‘Looking forward to the future’: Outgoing Winnipeg councillors bid farewell to chambers at final meeting
Posted September 25, 2026 8:51 am.
There were a lot of bittersweet emotions at the last meeting before the municipal election, as every third councillor bid farewell to the chambers Thursday.
“Yeah, it’s an emotional… You sit there and you think, this has been a long run for everybody,” said St. Vital councillor Brian Mayes.
Mayes says the Transit Plus debate brought him to council for the last time, as he wanted to see this motion summed up. Mayes reflected on his past 15 years and left a message for those running in the election.
“If I could put anything forward, yeah: read the reports and work-life balance,” he said.
St. Norbert-Seine River councillor Markus Chambers was on council for the past eight years. He says a lot of residents in his ward reached out with gratitude when he announced he would not be seeking re-election.
“I’m extremely humbled by that,” Chambers said. “Extremely happy and proud of the work that I’ve done with residents in the ward. And again, looking forward to the future with my family.”
Waverley West councillor Janice Lukes has been on council for the past 12 years. Lukes called Thursday’s meeting bittersweet, as she will miss her colleagues and constituents.
“For me, I’m actually excited,” Luke said. “I’m glad that this is the last council meeting, because I have made the decision to move on.”
Christopher Adams, a political scientist at the University of Manitoba, says with so many vacant wards in the city, he’s expecting to see a higher turnout in this election.
“And we know in the United States when you look at national politics, there’s a lot of old, old people there. So it’s probably a good thing that city council gets some new blood every now and then,” Adams said.
Adams says among challenges with transit, homelessness, and addictions, the new council will have to deal with workplace culture issues that were raised by outgoing councillors Sherri Rollins and Mayes.
“That would be something that needs to be addressed,” said Adams. “Not all the councillors who’ve stepped aside from politics, not all of them have said that, but a couple have talked about that.”
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham acknowledged there will be a “learning curve for new council members,” but he said “it’s exciting to have new ideas and new opportunities.”
Councillor John Orlikow will also not be seeking re-election.
