Winnipeg mayoral candidates intensify campaigning as voters weigh taxes, services and who really benefits
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On the eve of Winnipeg’s election, incumbent mayor Scott Gillingham and his challengers crisscrossed the city pitching sharply different visions on taxes, recreation and infrastructure, as voters prepare to decide who will shape the city next.
Incumbent mayor Scott Gillingham spent Tuesday moving through all 15 Winnipeg wards in a last-minute attempt to sell voters on his record, leaning heavily on his experience and his partnerships with senior levels of government and Indigenous governments. He argued that a proposed 3.5% property-tax increase for next year would simply preserve current service levels and finance growth-related investments, while promising to restrain future hikes to roughly three-quarters of a percentage point above inflation.
Challenger Kevin Klein warned that vote-splitting could hand victory to the status quo and pushed supporters to rally behind his campaign alone. He attacked Gillingham’s tax record, pointing to a 5.95% increase in 2025, and underscored delays on the East of the Red RecPlex project, saying he would push to begin construction before the end of a four-year term. Klein also unveiled a change in recreation-program pricing, replacing flat-rate senior discounts with income-based rates and adding discounts for low-income youth, with a detailed implementation plan promised within three months of election day.
Other candidates remained on the trail as well. Mike Vogiatzakis and Noah Redden, tied for third in the latest poll, met with volunteers and constituents. Vogiatzakis thanked his volunteers, while Redden pointed to the surge of attention after his poll result and hosted a meet-and-greet at Old Market Square. Don Woodstock released a costed platform that promises no property-tax increase by cutting external engineering contracts, recycling road materials and freezing water and sewer rates. Umar Hayat pledged to restore St. Boniface Cathedral through heritage grants and community partnerships. Election day is set for Wednesday.