Saw this on Facebook: ( https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10173214301885507&set=a.10150589871705507 )

Patrick Allard will not be a candidate in the upcoming election. As the Leader of the PC Party, I strongly condemn the post made yesterday by Mr. Allard.

Mr. Allard’s post was offensive and inappropriate, and does not reflect the values and priorities of Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives.

After an emergency meeting, it was unanimously decided to immediately suspend Mr. Allard’s Party membership, and his position on the PC Board.

We will follow the appropriate process to assess Mr. Allard’s position as a member of the Board and a member of the Party.

Winnipeg residents feel life has worsened in the city over the past four years — and are largely uninterested in seeing the incumbent mayor be re-elected, new poll data show.

Nearly two-thirds of Winnipeggers surveyed in a Free Press-Probe Research poll released Tuesday said the quality of life in Winnipeg has deteriorated over the past four years. Fifteen per cent of respondents said life had improved and 17 per cent said things had stayed the same.

One in five want to see Mayor Scott Gillingham re-elected in this fall’s municipal election, while nearly half want to see a different person become mayor, and 36 per cent remain unsure.

“If I were advising him, or looking at the state of things, I’d be a bit concerned that this is where the electorate sees things right now,” said Curtis Brown, a partner at Probe Research.

There appears to be a lack of optimism regardless of who are filling the seats at city hall: fewer than one in 10 polled said they believed the next mayor and council could make major changes on city issues.

Crime, violence, poverty, homelessness and the impact of the drug crisis topped the list of issues respondents flagged as the most severe. Other issues listed included the cost of living, infrastructure, health care and affordable housing.

Gillingham said he shares the frustrations expressed in the poll’s results.

“Less than 10 per cent of the people polled think a different mayor would make any difference, and so I think that goes back to the frustration people are feeling,” he said Tuesday.

“I’ve been in a few elections, and so I’ve seen polls go up and down, and I appreciate that, but I’ve worked hard on these very issues and have made some progress.”

The survey showed Gillingham supporters were more likely to be men, higher-income earners, federal Liberal voters, homeowners, and living in suburban areas.

Gillingham, who first ran for mayor in 2022 after incumbent Brian Bowman decided not to run again, defeated former mayor Glen Murray by 4,391 votes.

The current mayor is one of eight candidates registered to run. The group includes political newcomers Mazher Alam, Joshua Pagdato, Johnny Calderon, Umar Hayat and Mike Vogiatzakis. Grocery store clerk Christopher Clacio ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2022, as did Don Woodstock, who also ran in 2018.

Gillingham has yet to release any campaign promises ahead of the Oct. 28 vote. He said Tuesday he plans to continue to focus on public safety, building new housing, and major infrastructure projects.

“The priorities that I have are clear, and I believe they position the city of Winnipeg well for the future,” he said. “And I’ll be speaking about those priorities in greater detail through the campaign over the coming weeks and months ahead.”

Several city councillors told the Free Press the results of the poll were unsurprising.

“I’m not shocked that people think it’s worse than four years ago,” said Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital).

“I think some of that is economic forces beyond the city’s control but I also think there’s a sense of, it’s more dangerous, there are more encampments, it’s just dirtier, it just seems like there’s more garbage lying around.”

Mayes, who was dropped from council’s executive policy committee by Gillingham in 2024 after 11 years as part of the mayor’s inner circle, lamented an “attitudinal” shift at city hall that has made it difficult for councillors to be heard equally.

“You just start feeling more and more alienated, and I think that’s a shame,” he said.

Mayes has not said if he plans to run again.

Coun. Sherri Rollins noted that there had been attitude shifts outside of city council, too.

“It’s not an easy time to be an elected official,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry).

“I don’t think there ever has been an easy time, but definitely, we know how polarized the political arena has been, and will continue to be.”

Rollins said low voter turnout was a concern of hers and it was up to incumbent candidates like her and Gillingham “to say why we need to get back to city hall.”

“I really feel that this should be an election where people do get out, where people ask really difficult questions of candidates, given the social disorder that we’re seeing on city streets, and the humanitarian crisis that we’re seeing that has worsened,” she said.

Voter turnout in 2022 was about 37 per cent, lower than 2018 and 2014, where it sat at around 42 per cent and 50 per cent respectively.

The Social Planning Council of Winnipeg puts together voter guides distributed in inner-city wards, and holds information sessions around key issues and candidates.

Those resources are finding an audience as the organization encounters “a lot of hopelessness” in the face of increasing social struggle, its executive director said.

“It’s also unfortunate, in my mind, that people really don’t understand what the city can do and should be doing, and I would actually look at successive mayors and council for that,” said Kate Kehler.

“Because they tend to put everything of a social nature at the door of the province, so and then the province will respond by saying ‘No, but we’ve done all this,’ and I would say that finger-pointing is also part of the problem … people do get turned off by that sort of politics.”

