Council candidate upset over late invite

A Winnipeg city council hopeful claims she almost missed Monday evening's all-candidate debate because organizers didn't invite her until the last minute.

Jenny Motkaluk, who is one of six candidates running the city's Mynarski ward, said she was out canvassing when her campaign team picked her up and rushed her to the debate after receiving a short-notice invite.

"I was out knocking on doors in another part of the ward and some members of my campaign team caught up to me to advise me that we had just received a last-minute invitation to participate in [the] event," said Motkaluk.

Organizers of the forum held at Norquay School insist Motkaluk andthe other five candidateshad been invited earlier, but she didn't respond.

The only candidate to not show up at last night's debate was John Petrinka.

The race to represent the ward is open for a new candidate after Harry Lazarenko, who has held the Mynarski seat for 30 years, announced he will not be running in the next election.

Lazarenko is recovering from a brain aneurysm he suffered in May of this year.

Besides Motkaluk, candidates include Ross Eadie, Greg Littlejohn, Trevor Mueller, John Petrinka, and David Polsky.