Manitoba Votes In-House

Municipal elections in Manitoba today, to vote for mayors, school trustees and other folks that are part of the machinery that governs cities.

Other Canadian provinces like British Columbia and Ontario have done their municipal elections. Prince Edward Island will go to the polls in November. We must walk to voting venues to do our civic duty, choose the best from what is available. We can’t complain and say all candidates are not worthy because we didn’t join the race. You want to change things, run for office.

Why Vote in Local Elections?

It’s where the action is, what concerns us the most like public transport, summer construction all over the place, money for libraries, snow removal, COVID-19 and schools, over-crowded hospitals because of the virus, garbage collection, everything.

Unfortunately, voters prefer the photo shoot (Prime Ministers and Presidents). We know more about them than city mayors, unless they cut ribbons somewhere officially opening a building. What we overlook is that municipal elections are big business.

Construction, trucking, electrical, internet cables, building maintenance, security or snow removal companies vote to secure existing contracts and win future ones. That’s why they need people at City Hall who understand their business. Yes, it’s done democratically. There’s a bid and the best company with the right price wins, but there’s no bid on human nature, that signs the contract.

Schools teach all three levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal but that information should be built into day to day education. Recycling for example. Awareness is on-going 24/7. You see it on bus shelters, on the bus, billboards and online.

Federal elections have a higher voter turnout because we know more about Pierre Trudeau and Joe Biden, than why traffic lights are constantly not working at a particular intersection.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.