The owner of a couple of outdoor gear stores hopes to blaze a trail to the mayor’s office.
Rick Shone, who runs Wilderness Supply stores in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, registered Monday to run for mayor of Manitoba’s capital.
Shone, 45, has never run for office before and says he is not affiliated with any political party. He said he has been contemplating a run for mayor of Winnipeg since 2017.
While the pandemic has put those plans on the back burner — demand for canoes, kayaks and camping gear spiked as Canadians were unable to travel outside the country — Shone said he plans to step out of his business, which employs 30 people, to mount a campaign to become the 44th Mayor of Winnipeg.
“I want to build a city that people are proud to live in,” Shone said Monday at his Winnipeg store after registering his campaign.
“A lot of times I travel around the country and even the world and meet people in random places and we like to bug Winnipeg for various reasons. Sometimes it’s in jest, but it really bugs me a lot.”
Shone did not disclose any campaign priorities or make any political promises on Monday. He said that when he makes promises, he will aim higher than committing to shovel snow and fill potholes.
“These are functions of the city. We need to get it right, but we want to create a city that has opportunities for everyone. We want to create a city that people can feel comfortable living in.” [with an] affordable lifestyle, great quality of life.”
Three of the last four Winnipeg mayors entered office with no political experience. Susan Thompson and Sam Katz were business owners, while Brian Bowman, the outgoing mayor, was a privacy attorney.
Shone said he will not make the outside candidate mistake of offering simple solutions to complex problems facing the city of Winnipeg.
“I’m just a business owner,” he said. “I like to think that I run my business with integrity, competence and fairness and a great understanding of what service means to people. And that’s the kind of thing I plan to bring to our town hall.”
A total of five mayoral candidates have registered their campaigns. The move that allows them to raise and spend money according to the election rules of the city.
St James County. Scott Gillingham posted his campaign on Monday afternoon.
He also refrained from revealing any campaign promises, opting instead to tout his skills as a diplomat who can work with other politicians.
“As we come out of COVID and as we look forward, we need to come together, we need to come together and I think I’m the kind of person who can work with stakeholders, council colleagues [and] other levels of government,” he said.
Business consultant Jenny Motkaluk, who finished second in the 2018 mayoral race, registered on Sunday. So did security company owner Don Woodstock, who finished fourth in 2018, and Chris Clacio, who registered to run for mayor in 2018 but did not complete the nomination process.
More candidates are expected.
Former Winnipeg Center Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette said on Twitter that he intends to register his campaign for mayor on Tuesday. Ouellette finished third in the 2014 Winnipeg mayoral race.
The company’s owner, Shaun Loney, plans to register on Wednesday.
River Heights-Fort Garry County. John Orlikow has declared his candidacy for mayor, but said he doesn’t expect to register for several more weeks.
Reference-www.cbc.ca