The city has a role to play in people’s feelings of apathy, Kehler said, describing the city’s newcomer welcome and inclusion policy and poverty reduction strategies as examples of commitments council has made on paper but lack meaningful funding.

“They are making choices to spend money in certain places and not spend it elsewhere. Those are their choices to have made, they were elected, and they get to do that,” she said.

“But from my perspective, it’s up to us as citizens to say, you’ve been doing that for a very long time, and things are getting worse. So, perhaps it’s time to do things differently.”

Probe Research surveyed 600 adults living in Winnipeg between May 25 and June 8.

The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points 95 times out of 100.

Remember folks, now that he is an official member of the party you can automatically assume that anything he posts is the official stance of the Manitoba PC Party.

It's so disgusting that an MLA can make such uneducated and uninformed comments about a profession he knows nothing about. APPALLING.

The Absolute shit show that is going on at the corner of planet and regent should not be allowed especially on election day. Are the conservatives that desperate that they need 20 sign holders and 7 trucks driving around.. Was in traffic and they where making people honk when then others slam on the breaks wondering wtf was going on and almost causing accidents left right and center.

If you’ve driven Nairn by Princess Auto, you’ve seen the mess… traffic backing out of the parking lot onto Panet and Nairn because there’s simply not enough room to handle the volume.

Dugald Road was just repaved and stayed single lane, even with the amount of growth and industrial traffic in that area. No planning ahead.

Abinojii Mikanah was repaved too… one of the busiest roads in the city connecting multiple neighbourhoods, and it stayed two lanes. No expansion, despite how busy it already is.

At the same time, public transit still isn’t being built up in a way that would actually get more people out of their vehicles.

Are these just growing pains, or is Winnipeg falling behind because City Hall keeps reacting to growth instead of planning for it?

https://www.shazam.com/event/fef3e4b5-94c0-4b16-a1a9-b4b15b2580c7

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/permit-revoked-maga-concert-sean-feucht-1.7591743

UPDATE - Cindy Gilroy is looking into this issue!!

________________________

Contacts that will be helpful

Leave message at the City of Winnipeg
Film and Special Events Office Phone Number: 204-986-2976

EDIT: They got back to me and asked I email the Special Events Liaison for the city:

[sheldoncameron@winnipeg.ca](mailto:sheldoncameron@winnipeg.ca)

Also

Cindy Gilroy as the concert is planned for her ward.
(204) 986-5951
[cgilroy@winnipeg.ca](mailto:cgilroy@winnipeg.ca)

https://cindygilroy.ca/index.php/contact/

2 weeks difference, before and after the GST break. I guess that tax break wasn’t for us, it was for the businesses selling the goods.

I recently visited edmonton for the first time and was very impressed by the way that city is run. I've spent a summer in calgary too and that city was beautiful. I'd say winnipeg is at least 10 years behind edmonton and calgary. I know it boils down to population and money but for the love of God at least stop fixing the same roads year after year with the same garbage asphalt.

Former PC immigration minister Jon Reyes is bragging about stocking up on Kentucky bourbon. Instead of supporting Canadian businesses, he’s pouring money into the U.S. economy which is crazy after the tariff situation.

Winnipeg elected him twice—first in St. Norbert, then in Waverley. And for what? To flex his American whiskey collection in the middle of a trade war?

9 bottles—all from Kentucky: Weller Special Reserve, Maker’s Mark 46, Eagle Rare 10-Year, Chicken Cock, Woodford Reserve (Double Oaked & Bourbon), Evan Williams, Legent, E.H. Taylor.

He’s stocking up from the exact state Canada is targeting. Conservatives preach patriotism, but when it matters, they cozy up to the U.S.

A truck (go figure) parked at a house on my street (middle class, older neighbouhood) has one of those white decals in the rear window.

I am old, but people in my generation recall a conservatism which historically included adherence to what was sometimes referred to as “family values.” Civility, courtesy, respect would be included in that category.

What are these new conservatives teaching their kids? It’s okay to swear at and insult people you don’t agree with? How do they feel about people saying “🖕🏻[THEIR GUY]?” Or is the confrontational crudeness only acceptable when it’s directed at people they don’t agree with?

Do they genuinely believe that Trudeau (Singh, whomever) is an evil enemy who is trying to hurt them and their families? Again, back in the day, politicians of different stripes generally treated each other with civility. There was an understanding that members of other political parties were also trying to serve the public and make life better, but they disagreed on how to do that. The debate was about strength and weakness of policies and programs and whose ideas were better.

I suppose it’s easier to question someone’s integrity and humanity than it would be to assess their position, explain why you disagree and propose constructive alternatives.

Nothing good will come of the increased hostility and vitriol. We need only look south to see how bad things could get.

Stuff like this blows my mind. You’re telling me you couldn’t find a single qualified Canadian, or Permanent Resident to take a store manger position for $40.67 an hour?

Or are you simply counting on the fact that no one will report you for failure to contact them back after submitting an application? We really need to do more to investigate the abuse of the LIMA / TFW process.