Turtle Mountain NDP candidate running for council

Despite being nominated as the Turtle Mountain NDP candidate, Rick Pauls has registered to run for re-election as a municipal councillor on Oct. 28.

Pauls officially became a candidate for councillor in Killarney-Turtle Mountain after the withdrawal period ended on Wednesday.

Even though Section 53(2) of Manitoba’s Elections Act bars Pauls from being a candidate in the next provincial election if he holds municipal office, Pauls said he believes he can take a leave of absence from council and still run for the NDP provincially.

“You only have to step down if you win provincially,” Pauls told the Sun on Thursday, saying a municipal official gave him that information.

“I’m going to go for the local, and then I’ll be running provincially here when they call the election,” he said.

Elections Manitoba spokesperson Mike Ambrose said that if the fixed election on Oct. 5, 2027 takes place, a candidate would have no later than Sept. 13, 2027, to resign from council in order to be eligible to run in that election.

“A member of a council of a municipality cannot be nominated as a candidate under The Elections Act,” Ambrose said in an email.

If Premier Wab Kinew calls an early election, Pauls would have no more than 15 days before the snap election to resign from council, Ambrose said.

Pauls, who is an incumbent councillor and previously served as mayor for more than a decade, is one of 11 councillor candidates running for six seats.

Pauls said he is running in Killarney-Turtle Mountain despite his provincial commitment because “I still want to serve my community, if my community chooses to have me serve for them.”

Pauls refused to answer followup questions on Thursday, saying “It must be a very slow news day.”

The NDP in March nominated Pauls as the party’s candidate for the next provincial election, while the Progressive Conservatives nominated Two Borders Coun. Mark Custance as its candidate in July. Custance is not seeking re-election in his municipality.

Custance in an interview on Thursday said the issue is not so much about Pauls only serving a roughly 10-month term on council if he is elected, but that his replacement, who would need to be elected in a byelection, would be 10 months behind on municipal issues.

“I’d rather see someone step forward and not disrupt, you know, kind of the electoral process,” Custance said.

“If they’re relatively new to politics, they’re not going to get those same opportunities that the other councillors got in their first 10 months,” he said. That includes onboarding, and sessions typically done by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.

Custance said he decided not to run for council next month because it would disrupt his municipality’s process and include an added cost to hold a byelection, which includes hiring elections officials, finding a location for the vote and spending taxpayer money.

He said it’s still possible to participate in local politics without being on council, including participating on local boards.

For himself, Custance said he will remain on boards that aren’t tied to council for as long as he can “meaningfully participate.”

Custance, however, added that there can be some benefit to an experienced candidate, like Pauls, running for municipal office, as he has an understanding of local politics and the issues in the area.

In the municipal race in Killarney-Turtle Mountain, Pauls faces fellow incumbent Jaret Box, along with Laurie Campbell, Katherine Carlisle, Julie Dyck, Tim Freeman, Aaron King, Kyle Neufeld, Phil Neufeld, Matthew Nichol and Gwen Tripp in the Oct. 28 election.

Incumbent Mayor Janice Smith faces re-election against former mayor, MP and MLA Merv Tweed.

The NDP in a statement on Thursday did not address questions about Pauls running municipally, saying the party is proud to have him as its candidate for Turtle Mountain.

“Rick brings over a decade of experience as mayor and has a strong record on Killarney-Turtle Mountain council,” the statement said. “Families in Turtle Mountain can trust Rick to be a voice for them at the government table, working to fix health care, invest in our highways, and make life more affordable.”

The PCs have a strong electoral record in the region. Since the riding was re-created ahead of the 2019 election, the PCs, under Doyle Piwniuk won with 67 and 55 per cent of the vote in 2019 and 2023, respectively. The NDP came in second place in 2023 with 23 per cent of the vote, and in third place in 2019, with 11 per cent.

Piwniuk is not seeking re-election.

Independent Turtle Mountain candidate Daryl VanCauwenberghe did not respond to requests for comment.

» alambert@brandonsun.com