Key Brandon riding flips orange as Manitoba Progressive Conservatives lose power to NDP
New Democrat Glen Simard takes Brandon East, returning longtime NDP stronghold to party
A pivotal Brandon riding flipped back to the Manitoba NDP as part of the party's majority government win.
Glen Simard is the new MLA for Brandon East — a stronghold for the NDP until 2016, when it was taken by the Progressive Conservatives who then retained it in the 2019 election.
"It's humbling and we will rise together and work through the challenges that face Brandon," Simard said.
It was an important moment that involved earning back the trust of voters to return Brandon East to the NDP, he said.
"Our next job is to keep it, with concrete, real action for the city," he said.
"First thing for Brandon is the first thing for all of Manitoba: we need to address some of the health-care challenges that exist."
Longtime NDP MLA Len Evans represented the area from its creation in 1969 until 1999, after which the NDP's Drew Caldwell won the riding.
Then, in 2016, Progressive Conservative Len Isleifson beat Caldwell. Isleifson was re-elected in 2019 before losing to Simard on Tuesday.
The Liberal candidate was Trenton Zazalak.
Isleifson was disappointed he didn't win a third term but said he's satisfied with the work he's been able to accomplish.
"I've always said I'm not a lifelong politician. I need to get in there and do the work, and yeah, I would have liked one more term, but you know, the electorate spoke."
Simard campaigned on health care in western Manitoba, including a lack of doctors in Brandon. Maintaining affordable housing in southwestern Manitoba's biggest city and rejuvenating its downtown were also major campaign issues for the former teacher.
"I'm just so incredibly proud to take this on," Simard said. "We need to seriously take a look at the issues that are present downtown and work through meaningful change for them."
Affordable housing is a major factor in this, Simard said, and the NDP promised to collaborate with agencies and allies in the community.
He also wants to to bring more attention to Brandon in the province's capital, Simard said.
"Whether NDP is in opposition or in government, I always think that it's a really good thing for Brandon, because we are surrounded by a sea of blue, and by reminding the government … that we exist is very important to anyone who represents this riding."
As of Wednesday morning, the PCs appeared to hold on to Brandon West with Wayne Balcaen but just barely, with the NDP's Quentin Robinson just 98 votes behind, according to Elections Manitoba.
The riding saw a race between new faces, after PC MLA Reg Helwer announced he would not seek re-election.
It was "a roller-coaster all night watching the polls," Balcaen said at 12:30 a.m.
It was surprising to see how tight the race was, said Balcaen, who expected the historically-PC riding to be more in his favour. The 2023 election was his first foray into provincial politics.
The close race showed "every vote matters," Balcaen said.
"I wouldn't have changed anything because I think we did everything that we needed to do here," Balcaen said. "I think Brandon West will be well represented."
He praised all candidates in Brandon East and West for resisting mud slinging.
"That was my first policy … we will not attack individuals," Balcaen said.
In the lead up to the election, Balcaen said the PCs had a credible plan for affordable housing — citing the party's promise to eliminate the land transfer tax for first-time home buyers to encourage people to get out of rentals and into homes of their own.
He also pledged to tackle the meth crisis hammering the city's downtown by putting money into harm-reduction initiatives but would not commit to a supervised consumption site.
The Spruce Woods riding, which includes the northern part of Brandon, elected PC newcomer Grant Jackson. Former Tory MLA Cliff Cullen did not seek re-election.
Jackson defeated Liberal Michelle Budiwski and the NDP's Melissa Ghidoni.
Robinson said it was an exciting night that reflected the change Manitobans wanted when he spoke with people. He believes the NDP found success because voters responded to a positive message.
"People really wanted a positive vision of who we can be and how we can be as a province," Robinson said.
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