In this episode of WINNIPEG VOTES 2026 host Graham McDonald spoke to St. Norbert-Seine River candidate Louise May. She is running to replace outgoing councillor and deputy mayor Markus Chambers.
Louise May has worked as an environmental advocate and was prominent in the campaign to preserve Lemay Forest. She previously ran for city council in 2010.
Despite her environmental background, May said she is not opposed to development.
“I am not anti-development; we need housing and we need it badly,” May said.
She said she would proactively “elicit the development in the areas that make the most sense.”
She said protecting old forest growth and being in favour of development were not mutually exclusive and that the focus should be on developing housing in areas that are close to bus routes, close to grocery stores and that have access to hospitals and other services.
May would also work to pass a tree protection bylaw and create more nature corridors. She also supports curbside compost collection, partially as a means of offsetting potential overreliance on the Brady Road Landfill.
On the topic of transit, she would work to eliminate transit “dead zones” in the ward and work to satisfy the desire of residents of the ward who want more sustainable transportation options than being wholly car-dependent all the time, especially when it comes to downtown commutes.
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
Disclaimer: As part of U Multicultural’s 2026 Winnipeg Municipal Election Coverage, candidates were invited to share messages with our audience. The views expressed in this article are the candidate’s own, and this article does not constitute an endorsement by U Multicultural.
Graham McDonald, U Multicultural Journalism and Media Arts Centre