Copyright globalnews
Winnipeg’s newest city councillor says she’s ready to start work at city hall and do her best to fill the shoes of her late predecessor. Emma Durand-Wood won Saturday’s byelection in the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward, finishing atop the seven-candidate field with just over 31 per cent of the vote, according to the city’s unofficial results. She replaces the late Jason Schreyer, who died in April at age 57. Schreyer had represented the ward since his election in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. “I certainly never imagined I would be here,” Durand-Wood told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg. “I had an opportunity to work with Jason in the community lots of times, and I think he’s really missed. “I’ll try to carry forward his spirit in a lot of ways. We share some priorities for sure…. I’ll be thinking of Jason and hoping to contribute to carrying forward his legacy.” Durand-Wood said she’s already taking part in the onboarding process at city hall, and will be sworn in at a council meeting Thursday — a whirlwind of activity for someone who, until the byelection, said she’s never been involved in a political campaign. “Now the hard work starts. That’s the cliché you always hear people say, but it’s really true,” she said. “I’m sure we’ve got some challenges here that are bigger, maybe, than in other parts of the city — but a lot of challenges that we face as a city, they affect everybody. “I definitely see it as a dual role, to represent Elmwood-East Kildonan, but also to be a member of the team that’s trying to build a better Winnipeg overall.” One of those challenges Durand-Wood, and the city as a whole, may need to face is voter turnout. The election, according to the city’s results, garnered an absolutely dismal number — below 16 per cent — of eligible voters casting their ballots Saturday, and it’s something the new councillor says is a real concern. Durand-Wood earned almost double the votes of the runner-up, Abel Gutierrez, but she received only 1,567 votes overall. The city, she said, has done some great work as far as making voting accessible, but it’s clearly not enough. “It is disappointing. I think there’s lots of work to be done to engage voters more … and really all residents.” Joining Durand-Wood as newly elected municipal officials are Peter Bjornson, a former MLA and Manitoba education minister who won the school trustee race in Louis Riel Ward 3 handily, and Samantha Pope, new school trustee for Pembina Trails Ward 1.
