The NDP candidate in the June 7 byelection to vote for the next Thompson MLA visited the last community in the riding that he hadn’t campaigned in yet four days before voters make their choice at the polls.
Eric Redhead was in York Landing on June 3, where he met with the chief and council of York Factory First Nation and knocked on doors to speak with residents.
Getting there was never going be easy, as he related to the Thompson Citizen in an interview the day before his visit, requiring his second trip in a small boat since the campaign started.
“The ferry’s not up and running, they don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Redhead said June 2. “There’s some maintenance issues that need to be resolved before the ferry can operate, which is an essential service for that community.”
With train travel also having been on his campaign itinerary, as well as plenty of driving, Redhead is acutely aware of the transportation issues residents of the riding face, including the terrible driving conditions on Provincial Road 280 to Split Lake and Gillam, particularly after rainy weather like the area had last week.
“It’s never good,” he said. “It’s a very dangerous road.”
He also met with the CEO of the Thompson Airport, which is struggling to finance the rising cost of a planned new terminal.
“It’s a vital service for Thompson, not only for economic opportunity purposes but for health care,” the candidate said. “A lot of surrounding communities use that airport to come access health care in Thompson. We need to make sure that we have a facilitate that can facilitate a large number of aircraft.”
Redhead has also put numerous miles on his own body since being nominated April 23.
“I have a few blisters on my feet and I think I’ve been through a pair of sneakers already.”
Advance polling wrapped up on June 4. Redhead cast his own ballot on the first day advance voting was available in Thompson and has heard anecdotes of people without government identification having difficulties voting.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to make it a lot easier for voters to get to the polls and make sure that it’s a smooth process for them,” Redhead said. “There’s, I think, a lot of challenges for voters in the north. It’s kind of unfair, in my opinion.”
Though he has put in a lot of individual work since before the writ was even dropped on May 10, Redhead says his campaign is a team effort, with help coming from volunteers as well as out-of-town visitors, including the Young New Democrats and the president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour. One person who has shown a lot of dedication to the campaign and to the riding is NDP leader Wab Kinew, who has been up twice in the last couple months, including for two days last week, to troll for votes alongside the candidate.
“He knows our struggles and he’s going to make a very, very great premier,” Redhead said of Kinew, who also intends to be in the riding on election day.
The party issued a news release last week comparing the efforts of its leader to ensure the seat stays NDP with those of Progressive Conservative leader and premier Heather Stefanson.
“The fact that the premier has not taken the time to visit the Thompson constituency during this byelection tells you everything you need to know about the PC approach to the north,” Kinew said in the June 2 press release.
Stefanson was asked by reporters in Winnipeg last week if she planned to visit Thompson.
“I would love to get there obviously,” the Winnipeg Free Press quoted the premier as saying June 1. Though she wasn’t sure if her calendar would have room for a trip, she did have words of encouragement for PC candidate Charlotte Larocque. “Charlotte Larocque is doing an amazing job up there in the community. We’ll certainly be reaching out to her. She’s an amazing candidate.”
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 7.
According to Elections Manitoba, the Thompson returning officer will begin their final tally of all votes on June 8 and the official declaration of the winning candidate will take place by June 14.
