Robust race for city councillor in new St. Norbert – Seine River ward

An open race in St. Norbert - Seine River Beth Macdonell speaks with the councillor candidates for St. Norbert - Seine River about the key issues and what they hope to accomplish.

It's an open race for city councillor in St. Norbert - Seine River.

There is no incumbent because the ward has new boundaries and five candidates are vying for the seat.

Markus Chambers is an active volunteer with community organizations in Winnipeg.

He's worked with the provincial nominee program, managing their employer engagement unit for 17 years. He took a leave to run this campaign.

Chambers said voters want better bus service off the main streets, attention to road and construction projects, and with the growing meth problem-- neighbourhood safety.

"The best thing people can know about me is I am going to work hard for them, I'm going to listen and I'm going to be responsive to the concerns of the community,” he said in an interview while out campaigning with his team in the area Saturday.

Public transit is a key issue for Nancy Cooke. The business owner said she’s hearing from voters that there are not enough buses connecting people to the places they want to go.

Cooke is also focused on helping entrepreneurs and wants to oversee development in this growing area.

"We are coming to the edges of our city and how do we transition our communities and make sure they are working for us and that we are getting a value for our investments in our communities,” said Cooke who was with her family at Maple Grove Dog Park Saturday.

Transportation engineer Glenn Churchill said it's time for someone who has technical skills and knowledge about infrastructure and roads at city hall.

“They're awarding projects worth millions of dollars and they're not really able to question anything about the projects so having someone there that understand that and would be able to question these things would be a benefit to Winnipeg,” he said from near his home in River Park South Saturday.

Churchill also wants to bring more traffic calming measures to curb speeding and improve the ongoing problems associated with rooming houses in the ward.

Rooming houses is an issue that’s also important to university student Nikolas Joyal who turns 23-years-old this fall.

He wants to improve rapid transit and the wait between transfers.

Joyal wants a city council that plans for the long term, decades down the road.

"There's no one from my generation to speak to our concerns and our issues, so I'm hoping to provide that, showing that someone so young can run,” he said handing out flyers in the ward Saturday.

Chris Davis said he stands for honesty and transparency. He promises to listen and act when it comes to what voters want.

If elected, he plans to prioritize road repairs, improve snow removal and make school zones safer.

Former councillor for the area, Janice Lukes has been acclaimed in Waverley West.

Advanced voting begins Monday. More information is available here.