Eddie Calisto-Tavares

About Eddie Calisto-Tavares

When were you born?

Between 1946 and 1965 (Baby Boomer)

Tell our readers a bit about your professional life. What do you do for a living? If you're an incumbent candidate, what did you do before you entered politics?

I founded Options for Success in January 1999. As President and Performance Management Consultant. Our services focused on Human Resources, Career Transition, Project Management and Coaching.

After a successful career of ten years in senior management roles, I faced what many others had faced throughout the 1990s: downsizing and restructuring. My entrepreneurial spirit and abilities I turned this adversity into an opportunity. My passion for bringing out the best in people, building capacity, encouraging and supporting people from all walk of life to see their own capabilities, talents and gifts was a natural fit and over two decades I am proud to say we, my team and I made a difference in people life, by assisting them in achieving their full potential.

As a life long learner, at the age of 43 I enrolled in the Administration and Management Program at University of Manitoba, graduating in 2005 with the CIM designation. I am a founding member of Women Business Owners of Manitoba, WBO (1986-1989)during which time I served different roles on the Board.

I owned and operated Teddy Fashions on Leila Square from 1984-1989. I returned to WBO in 1999 joining the board of directors as Vice-President and President from 2000-2003. During that time, I am proud that we launched a mentorship program for women in business. As a citizen and mother, I advocated for policy change at the provincial level to ensure equitable access to educational resources for my son Khorie, and all other Manitoba children who are Hard of Hearing and Deaf.

I ran as a candidate for the MLP in 2019 in St. Johns.

I was a nominee and won numerous awards and honours, including: Top 75 Canadian Immigrants Finalist, HRMAM Diversity & Culture Awareness Award Winner, The Prime Award from CIM, Manitoba Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Finalist, Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Nominee, National Mentor Awards Finalist, and Women of Distinction Awards Nominee.

As a daughter and caregiver to an aging parent with severe dementia, I have firsthand experience navigating the turmoil and chaos of our current health care system. In the fall of 2020 during the Covid Pandemic, I fought my way into the Maples Care home in May, August and in late October of 2020. I was assigned my father caregiver, but because of Covid like many other families, we were told that we couldn't go in to take care of our loved ones. I didn't accept that as an option, because it was my father's human right to have family near him. It was his human rights to have his language spoken to him from a voice he would remember, mine. I followed the rules, wore a mask, cleaned my fathers room from top to bottom every time I went to sit with him, and I didn't contract Covid, because I knew how important it was to keep him, the staff and my family healthy.

In late October, my father tested positive for Covid, and according to management he was not showing any signs of being ill. I did not believe that was true, because his behaviour during the few days that I wasn't allowed in but I was using face time to talk to him, I knew he was sick. The Maples Nightmare is well known, it has been well documented, and as a daughter, with the help of the MB Liberal leader and MLA, I help a press conference asking for help from the government, from WHRA, because the staff were trying their very best. There were/are many unsung heroes, many that worked at the Maples during that disaster, but they too got sick, and they needed help. The help didn't come until it was too late.

I moved mountains to ensure my father didn't die alone. I was there with him from October 31 to November 11 when he died. My brothers said goodbye, held him and told him to go in peace to be with our mom, and his parents, and that we would miss him, but he thought all of us to be strong and carry on. So many others seniors in Manitoba and across Canada died alone.

Since than, I have been advocating for a Legislative Independent Seniors Advocate for Manitoba. I continue to advocate for quality care, respect and dignity for seniors. I also want increase hours of care, increased wages and benefits for workers, those that help families care for our loved ones.

As a result of working from home during the pandemic, I learned that we had a huge problem with large scale cannabis grow-ops in the Maples, Amber Trails, Garden City, Seven Oaks Crossing and other neighbourhoods across the city. For two years, I with a small but mighty group of resicents, we learned, presented, collaborated, advocated with different levels of government, and after several presentations to Mayor and Council, a bylaw was passed in September of 2022 that prohibits cannabis grow ops from operating legally in our neighbourhoods.

It is that fierce determination and resourcefulness that I bring to my role as the MLA Candidate for the Maples. I will stand up with you, and your families BECAUSE YOU MATTER!

