School Trustee candidate for Winnipeg School Division Ward 2
Author: Michael Thompson
Hello,
Thank you for visiting and looking for more information. Our ward needs leadership we can trust and make the improvements. My gifts and talents to improve and move things forward can help you and our amazing ward. If given the opportunity I will cherish every day I get to work for you. Please feel free to reach out to me so we can build our School Division together.
Sincerely
Michael Thompson
Some items may not seem important at the community level but make a huge impact in the lives of fellow community members. Every branch in the city should have a wage parity assessment and set a goal to achieve wage parity in under 7 years.
In Canada, we value fairness and this is an important area for women to feel valued and respected in the work place. If elected, I will fight to improve the lives of women in the City of Winnipeg work place. Let’s be a national leader in this regard.
Thank you for your consideration as your next city councillor for Fort Rouge – East Fort Garry Ward.
For a lot of people during the pandemic the popular choice was to turn to animals. Adoption and purchasing pets saw a major increase. Even before that, many people in Winnipeg owned pets as it’s part of the Canadian dream. When I go door knocking it sounds like every other house someone owns a pet. Pet ownership is a responsibility and as a City we need to address those needs.
In council I would
Work to designate more areas for pet owners.
Move to have a vote again on the breed ban. As well, I’d like to have the individual votes for the specific options asked for by citizens. One of the tricks of politics is to package all bills or options in a super bill. It forces people to vote for all or nothing. Call out this type of bill and truth to power is important. It prevented grown and development in areas everyone wants change.
Work to develop programs in the Recreation and Leisure to help train and coach owners and pets.
Continue to work with the groups working for pets (rescue shelters, Winnipeg Humane Society) for their leadership and input on this issue
Winnipeggers want options and guidelines that work with todays needs and growing pets. The pet industry continues to grow and Winnipeg can become a leader in this.
Consider your choices and realize there is only one person to vote for city councillor for Fort Rouge – East Fort Garry – Michael Thompson
The city of Winnipeg public works budget is an estimated $250 million per year. This ward is one of the most important in the city. The downtown has invested a billion dollars over the past years.
There is a need to improve traffic congestion and construction in our ward. One of the biggest complaints I hear is the lack of coordination between construction and closing of roads. With my support we would see improved construction times. We are a city that will continue to grow and the goal is to have more people travelling downtown.
To do that we need:
Road construction taking place on major streets on nights and weekends. Our construction season is short enough, we need to work to shorten the time roads are closed
Coordinate contracts to when jobs are tendered and when they are started. Space out the work more effectively
Coordinate with other industries when working under the roads as well as on top of the roads
Invest in engineering methods for longer lasting roads and street lines
If you’re tired of the way road construction is done in the ward then vote for me so I can improve things. Vote for Michael Thompson in the early voting. Merci.
No. 4 Station – 150 Osborne St. serves a very important part of the city of Winnipeg. The fire house is one of the busier ones in the city. If you ever get a chance to take a tour of the station you will see that it’s out lived it’s building space long ago. Our first responders need a safe, updated and functional space for the coming decades. Our population and needs continue to grow in this area. Other wards continue to have services and buildings upgraded while one of the largest tax bases in the city is neglected. Vote for me to get things done in the ward. Lives in the ward, works for the ward.
Having a place to take your family, your pets, and yourself is important.
Our ward has some amazing locations – The Forks, the rivers, Memorial Park, Millennium Library Park, dozens of schools, community centres, lots of parks and playgrounds. If you ever get a chance, take your kids to the playgrounds in Wildwood parks. My focus is making sure we utilize the green space for what people need and want for todays activities. Our ward has many new people to Canada so they bring diversity and different interests. My plan would be to review what we have and develop more dog parks, soccer fields and basketball courts. I would also like to add places to play Pickleball, ultimate frisbee and bike polo. Having greenspace in our ward that helps these activities makes us a leader in the city. My dedication to green space is solid. Integrating green space in our city helps people with mental health making our community and city more livable. I will always advocate for green space so vote for me and allow me to work for you. My focus is our ward and you!
Here is a recent email from one of the more active lobby group in the city.
We commend Winnipeg’s City Council for approving key planning documents in May 2022 with the following amendments.
creation of a Master Greenspace and Natural Corridor Plan By-law,
a Biodiversity Policy
acquisition of an additional 1,000 acres of public park land
These forward thinking plans and policies will preserve green space and set guidelines that protect and plan for greenspace for the future.
Progress is being made by the City with budget allocation. Work has started on the Master Greenspace and Natural Corridor Plan and Biodiversity Policy.
We ask for you to continue to support these amendments and ensure they are implemented in a timely manner.
To give citizens an opportunity to learn what all the candidates are saying would you please respond to the following three questions?
