Building Kenaston up instead of out, more town halls among proposals from Charleswood-Tuxedo candidates

From double-decking Kenaston Boulevard to holding more town halls with residents, the four candidates running in Winnipeg's Charleswood-Tuxedoward differ in their approaches to taming traffic and congestion on Route 90.

Bottlenecking and gridlock are common along the major thoroughfare, which runs past big box stores and residential areas from the St. James Bridge to Taylor Avenue.

The city is now studying completely redesigning Route 90 toadd more green space, build bike lanes, make sidewalks more accessible and, perhaps most significantly, add two more lanes of traffic.

It's possible any councillor elected on Oct. 24 will be voting on the design and alignment of the roadway in the next four years. Based on the current timeline, council may be able to review cityrecommendationsas early as this winter.

A non-issue for Nichols

Generally, the city says roadways should be at least six lanes if they see 35,000 or more vehicles per day. The St. James Bridgealone sees 79,000.

Still, for council candidate Kevin Nichols, the Kenaston widening project is a non-issue this election.

"Everyone knows it needs to be widened but there's no real, I'll say, concern," said Nichols.

AJune2018 Probe Research poll,commissioned by the consulting firmWSP, suggests the Route 90 project is a top priority for 69 per cent of Tuxedo and South Winnipeg residents. The poll hada margin of error of plus or minus 5.39 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

People accept that the project is going aheadsooner or later, Nichols said, and amore pressing issue is accountability at city hall.

Nichols, who works for the City of Winnipeg as a safety technician, said he is running on a promise to hold "people accountable" at city hall although he wouldn't say who he would hold accountable,or for what.

"I can't really say. I do know but if I don't win the election I do need a job afterwards. I can't point fingers at any specific thing," he said.

Nichols has previouslyrunfor a council seat,and has also run bothprovincially and federallyfor the Green Party.

Build up, not out, says candidate

Ken St. George, a nurse who works in community health, says the widening project should be changed to adoubling project.

The Charleswood-Tuxedo candidate wants to preserve the Manitoba Youth Centre, along with green space near Route 90, by building upinstead of out.

Last month, River Heights-Fort Garry Coun. John Orlikow said the Manitoba government was willing to consider closing all or part of the Manitoba Youth Centre so that the city could use the land for theKenaston expansion.

"One of my proposals ... is to look way ahead into the future and possibly double-deck a portion of Kenaston rather than widening." Building a second level to Kenaston, rather than widening it, wouldreduce expropriation,he said.

"But we need the funding to do so."

St. Georgeisoptimistic aboutplans to develop an urban reserve and economic development zone in the area.

"I've seen some of the dark shadows of our city. I've seen some of the social issues," he said.

Aside from running for council and working full-time, St. George is working with the Main Street Project to establish a transitional home for vulnerable people that he calls Albert House,to be directed by nurses.

More open forums, says Klein

Fellow Charleswood-Tuxedo candidateKevin Kleinsaid the Route 90project, which he supports, needs to be communicated clearly to the publicwork he sees Winnipeg could improve on.

The City of Winnipeg hasa website to chart the progress of Kenastonwidening. Currently the team is working on incorporating public feedback into the roadway's redesign said Ken Allen, a spokesperson for the city, on Friday.

But Klein says a website is not enough.

He promises to hold at least two town halls a year so people in Charleswood-Tuxedocan hear about developments of all kinds in the ward, including the development of the Kapyong Barracks just west of Kenaston into an urban reserve and economic development zone.

"We should start now having open discussions about what's planned for Kapyong because there are some fears. Everyone's afraid of a casino, they're afraid of certain things going there," he said.

"The important piece is keeping everyone informed."

The former publisher and CEO of the Winnipeg Sunpromises to go"back to basics" if elected. Klein's vision includes a reinvestment in community centres,a more transparent budget process and more partnerships with private businesses.

Former councillor attempts comeback

For Grant Nordman, a former councillor who represented part of the ward for eight years until 2014, Brian Bowman's leadership as mayor has been abysmal.

"There's an old song,AThree Dressed Up As A Nine," he said. "I like Brian Bowman, he's a nice young man but I don't think he was in any way, shape or form ready to be the mayor."

The candidate said Bowman's push to openPortage and Main to pedestrians made him doubt Bowman'scapacity as a leader.

Nordmanalso said it is a shame no expressways were ever built in Winnipeg in the 1960s.

As for Kenaston, he wants to see it widened "as soon as possible" and is looking forward to an Indigenous-led economic improvement zone at the former Kapyong site.

"I know the one in Saskatoon has a gas station, it's got a dry cleaners, it's got a travel agent. There's a mini mall," he said.

"You talk to municipal leaders in Saskatoon, they can't speak highly enough about it."

If elected, Nordmanpromises to expand his battery recycling program, called Batbox, citywide.

More CBC Manitoba election ward profiles:

• Daniel McIntyre
• Elmwood-East Kildonan
• Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry
• Mynarski
• North Kildonan
• Old Kildonan
• Point Douglas
• River Heights-Fort Garry
• St. Boniface
• St. James
• St. Norbert-Seine River
• St. Vital
• Transcona
• Waverley West