Church, candidate deny any connection to letter of support
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A letter of support for a school trustee candidate purporting to be from a Brandon church was not written or sanctioned by the church, a parish official told the Sun.
The letter, written in support of Brandon School Division byelection candidate Henry Sieklicki, has been circulating online with the title, “St. Augustine’s Parish support Henry Sieklicki for School Trustee.”
Reached by phone, Sieklicki said he didn’t write the letter and had “no idea” who did.
An official with St. Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church who answered the phone Wednesday, and who later spoke to the Sun in person, said the letter was not written by people who worked there, nor did it have the church’s approval.
“We didn’t write it, so it’s not from us, and the letter does not have our approval,” said the official, who did not want to be named.
The letter describes Sieklicki as a longtime churchgoer and the only candidate who “is going to stand against the evil ideology that we have seen is aimed at undermining our Catholic faith and intended on infecting our children with a lost sense of self and a questioned sense of self-worth.”
It adds Sieklicki “supports Christian values, he supports protecting our children, protecting their innocence and letting kids be kids again.”
The trustee byelection, set for today, is to fill a vacant Ward 1 position. The ward covers the city of Brandon.
Seven candidates are running for the seat: Laura Armitage, Michael Grantham, Bonnie-Lynn Mills, Shawna Mozdzen, Eren Oleson, Himanshu Shah and Sieklicki.
Sieklicki said Wednesday that he didn’t have time for an interview as he had an appointment, but would call back an hour or two later. When the Sun attempted to reach him after two hours, Sieklicki didn’t answer his phone and didn’t return calls by press time.
Facebook users said copies of the letter were placed on car windshields and in mailboxes, something the Sun wasn’t able to independently verify.
The letter directs people to vote at the Clarion Hotel, but that location isn’t being used as a polling place in this byelection.
Sieklicki, a retired health-care administrator, ran as a trustee candidate in a 2023 byelection in the division.
People can vote today between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at six different polling stations across the city: Monterey Estates Recreation Hall (40 Mockingbird Dr.), McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church (635 McDiarmid Dr.), East End Community Centre (405 Park St.), Victoria Inn’s private dining room (3550 Victoria Ave.), Brandon School Division administration office (1031 Sixth St.) and Brandon Shoppers Mall (Unit 9, 1570 18th St.).
» alambert@brandonsun.com