Please provide a few lines for our website that could indicate your aspirations, vision, commitment, timeframe, and achievements – what you want to tell the public about these three items.
1. Describe your commitment to ensure the Master Greenspace and Natural Corridors (includes river corridors) Plan By-law and Biodiversity Policy will be completed and implemented in a timely manner?
2. Describe your commitment and time frame to acquire 1000 additional acres of public parkland in the City of Winnipeg while greenspace is still available.
3. Describe your commitment to implement a Biodiversity Policy?
Moving safely in the city is key to a successful city. Public transit and handi-transit are valuable and important to everyone. This is one of the larger issues that many people have asked me about. I understand how important this is because I use transit from time to time to get to work.
Improved routes for the ward
Safety on the buses and bus shacks
Cost of travelling
Protecting consumers from poor handi-transit actors
On average, the city and province cover a deficit of an estimated $70 million each year. How our city chooses to spend these funds is important. It is clear that we can do a much better job in using our resources, providing transit drivers with more support and improving routes.
Currently the city allows children age 11 and under to ride for free as of January 1, 2022.
Improved consumer protections for Handi-Transit riders
One month in 2023 where all riders can ride for $1 loonie.
With your support and vote, your public transit systems can be improved. Please let your neighbours know that I live in the ward and I will work for the ward.
Our city continues to grow and the city services budget is over a billion dollars. I will fight for every dollar to invest and build our ward. This ward has so many amazing features from The Forks, to our rivers, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, RBC Convention Centre (LEED Silver designation), Winnipeg Transit buildings, BDI, Federal Park, boat clubs, Klinic, Crossway Church and the list goes on and on.
Being a resident in the Ward, I am focused on how we can apply the City of Winnipeg budget on to our streets. We spend over $500 million on police, fire fighters and emergency services per year. I will make sure our ward sees that investment in our neighbourhoods.
Here is a link to past budget expenses. I am always open to listen to your thoughts and views on city budgets.
Many of my goals are small but important. Over the coming days, I will add additional planks to my platform to give you an idea of the person I am. Communication is critical for a group to be successful. Our ward is an amazing patch work of communities. My goal would be to create a dashboard that helps members learn about important projects, meetings, deadlines and community involvement.
I have some sad news to share with you. Our dog Gina passed away recently after the election. My partner Jill had gotten her in Halifax from a rescue shelter at around the age of one. Gina may have been abused in that short time frame because she was always scared of laundry.
I was fortunate enough to be with Gina for about 7 years here in Winnipeg. Gina had the energy of a pup and the strength of 3 dogs so she needed daily walks. While I was angry she never wanted a day off from walking, I cherished our time together in the ward. She was my coach and traing partner for the 10k runs in the Manitoba marathons. We trained in all sorts of weather the coldest days and the heat but we shortened our distances and carried water. Our training trail is Wellington Crescent. I have been walking and running that walking path since the 90s. I get a kick out of seeing folks in their fancy gear and we just focus on the joy of running.
Gina suffered under a number of health issues. One was kurshing skin disease. There was no permanent health issues but her skin would always be like that, thats why we always covered her with a shirt or jacket. She was always the bell of the ball, she would always get at least one complement on our walks. We shared that in common, everyone underestimates our ages but not generally at the same time.
Growing up in Amaranth we had 3 dogs. My favourite was Pumpkin, she reminded me a lot of Gina. Organizing the Ironman curling at the Forks, Gina and I would walk the river trail all times of the day before and after the bonspiel. Folks brought up green space time and time again in the campaign. When you walk the river and the ward as I did with Gina, you see there is a huge amount. In addition we drive to Gladstone for family events. It doesn’t take you very long to drive any where and be in the country side. I enjoyed walking Gina in the fields and gravel roads around the family farm.
Walking and campaigning is a lonely job at times, I was very grateful to have Gina with me to campaign in the ward. Living in Osborne Village put us geographically in the centre of the ward, Gina and I walked just about everywhere except Wildwood. Her health towards the end that would just be to much for her, let alone me.
In campaign I am interacting and listening to people’s concerns and comments. One of the important issues for all the communities in the ward is safety and crime that folks are experiencing due to drug addiction.
I take these concerns seriously and have been active in the community. I went on patrol with the West Broadway Bear Clan patrol, a community safety meeting at Lord Roberts and at Gordon Bell high school.
People are frustrated, scared and want to be active in their communities.
I would like to highlight the positives of the groups and the feedback coming out of this groups. These are to work together, being active in our communities and green space. Activities at our community centres and positive role models.
Police recommendation is to report issues either through 911, online or the none emergency phone number. Don’t assume someone reported the issue and continue to make those calls and reports to make issues heard.
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