Mayoral candidate Motkaluk talks crime, criticizes incumbent at campaign rally

Mayoral candidate Jenny Motkalukspoke about public safety and criticized Winnipeg's image-conscious incumbent at a Monday-night campaign rally intended to motivate her supporters.

Precisely one month before Winnipeg votes,Motkaluksupporters gathered at the Canad Inns Hotel in Polo Park to hear the business-development consultant recite her primary campaign theme Winnipeg needs to be saferandcast shade at mayor Brian Bowman's leadership skills.

"There are people in this room, myself included, who grew up in a Winnipeg where we didn't lock our doors at night," she said, suggesting Bowman is not doing enough to improve public safety.

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"We've all heard the stories of a Winnipeg where leaving your belongingsin acar outside your house wasn't an invitation to vandalism and violence."

Motkalukalso said Folklorama's potential as a multicultural festival "can't be fully realized" until tourists and new Canadians feel safe on Winnipeg's streets.

"Brian Bowman sees Folkorama as nothing more than 43 photo ops," she quipped during a short address that did not include any new campaugnpromises.

Motkaluk was introduced by her husband Trevor Sprague, her friend and former River Heights PC candidate Tracey Maconachieand North KildonanCoun. Jeff Browaty, who also poked fun at Bowman's image.

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"Do you want a mayor that is more concerned with selfies than snow-clearing?" Browaty asked the crowd of about 125 people, whose ranks included developer Eric Vogan, former St. Norbert councillor Justin Swandel, former mayoral candidate Peter Kaufmann and anti-speed-enforcement activist Todd Dube.

Motkalukspokesperson David MacKayinsisted afterward 256 people signed in to the event.

Bowman pledges to disclose bureaucrat travel expenses

Incumbent mayor Brian Bowman made one new campaign pledge on Monday, promising to disclose travel expenses for city department heads and other senior members of Winnipeg's public service.

In a statement, the mayor said the city will proactively disclosetravel dates and destinations for senior staff as well as thecosts incurred for airfare, food, hotel rooms, taxis and other expenses.

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"We have a right to know to who's traveling on our dime, how much it costs, and expenses of this nature should always be publicly defensible and accessible," Bowman said in the statement.

Three mayoral candidates snub debate

Only five of Winnipeg's mayoral candidates attended the second all-candidates forum of the election season.

Motkaluk, Bowman, police officer Tim Diack, former transit driver Don Woodstock and self-described entrepreneur UmarHayattook part in a CityNews debate that was taped on Monday morning and aired over the supper hour.

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Filmmaker Ed Ackerman, self-described engineer VenkatMachiraju and musician Doug Wilson did not take part. CityNews said Ackerman did not respond to its invitation and both Machiraju and Wilson failed to show up at the studio.

Three more debates involving the candidates are slated for this week.