CBC.ca reports this evening that, “Voters have elected Sam Katz to his third term as Winnipeg’s mayor. …After taking an early lead in the vote count, (challenger Judy) Wasylycia-Leis began to fall behind and finally conceded just after 9 p.m. when the differential was more than 20,000.”
“With crime making headlines in Winnipeg of late, Katz’s win suggests voters agreed with his plans to hire 58 new police officers and deploy some of them to a unit to battle street gang activity and increase foot patrols in high-crime areas. Early in his campaign, Katz secured an endorsement from the Winnipeg Police Association, the union that collectively bargains for rank-and-file officers on the Winnipeg Police Service.”
The Winnipeg Sun reported yesterday that, “It’s unlikely any election has ever featured more use of the word ‘Veolia’ than Winnipeg’s 2010 race. Wasylycia-Leis has been constantly hammering on what she considers the company’s ’secret’ wastewater deal with the city and holds it up as the prime example of ‘a culture of secrecy at city hall.’ Katz has consistently said the contract is no different from others in that many details need to remain out of public view to protect the company’s proprietary information.”
Katz backs the secret 30-year, $1.2 billion deal signed by the City of Winnipeg and Veolia. With the contract, the corporation will design, build and help manage $661 million in upgrades to two wastewater plants. No one on city council has seen the contract, which was drafted by city hall’s legal staff.
The CBC report is at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/manitobacivicvotes2010/story/2010/10/27/man-votes-katz-wins.html.