What's the highest level of education you've attained?

Some university education

How long have you lived in the constituency? If you don't currently live there, what led you to run there instead of where you live?

I have lived with my husband Gilbert of 44 years in Amber Trails since 1991. We raised a daughter Kristle Maria, and a son Khorie Alexander in this neighbourhood. This is our home.

What is the biggest challenge facing your constituency, and how would you address it?

1) Education: Funding needs to be returned to schools for students, teachers, and Education Assistants. We need to return funding for children that require additional supports, and ensure there is accessibility in schools and recreation and improve and or further develop our community centres. I will advocate for universal nutrition in all schools. Our children/youth need extra curricular activities and a safe place to go after school. Not every parent can afford to pay for additional activities, but developing a fund, where parents that need a little help can also have their children engaged, participate in these activities. I will with others in a collaborative and innovative ways including: Seven Oaks school board trustees, and other levels of government to procure and initiate a pilot project to connect youth with seniors in the community, as a reciprocal mentoring program, and the students will get a credit for the learning and volunteering.

2) Infrastructure including roads, and schools. Amber Trails and our area has grown tremendously in the last 15 years, and roads, parks, recreation spaces need to be developed to keep up with the needs of the families. The Community profile has changed to include younger families and they need safe places to learn and play. People often think this is ONLY a municipal issue, however, a strong MLA will move the Council in its Ward, collaborate, and push things that are required by the community to move forward.

3) Safe place or women and children suffering from domestic abuse; not just a shelter, but a community where women can learn about their rights, have a mentor, learn how to empower themselves, and have a sisterhood - community, allies, as they move towards creating a safer and better life for themselves in their children. This would also include attending workshops on their legal rights, counselling, financial literacy and access to resources, in a easy and friendly way which would include access in their own languages, and use spaces like schools libraries and classrooms after hours.

If elected, what will be your first priority?

In the community, organize a strong team, meet with residents, determine more specifically and in more detail the grassroot needs; work with school board, and ward council to tackle community safety, get information on infrastructure, developments where funding has been allocated, assess and measure the outcomes. Fiscal responsibility and accountability is very important.

Education: work with MB Liberals, government and opposition parties to restore funding to education.

Develop path ways to increase recreation and mentoring programs for after school from K-12.

Jobs and Market Driven training programs - using existing resources and facilities, and further develop innovative ways to upskill workers, move people from underemployment to full employment in high demand occupations. This allows them to further develop their careers which includes occupations in as support workers for seniors, health care, and early years education.

My focus on Seniors; working with others in the legislative assembly to bring about the office of independent seniors advocate; increase hours of care for residents of Long Term Care, increase wages to workers in Long Term Care and Homecare.
Safe space to support self empowerment for women and children.

Who are your role models in politics, and why?

My role models are not politicians but genuine caring people who showed me to always be myself, stay true to my core values, live a life with purpose, and make a difference.

My maternal grandmother, was a strong woman with great faith in humanity, kindness and an amazing work ethic.

My father, who always told me I could and be anything I put my mind to, his favorite saying was "my daughter you know everything", and he always saw me as equal and he had a great deal of trust in my integrity and abilities.

At the age of 14, I had an amazing supervisor at the factory, an immigrant herself, and she supported my dream to go to school, and she was always very proud of what I did with my life working towards meeting my full potential.

As an entrepreneur I had many strong, capable women and men that always saw me as an equal.

If I have to choose a politician I would say Sharon Carstairs - her fierce determination always impressed me.

Susan Thompson was one of the first females that I volunteer in her campaign and I learned how to door knock on behalf of a woman who became our Mayor.

Tell us something about yourself that voters might find surprising.

I arrived in Winnipeg on April 27, 1973, I was 14 years old. My father, mother, and five brothers and I came from Portugal. On the following Monday morning, I started working in the sewing factory at Rice Sports Wear, and worked there until my father allowed me to go and get my grade 10, 11 and 12 in 14 months. Education was my way out of the garment factory. My father thought me to be "courageous", to be bold in the face of fear, and to stand up for what I believe in, and that is why I am running in this election, standing up for the people of the Maples because YOU MATTER!

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