Voters say they’re seeking someone ‘that’s caring about the area’ in coming years
Words and photos by Graham Walker
St. James is nestled between the west and north arms of the city limits. It contains CentrePort Canada and the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport on its western side and down to the Assiniboine River on its south.
Residential neighbourhoods lay in-between and an abundance of amenities exist for people there.
The ward is essentially a small city within Winnipeg with industrial, commercial, residential and recreational assets.
According to 2021 Statistics Canada Census data, St. James is home to about 48,220 residents with slightly more women than men proportionally. It is predominately English speaking but with growing Filipino and Punjabi communities. It is a mature ward, with some residents claiming they seldom leave it in daily life, and others reporting they have settled and will never move.
The 2022 election saw Shawn Dobson win the seat from four challengers after Scott Gillingham vacated the seat to run for and become mayor. Kelly Ryback finished second and has returned for the 2026 race. He is joined by Tyler Crichton as the competitors this election cycle.
Many residents, particularly during the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce debate held Sept. 28 expressed dissatisfaction with the incumbent. They cited his lack of presence in the community, inaccessibility to constituents and disconnection from his duties of office. It’s made challengers Kelly Ryback and Tyler Crichton appear competitive choices.
Everly Stokes, 18, kitchen assistant at a local nursing home
Has always lived in St. James with her parents.
What’s life like in the ward?
I would say good. I live by the Tims on St. James, and I would say it’s a relatively safe area for me. I live in a very quiet area. There are a lot of spots around, like the Dollar Store. There are restaurants in the area. I’ve never had any problems. Lots of amenities. Lots of medical clinics. It’s great. Good area.
What are some local needs that you notice?
Potholes has definitely been an issue. Our neighbourhood, it’s never been like it doesn’t get fixed or anything, but we have this pothole that’s been out on the outskirts of our square. It took about two or three months to get done, and it was small. It just took them so long.
What’s your take on the Oct. 28 election?
No clue. Not my parents either. I have no idea about anything about it. Just living the dream and having the good life.
Tony Siwicki, 50 years old, restaurateur
Has lived in St. James his entire life.
What’s life like in the ward?
It just feels like everything and everybody feels comfortable with each other and trusts each other here. You go up and down every single little street; they’re just clean. There’s very rarely any crime … I’ve got a really good taste of it in the last six years. I’ve always known it, but I’ve had more of a taste as community, really tight-knit community.
What are some local needs that you notice?
A bus right here. Transit obviously has issues late at night but it’s driven by my staff at the end of day, at midnight. They can’t really get a bus, and we’re open until two o’clock in the morning. I’m constantly giving out cab chits, Uber chits, or the bus takes forever. They have to get home or take two different buses to get home.
What’s your take on the Oct. 28 election?
I just want the right person. I’d like the two that I think are important right now, Kevin Klein and (Scott) Gillingham, to focus less on the other guy and more focus more on what you plan on doing. I think I should call both and tell ‘em to get on with what they’re gonna do.
Stacey Abramson, 46, art teacher.
Abramson has lived in St. James her entire life.
What’s life like in the ward?
I’m happy with it. I feel like St. James is still a little bit conservative, which is not really my jam. But I feel like there are young families and diverse families that aren’t all white people, which has been what St. James has been for a while. We have Woodhaven, we have lots of beautiful spaces to raise a family in.
What are some local needs that you notice?
Not so much for St. James, but for the city, I think it’s to address the unhoused crisis. It’s an epidemic. We’re not taking care of everybody in our city. We’re not taking care of the people who are most vulnerable. We’re not really addressing the lack of affordable housing. That is such a huge issue.
What’s your take on the Oct. 28 election?
So I’m hoping it’s a turnaround for St. James in terms of just people caring, like somebody in City hall that’s caring about the area. Because I don’t think Shawn Dobson’s done any kind of job in his position at all.
Heather Carson, 37, elementary school teacher
She has lived in St. James for eight years.
What’s life like in the ward?
I grew up in River Heights, and (coming here) was a bit of a stretch for me. I wanted to live in River Heights, but got lucky with the house here, and it has been a fantastic move. We’re very happy in the area. It’s very accessible. Like there’s not a lot of reason for us to leave if we don’t have to.
What are some local needs that you notice?
The garden is our thing. I don’t know how many people even know about this area, and it’s a beautiful community here. They have potlucks, they have plant swaps … But most of our trash is food waste. Eggshells, coffee grounds. I bet we would be down to maybe a (garbage) bag a week if there was composting.
What’s your take on the Oct. 28 election?
We’ve been talking now for two weeks about how we need to educate ourselves on what the platforms are that everyone’s running … We’ve talked a lot about it, and we both feel pretty strongly about being informed and making sure that we’re making a decision with all the facts. Especially with all that we know about what’s happening with climate change.
Irene Bennink, 51, contractor in the IT industry
She has lived in St. James for 30 years.
What’s life like in the ward?
I love it here. Love it. I love it because of the trees and everything, but I just didn’t think about fall. We’re right by the river yet high enough that we don’t have to worry about it flooding, and so it’s perfect. Almost perfect, except for when the Airbnb here has crazy visitors.
What are some local needs that you notice?
Better bylaws. Probably the only thing that really ticks me off is the fact that we have this bed and breakfast beside us. It can be extremely noisy. At times we have police here left and right, and it’s really not pleasant sometimes … There’s some real wild parties that happen here, screaming at four o’clock in the morning. There’s no zoning issue to have an Airbnb.
What’s your take on the Oct. 28 election?
I really haven’t been following it that closely. I’ve been watching the mayoral race a little bit. It’s nice to see that we have some more people running. But I really don’t pay that close attention to it. Probably because we don’t have any major problems.
Gordon McNeil, 81, retired
He has lived in St. James for 52 years.
What’s life like in the ward?
I’ve seen a lot coming and going over the years. It’s a fairly good district as far as getting things done … We live on a school road, so they plow this street pretty regularly, so we don’t have any trouble getting out in the wintertime; repave pretty much all the streets. It’s good.
What are some local needs that you notice?
A few more cops. We do have the odd issue with people canoeing up and going into people’s yards. Not this year so much, but when (the water’s) been lower, guys have lost stuff out of their backyards.
What’s your take on the Oct. 28 election?
There’re a lot of new guys running that really are a waste of time. They spread a lot of BS. Stuff they’re going to do for this and that, their own little whatever they think they’re going to be doing, but not an easy job.
For information on how to vote and where, head to the official City of Winnipeg election website.
The staff of Winnipeg Better can be reached by email at jmajorrrc@gmail.com