Motkaluk believes ability to overcome obstacles gives her mayoral cred

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This article was published 29/09/2022 (775 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A dozen business owners and employees gather around rows of fridges, washers and other household appliances in the back of a sales and repair shop on Selkirk Avenue, as they wait to meet with a woman who wants to be Winnipeg’s next mayor.

After dropping off her purse on a deep-freezer, Jenny Motkaluk introduces herself and asks them what they want from their next municipal leader.

“Before I release my policy and my plans, it’s important for me to know… what’s important to you,” she tells the group.

Some appear skeptical, including a man named Paul, who tells her that politicians “only show up whenever they need (support).”

“When (the) election comes, everybody shows up, like mushrooms, they pop up,” he notes, before declining to share his last name with a reporter.

He and the candidate wind up exchanging contact information just before she leaves.

The scene reflects Motkaluk’s top priority at the start of the 2022 mayoral campaign. After becoming the first registered candidate in May, she promised to ensure Winnipeggers get a chance to know her better this time around, which is why she’s prioritized conversations with residents and groups over policy announcements. She said she’s attended several dozen meetings and events to date.

Raj Singh Sehira, who hosts the meeting at his Masson Appliance Sales shop, welcomes the chance to advocate for a lower business tax.

“Business is not easy now…. We want the City of Winnipeg helping us more,” he says.

Motkaluk says the honest feedback is exactly what she sought.

“Hearing from interested, engaged Winnipeggers… has been incredibly valuable. I’ve got some really great ideas from them. I’ve learned a lot and all of this is being assembled into (future) policy,” she says.

Motkaluk, who was unknown, was the runner-up in the 2018 mayoral race, finishing second to Mayor Brian Bowman, who is not running for re-election. Her last campaign heavily focused on policy pledges. Now, she’s making a greater effort to share her background and her priorities before her promises.

Born in Dauphin, Motkaluk moved to Winnipeg at a young age and spent her early years in a home on Matheson Avenue in the North End. When she was 10, her mother left and her father became a single parent to six kids. The family lost their home in a foreclosure sale soon afterward, she says.

“We had this really beautiful little life and then we became dead-broke,” she says.

The family moved between a few short-term rentals over the following 18 months before settling into a home in Fort Garry. Her dad later remarried, creating a blended family that ultimately grew to include eight children.

Motkaluk says the experience gave her a lot of responsibility at a young age, since she cared for her younger siblings and handled many household chores while her father worked. The tough financial times provided her with a “unique view” on poverty.

“I know from experience that the solution to homelessness (and poverty) is housing, it really is. And, yes, all the other things that people talk about, the wrap-around supports… are a super-good idea, but none of it can (really work) until you have a roof and a door that locks,” she says.

While not revealing a specific pledge, Motkaluk says she believes Winnipeg must make better use of its existing housing stock and buildings to create affordable homes, while better supporting landlords who own such units.

Motkaluk says her own financial challenges extended into her post-secondary life, when student loans didn’t fully cover her molecular biology degree, which she started at McGill University in Montreal and completed at the University of British Columbia. Upon graduating, she received a letter that instructed her to pay outstanding fees to claim her diploma. She displays a framed copy of that letter in her home.

Motkaluk, who turned 50 this year, says she was fortunate to follow that degree with a series of jobs in biotechnology and information technology, eventually creating Cumula Inc., a business development consulting company.

By 2007, she returned to Winnipeg, where she lives with her husband and their 13-year-old daughter in the Wellington Crescent neighbourhood.

“To people who are struggling today… I’m one of the people that have come through that into a successful and happy life. I wish that everyone had the kind of support that I did,” says Motkaluk, who said her close-knit family has aided her success.

Despite being accused of being negative in 2019, especially after calling Winnipeg “turdsville” in a news release about better preventing sewage spills, Motkaluk is confident she can share a positive vision for the city this time around.

However, she won’t shy away from controversy.

In a pair of recent Twitter and Facebook posts, she criticized The Forks for replacing its traditional Canada Day festivities with the “It’s a New Day at The Forks” celebration on July 1. While her comments sparked what she personally describes as a “Twitter-storm” of backlash, Motkaluk says she has “zero regrets” about it.

“What Winnipeggers saw as a result of all that controversy is that I have principles and I know exactly what they are and that I will stand up for them in spite of 1,100 people calling me mean names on Twitter,” she says.

Her original tweet noted: “On July 1st, I will be proudly celebrating Canada’s birthday because I love my country unconditionally. I guess I can’t do that at The Forks because I’ve recently learned that it’s cancelled.”

That drew scathing online replies, with many arguing the comment ignored the mistreatment of Indigenous Canadians and the need for reconciliation. Some attacked Motkaluk personally, calling her racist, hateful and/or ignorant.

The candidate says she’s received hundreds of messages of support thanking her for speaking out, some including campaign donations.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca witter: @joyanne_pursaga