Don Woodstock says he has learned his lesson and is bringing a research team to his third consecutive run for mayor. The former Winnipeg Transit driver turned businessman finished fourth in the 2018 mayoral race with just over two per cent of the vote, or more than 4,700 votes. In 2022, he received just under one per cent. In an interview with CTV News Winnipeg’s Senior News Anchor Maralee Caruso, Woodstock said his past campaigns were hampered by their size. “I have always felt that I could do it with a small enough team, but I’ve learned my lesson,” Woodstock said earlier this month. He said he now has separate research teams for different policy areas, a policy adviser, current and former transit executives, and business employees assisting his mayoral bid. Woodstock, who spent nearly a decade as a Winnipeg Transit operator, says transit is one of his campaign pillars. He wants to electrify 30 per cent of the city’s 600-plus bus fleet, or more than 180 buses, in four years, a goal he called achievable. Woodstock pointed to Winnipeg-based bus manufacturer New Flyer Industries and Manitoba Hydro as local advantages for electrifying the fleet. A city spokesperson said Winnipeg Transit has received 40 zero-emission buses since 2025 through the Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Program. Another 40 battery-electric buses will start arriving in November, with the last due in the summer of 2027. Ten more zero-emission buses are expected to begin arriving that summer, bringing the fleet to 90 by the end of 2027. The city also plans to buy seven zero-emission minibuses for its on-request service in 2027, the spokesperson said. Woodstock said he would also conduct a complete review of Winnipeg’s major transit corridors and restore direct routes and bus stops where practical. He would allow riders to pay by tapping debit or credit cards on the bus, and reopen Graham Avenue to buses. Buses were removed from Graham Avenue in June 2025 as part of the city’s overhaul of the transit system, ending three decades of use as a downtown transit mall. “We have poor leadership at the top,” Woodstock said. “It pains my heart to see what they have done with even making a simple bus route change in the middle of winter, especially for seniors.” He also said he would retrofit vacant buildings into housing with wraparound services for mental health and addictions, pointing to the Marlborough Hotel as a “perfect example.” The city has already approved up to $5 million toward converting the Marlborough into housing, through a Heritage Residential Conversion Grant administered by CentreVenture, the city’s downtown development agency. “It is cheaper for the citizens and safer for everybody,” Woodstock said. He also credited himself with advocating for reusable bags and for the city’s blue-bin recycling program. “I’m going to invest in our youth, invest in our community centres, and I’m going to keep our citizens safer,” he said. Election day is Oct. 28. Woodstock is one of 12 mayoral candidates CTV News will profile in sit-down interviews ahead of the Oct. 28 election. The full interview can be viewed online. With files from CTV News’ Maralee Caruso
