Brian Bowman gives final address as Winnipeg mayor

Wednesday marked Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman’s final state of the city address after he announced he would not be seeking re-election in October.

Bowman addressed nearly 900 people at the RBC Convention Centre, reflecting upon his time in office.

“Eight years in office has been incredibly rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for anything because I think we have been able to make positive change in the community,” said Bowman.

“There are challenges with being a municipal leader, but there is also tremendous opportunity to bring people together, and to work collaboratively, with not only other levels of government but also members in the community.”

In his final months as the city’s 43rd Mayor, Bowman says he will continue to push for an additional $1 billion in funding for Winnipeg transit and the second phase of the North End Sewage Treatment Plant.

He says it could be done before he leaves office, but if not, he will be pushing the next Mayor to prioritize the project. Bowman was asked if he would endorse any candidates to replace him. He says he wouldn’t rule anything out and is encouraged by the number of candidates that have already thrown their hats in the ring.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the campaign commitments role out and seeing how the candidates conduct themselves during the campaign and just encourage Winnipeggers to get involved and be active in this.”

Currently, there are ten registered candidates in the mayoral election. The list includes Jennifer Motkaluk, Scott Gillingham, Robert-Falcon Ouellette, and former Manitoba Liberal leader Rana Bokhari. Families Minister Rochelle Squires, who considered running, has officially bowed out of the race.

“We have a lot of reasonably high-profile candidates this year, at least people with name recognition, so I think it will be an interesting campaign,” said Aaron Moore, Political Science Professor, University of Winnipeg

Aaron Moore from the U of W says Gillingham appears to be the early frontrunner to become the city’s 44th mayor… with councillors Jeff Browaty, Markus Chambers and Candice Lukes all endorsing him.

“I think the field is fairly wide-open right now. I think Gillingham has the edge right now, but I don’t think it’s enough to make him Mayor and it remains to be seen if anyone else enters the race at this point,” added Moore.

As for Bowman’s future in politics?

“I guess you never say never, but I have no plans to run for provincial or federal politics.”