Transcona city council candidate profiles

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This article was published 29/09/2022 (819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TRANSCONA

Four candidates have been nominated in the Transcona ward: Shawn Nason (the incumbent), Steve Lipischak, Russ Wyatt and Wally Welechenko.

Shawn Nason (incumbent)

First elected in 2018, incumbent Shawn Nason is hoping voters will see his commitment to the community as a reason to re-elect him to council on Oct. 26.

“We are the Park City, and our new (ward) boundaries include two significant subdivisions of Waterside Estates and Southland Park, so working with those communities to ensure they have the amenities in their communities has been a priority, while maintaining services and things Transcona residents demand and deserve,” Nason, who turns 54 later this year, said.

Improving parks and recreational spaces was a campaign priority for Nason in 2018. He points to a number of park improvements, particularly in Waterside Estates, a large development that lacked a playground in 2018 but had one built with help of Nason’s office in 2019, as success stories, before looking to upcoming projects that require attention.

“We have a couple new subdivisions that we need to look at in Transcona, Dawson Trail and South Transcona, those are important areas to be cognizant of exising residents and how change will impact them,” he said. “Change is difficult but as a city we have to continue to grow in order to maintain affordability. If we stop growing, taxes unfortunately will have to go up exponentially to support what we have already.”

If re-elected, Nason said he will continue to push for the East of the Red Rec Plex to be built next to the Transcona Library on Transcona Boulevard.

“I look forward to seeing that complete, to finish that Park City Commons redevelopment,” he said.

Public safety, active transportation, and growing the city’s tax base in a sustainable manner are also priorities, he added.

Visit votenason.ca for more information.

Steve Lipischak

Steve Lipischak, 60, has been a fixture of the Transcona community for many years. He’s been director of marketing for Vickar Automotive for the past 16 years, is president of the Transcona Rotary, an executive on the Transcona Legion board, and a longtime volunteer with L’Arche Winnipeg, among other charitable work he remains engaged in.

“Our community is a strong community,” Lipischak, who ran for council in 2018, finishing fourth, said. “For far too long, Transcona has been the brunt of jokes in the community. But it’s a beautiful, vibrant community, and we need more decisive, stronger voice willing to work with people to get things done for our city and our area.”

Lipischak’s campaign website highlights crime, homelessness, seniors services, and city streets as priorities. If elected, he said he would work with councillors to maintain services residents have come to expect.

“Our streets, our parks are crumbling,” he said. “We need to take care of the people and things we have. If we don’t, that’s going to crumble. Beauty fades, the city stays.”

Visit steve4transcona.com for more information.

Russ Wyatt

No stranger to longtime residents of the Park City, Russ Wyatt is once again running for city council in Transcona.

“We had a lot of momentum when I was on council, in terms of the ward and new development growth, but also in terms of securing resources out of council for new and important infrastructure projects,” Wyatt, who served on city council from 2002 to 2018, said. “And I sense we’ve lost that momentum.”

During his time on city council, Wyatt noted a number of projects he was able to help bring to the area, including the construction of Transcona Boulevard, the Plessis Underpass, the Transcona Aquatic Park, the expansion of the East End Arena, and the twinning of Plessis.

“The list goes on,” he said.

In 2018, Wyatt chose not to run for council, following a well-publicized battle with alcoholism. That year, he was also charged with sexual assault, though the charges were later stayed and Wyatt maintains his innocence.

“There’s no doubt I hit rock bottom in 2018 and 2019, and I’ve had the help from many people. I’m 52 now, and feel better, healthier than I did at 22,” Wyatt admitted. “Transcona’s always been very loyal to me, and I feel a strong sense of loyalty back.”

If elected, Wyatt promises to push for the completion of the East of Red Rec Plex and the Edward Schreyer Parkway, among other projects.

“Transcona right now is generating more revenue than ever before for the city on an annual basis, with all the new development happening, and we need to get our fair share of dollars coming back into the community, in terms of infrastructure investments,” he said.

Visit russwyatt.ca for more information.

Wally Welechenko

Local entrepreneur Wally Welechenko, 55, is once again running to represent Transcona at city council.

Welechenko ran in 2018, finishing second with 2,345 votes, while Nason won the seat with 5,247 votes. He campaigned on “bringing a business perspective to city council.”

Requests for an interview were not returned by press time. A campaign website was not listed on the City of Winnipeg’s official election page.