3 candidates vying for council in Winnipeg's St. James ward

Sean Dobson's running in his seventh straight city council race. He spent four years as a councillor for St. Charles before that ward was dissolved. He spent the past four as councillor for St. James. I enjoy running. I think I'm doing a good service for the residents of St. James. Dobson says he's proud of his record of improving parks and open spaces. He's also excited about the pending residential development in the Centreport lands north of Saskatchewan Avenue. He says it'll provide more housing. This is for all the people in St. James. they're going to be able to live in St. James. Incumbency normally confers a tremendous advantage on candidates thanks to the name recognition alone. But here in St. James, Sean Dobson is facing two very organized challengers. Kelly Ryback came within 1,200 votes of winning St. James four years ago. The retired Bell MTS manager says the city isn't coordinating with other governments on homelessness, addictions and crime. He also says it should not have overhauled Winnipeg transit routes and doesn't make wise decisions. It starts from the mayor all right down to the front line worker. We need to get more value, get more things done. And it doesn't mean spending money. It means performance. Tyler Crichton is also an IT manager. He too questions city decision making, but has a different philosophical perspective. He's endorsed by Winnipeg's Transit Union, Firefighter Union, and the Winnipeg Labour Council. We've seen our city services continually to decrease, and our funding is getting stretched thinner and thinner. So there's not much left to cut and find in the book. So it's going to come down to prioritizing and what we want to see for the city. Creighton says he too is concerned about homelessness and wants to reduce speed limits on Ness Avenue. Dobson encounters his challengers live outside the ward, but they do have close connections to St. James. Ryback pointed out his childhood home. This was a brand new neighborhood. We moved in in 1967. Creighton showed off his lifelong hangout at Sturgeon Creek. I fished here. I rode my bike here. I hung out with my friends here. All three candidates have less than two weeks to float their campaign ideas. Election Day is October 28th. Bartley Kivas, CBC News, Winnipeg.