By Joanne Mack
Some Transcona residents say they are concerned about healthcare for seniors, social welfare, and crime. The last election in 2019 was a close race with the New Democratic Party of Manitoba beating the Progressive Conservatives by a very slim margin — 119 votes.
Nello Altomare, the NDP incumbent is running to be re-elected on Oct. 3.
The population of the Transcona ward is 22,925. The larger parks in this region are Transcona Trail Park, Transcona Centennial Park, and Millennium Park. The malls and larger shopping plazas are Kildonan Place, Crossroads Station Shopping Centre, and Regent Corner Shopping Centre.
Many houses are two-to-three stories high with bigger yards. A visit to the riding shows there is a lot of construction work being done — many roads that need repair are getting worked on before winter.
The Candidates
- Nello Altomare is the incumbent and was first elected in 2019. He was a teacher and administrator in a Winnipeg school before he ran for the New Democratic Party of Manitoba.
- Arthur Bloomfield is running for the Manitoba Liberal Party.
- Titi Tijani is running for Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party.
2019 Election Results:
- Nello Altomare, NDP, 4,030 votes with 46.01 per cent of votes casted.
- Blair Yakimoski, PC, 3,918 votes with 44.73 per cent of votes casted.
- Dylan Bekkering, Lib, 734 votes with 8.38 per cent of votes casted.
Transcona by the numbers
Marital Status:
- 8,760 people are married and 2,105 people are living on common law.
Income:
- The median total income in the Transcona Riding is $88,000.
- Men over 18 have a median of $50,8000
- Women has a median of $38,400
Home Ownership:
- 7,320 who own a home, and 1,705 who rent.
- The median value for dwellings is $300,000 with the average number of rooms being 6.2.
Indigenous Peoples
- 595 who identify as First Nation
- 215 as Cree, 270 as Ojibway
- 110 as North American Indigenous.
Languages:
- 20,620 English
- 135 French
- 1,690 non-official languages
- 1,690 Non-Indigenous Languages
All statistics were found on the Elections Manitoba website.
Voter Viewpoints
Voters in the Transcona ward explain what they want provincial politicians to talk about and work to change.
Glen Ushy, a retired man in his 70s who’s been living in Transcona for 48 years:
“I like the neighborhood, there is lots of access to shopping centres. I would like to see an improvement in boulevard cutting. In Manitoba, I would like to see an improvement with road repair work. To get my vote, they need to be talking more about health care.”
David and Emily Hewitt, 70s, are a retired couple that has been living in the riding for 56 years:
“Quiet, it’s a very quiet neighborhood,” said Emily. “Roads, our road especially, needs to be improved. Tourism. There should be more done for tourism. They do little for what they talk about. Seniors. What can they do for seniors? There hasn’t been raises given out in a while, and the cost of living is going up,” said David.
Trevor James, a software engineer in his 50s who has been living in the riding for 22 years.:
“I like how small it is. An improvement would be a little less crime and to get social programs reinstated, they would help those who need the help. Getting social programs reinstated is what really matters to me.”
Ashly Roach a schoolteacher in her 30s who has been living in the constituency for three years:
“I like how quiet it is, there are great amenities. There are great homes, I can’t think of any improvements off the top of my head. There are lots of things I want to improve in Manitoba, but I can’t think of one on top of my head. It’s important to me that they make sure that we include everybody, that everyone has a voice, and everyone is being heard, that’s the whole point of democracy.”
Nickey Dannonneau is retired and in her 50s who has been living in Transcona for 32 years:
“It is nice here. The home taxes are low. I raised my kids here. An improvement would be better healthcare. There needs to be more walk-in clinics. Manitoba needs better healthcare. Again, with healthcare. The roads are terrible, especially down my street. It desperately needs to be fixed.”