Update 2: Ridings to Watch: Brandon West

I had prepared this post the week Rick Borotsik made his announcement. I had waited to publish it in the hopes of getting more info. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard any more so here are my thoughts on Rick’s departure. 

His announcement that he won’t be running in the next election caught me by surprised. Even more than the situation in Portage la Prairie, Borotsik’s seat of Brandon West is, I’m sure, one the ridings near the top of the NDP’s target list. Borotsik took the seat away from the NDP and Scott Smith less than 100 votes in 2007.

Given Borotsik’s profile in the region and the seats volatility, this is a big hole to fill for the Tories. Without the incumbency advantage it will be a tough battle for them to keep it.

So far as much as I know the only declared candidate to succeed Borotsik is Terry Jaenen, a local businesswoman "who used to own The Party Professionals and Rental Company."

Other than that I have very little information but certain names I have seen being thrown around are Leanne Rowat, current MLA for Minnedosa and former Brandon Mayor Dave Burgess.

Rowat is currently looking for a new seat to run in given that she lost her seat due to the redistribution. From my very limited understanding of Brandon politics, Brandon expects their MLAs to really be the city’s champion. The fact that Leanne is from the nearby community of Souris and not Brandon proper could potentially hurt her chance in the urban riding of Brandon.

The fact that Burgess just recently loss the mayoral race might hurt his chances as well.  

In terms of running for the NDP, one of the names I have heard is Scott Smith, who held the seat from 1999 to 2007 and sat at the cabinet table.

An article in the Brandon Sun also added these names:

• “Mike Waddell (the eager candidate of record against NDP incumbent Drew Caldwell in Brandon East lives in the RM of Cornwallis anyway, so why not try Brandon West?)

• Murray Blight (the popular Victoria ward city councillor passed on running for mayor for family reasons, so one would think being in Winnipeg for five days a week as an MLA would not be an option.)

• Jim Murray (if the well-known Brandon School Division board of trustees chair ever acts on his purported aspirations to seek higher office, this would be a good time.)

• Ramona Coey (I’m not sure how much political currency the former school trustee has after failing to win a seat on city council. She’s a relentless organizer for the Tories in Brandon West, so she could play a key role behind the scenes for a candidate if she doesn’t attempt a run herself.)”

Update: As you can see in the comment section,  Mike Waddell won't be seeking the nomination in Brandon West but in Brandon East and  Reg Helwer has confirmed that he will be running for the nomination. A quick google search on Helwer finds that he is a " a managing partner with Brandon-based agriculture retailers Shur-Gro Farm Services Ltd." and also a member of the advisory committee to the Rural Development Institute.


Update 2:
Jim Murray current chair of the Brandon School Division announced that he will be seeking the NDP nomination in Brandon West.

2011 Nomination List: Info wanted

I'm trying to find some up to date information on nominations for the next provincial election. If anyone could help fill gaps in my list it would be greatly appreciated. I recognize there are many holes in the list.

Once I get a confirmation that someone is running I will add them to the list. I assume that current NDP members will be announcing their decisions soon. Also I was informed that the Liberals are set to announce a number of candidates soon as well.

Riding	NDP	PC	Liberal
Agassiz
Arthur-Virden
Assiniboia
Brandon East
Brandon West
Burrows
Charleswood		Myrna Driedger (i)*
Concordia
Dauphin
Dawson Trail
Elmwood
Emerson		Cliff Graydon (i)
Flin Flon
Fort Garry-Riverview		Ian Rabb (?)
Fort Richmond
Fort Rouge
Fort Whyte		Hugh McFadyen (i)
Gimli		Jeff Wharton
Interlake		John Zasitko
Kewatinook
Kildonan
Kirkfield Park		Kelly de Groot
La Vérendrye		Dennis Smook
La du Bonnet
Lakeside		Ralph Eichler (i)
Logan
Midland		Blaine Pederson (i)
Minto
Morden-Winkler
Morris
Point Douglas
Portage la Prairie		Ian Wishart
Radisson
Riding Mountain
Riel		Rochelle Squires
River East		Bonnie Mitchelson (i)
River Heights		Marty Morantz	Jon Gerrard (i)
Rossmere
Seine River
Selkirk
Southdale		Judy Eastman
Spruce Woods		Cliff Cullen (i)
St. Boniface
St. James		Scott Gillignham
St. Johns
St. Norbert		Karen Velthuys	Marcel Laurendeau
St. Paul		Ron Schuler (i)
St. Vital
Steinbach		Kelvin Goertzen (i)
Swan River
The Maples		Jose Thomas
The Pas
Thompson
Transcona
Tuxedo		Heather Stefanson (i)
Tyndall Park			Roldan Sevillano Jr
Wolseley

Most of these have been taken from the following list: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Selinger-goes-on-attack-early--104331789.html or from personal knowledge.

If you have names of people running for a nomination please also let me know but I will mostly only update the table once the nomination has been confirmed.

Also does anyone know if Ian Rabb has been confirmed the candidate yet?

*(i) stands for incumbent

 

It's Manitoba Time or a redux of Miller Time circa 1983

 Really… that’s the new slogan… that’s supposed to convince people to come to Manitoba…

As Martin Cash in the Free Press points out, tourism is a big part of Manitoba’s economy and we need to market ourselves.

Unfortunately this slogan is woefully inadequate and quite frankly doesn’t point to anything original or Manitoban. As Cash points out Saskatchewan's slogan is "Land of the Living Skies," B.C.'s is "Supernatural B.C." and P.E.I.’s is "Gentle Island."

There’s nothing connected to Manitoba in this new slogan. All that comes to mind is bad American beer and a bad fashion trend started by a 1990s pop song.

When I told this to my friends in Toronto, the slogan was predictably met with laughter and more jokes about home and didn't inspire anyone to book tickets to Winnipeg for their spring break.

Maybe we can save a few bucks and just re-tweak this old commercial...

Hockey and Politics

Combining two of my biggest passions... hockey and politics



I'm not exactly sure how to react to this video....

His facial expressions seem to indicate he is genuinely excited about the game, but he also comes off as an over excited 13 year old.

Sports and politics often do mix with great success but other times it comes off as a cheesy attempt to appear like the "average joe".

This video seems to be a bit of both... His body language seems to indicate he is genuinely interested in the game but the message seems too political.

One line that I found especially political was the "here's what we are doing to help we're making Buffalo an honorary Ontario city" line, as if to say that the Ontario government has to be involved in this somehow.

The fact that there is little to know mention of the players also seems like a glaring omission. It seems like the video was seen more as an opportunity to showcase McGuinty than the tournament.

In combining sports and politics, both Doer and Harper, both pulled it off with success. Doer with the Bombers and Harper with hockey but I don't think McGuinty has mastered it in this video.