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Candidates in the civic election campaign are knocking on doors in wards across Winnipeg to garner support — but not all of them live in the wards they want to represent.
Radio-Canada contacted all of the candidates for councillor in the upcoming election. Out of the 54 candidates, 11 don’t live in their wards, and one didn’t reply to the question.
Several of the 11 candidates, including Chris Sweryda (Elmwood Kildonan-East Kildonan), Brook Jones (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) and Kelly Ryback (St. James), said they live near the wards they are running in — as close as about 350 metres away, in Jones’s case.
Vivian Santos, the lone incumbent candidate among the 11, said she moved two kilometres outside of the Point Douglas boundary because she needed extra space for her mother, who lives with her.
Other candidates — including Terry Wachniak (Mynarski), Jorge Requena Ramos (River Heights-Fort Garry), Georgina Sabesky (River Heights-Fort Garry), Nicholas Douklias (St. Boniface) and Tyler Crichton (St. James) — said they formerly lived in the wards they’re running in. Sabesky and Douklias said they also work in, or have business in, the wards.
Robyn Vilde works in St. Boniface, and Govind Thawani said he owns a farm in St. Norbert-Seine River.
Yuanchao Li (Waverley West) did not respond to the question.
Former city councillor Jenny Gerbasi doesn’t think living in the ward should be a requirement for candidates. (CBC)
In two wards, River Heights-Fort Garry and St. James, only one candidate lives in the ward — Sara MacArthur and Shawn Dobson, respectively.
Jenny Gerbasi, who served as a city councillor for 20 years before stepping down in 2018, doesn’t think living outside the ward is a deal-breaker for candidates.
Gerbasi lived in Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry during her time on council but doesn’t think living in a ward should be a requirement.
“If somebody is sort of being parachuted in and they’re not familiar with the ward in any way … that’s not a good thing. But there are people who could conceivably live just outside the ward and have a significant connection.”
Gerbasi said a councillor’s ability can’t be measured based on what area they’re from, and that if there was a rule requiring candidates to live in their ward, it could disqualify potentially good candidates from running.
“I think it depends on the individual candidate, and it’s up to the electorate to be informed about their candidates.”
WATCH | Some city councillor candidates live outside their wards:
Some city councillor candidates live outside their wards
Candidates are hitting Winnipeg streets to ask for votes in the Oct. 28 municipal election, but not all of them live in the wards where they’re knocking on doors. Two former city councillors say having a connection to the area is more important than living in it.
The City of Winnipeg’s website has a list of eligibility requirements for candidates. It says a person must be a Canadian citizen and a Manitoba resident, and must be 18 or older on the day of the election, and must not be disqualified under any law. There’s nothing requiring a candidate to live in the ward they’re running in.
Gord Steeves was councillor for St. Vital for 11 years until he stepped down in 2011 to run as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the provincial election. He said the ward boundaries changed when he was councillor, and although his home remained in the ward, it could have just as easily been cut out.
“Living in the ward [isn’t] as important as actually having a connection to the ward,” he said.
“People who have businesses in the ward, people who teach in the ward, school administrators, all sorts of people who don’t necessarily live in the ward can still have a strong connection.”
Steeves said he represented roughly 60,000 people during his time as councillor. He said it’s hard to be close to everyone, even when the councillor lives in the ward.
He also thinks most voters are flexible on where a candidate lives.
“If you agree with the candidate’s policies you’re likely to stick with them, [especially] if there’s a candidate inside the ward whose policies aren’t quite as attractive to you,” he said.
Steeves said if there were two equal candidates, location could play a factor, but he thinks most people will still vote based on policy.
The election is on Oct. 28.