There is officially one more month until the municipal election in Winnipeg. Mayoral candidates continue to lay out their platforms to help convince voters to tick their name on the ballot. Here is what is being discussed on the campaign trail on Monday. Kevin Klein is wanting to change how elections operate in the future. He wants to implement multiple rule changes to ensure a fair election is unfolding and that every candidate is getting a fair chance. “People should hear from every candidate on equal ground and know the office is working for the city, not for a campaign. That builds trust and produces better decisions after the vote, because the winner earned the job in the open,” Klein said in a news release. If elected, Klein would look to add a municipal blackout 30 days before election day. He would also work to add several restrictions to ensure there is no bias, including unpaid leave while doing campaign work, no releases from candidates seeking re-election, the integrity commissioner providing oversight, no council or committee meetings 45 days before an election, automatic reviews after elections, and preventing the Chief Electoral Officer from being the CAO or CFO four years before or after an election. “I will not write standards for other people and then stand outside them. Where council cannot act alone, I will ask the province to amend the City of Winnipeg Charter.” Umar Hayat wants to help unhoused Winnipeggers through a multi-faceted approach. On his Facebook page Monday, Hayat said he wants to expand outreach programs, provide an independent medical response team, funding grassroots safety groups and he opposes displacement. Hayat said he would work to expand the budget for community-based outreach services to $9.6 million. The services would be integrated through emergency services in partnership with local organizations. He also would provide $8 million in funding for a mobile crisis medical response team that would work independently from the police. Community safety groups would also receive more funding, Hayat said, if he were elected. He also said he is against tearing down encampments if other housing options aren’t provided. Lastly, Don Woodstock announced he would work to protect Royal Canadian Legion and ANAVET branches with a civic funding model and charitable tax-receipt partnership. “These buildings are more than just four walls. They are the heartbeat of our neighbourhoods. The people keeping them alive are veterans, family members of those who served, and dedicated community members who truly understand the vital need for gathering. They are seniors who built this city, who pay taxes right here in Winnipeg, and who give their time and energy to look after one another. It is time city hall stops treating our seniors and veterans like an afterthought,” Woodstock said in a news release. If elected mayor, Woodstock said he would create an annual funding stream that would provide up to $100,000 per facility. He would also create a tax rebate for these buildings by matching 100 per cent of property taxes. To ensure these changes don’t impact taxes on Winnipeggers, Woodstock said he would offset these costs by bringing engineering work in-house, eliminating outside audits, and joining the recycled aggregate business, which reuses crushed material from ripped-up roads instead of buying new.
