate it. If you went to McDonald’s and 80 per cent of people hated a burger, they would probably get rid of it,” Calderon said. Incumbent candidate Scott Gillingham was absent due to prior commitments. Union officials said his absence was a disappointment. “The fact that the incumbent mayor is not here today only goes to tell our members that he really doesn’t care about public transit,” said National ATU President John Di Nino. Still Local ATU 1505 President James Van Gerwen said transit safety was a unanimous concern among the candidates at the debate. He’s hopeful whoever becomes the next mayor of Winnipeg will tackle transit safety. “The safety of the public, the riders and the drivers is paramount at this point in the game,” he said. You can watch the full mayoral debate online. Voters head to the polls on Oct. 28.
