About Jennifer Chen
When were you born?
Between 1981 and 1996 (Millennial)
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 was an elected School Trustee in the Winnipeg School Division for four years, and was known for being open, transparent, and accessible to parents. I focused on supporting teachers, support staff, and students.
I am passionate about good, stable, and impactful governance. I have served on community and advisory boards, including CancerCare Manitoba – Newcomer Advisory Committee, Healthy Start For Mom & Me, Family Dynamics (formerly Family Centre of Winnipeg), and the Women of Colour Community Leadership Initiative.
I am raising my young family in South Winnipeg.
What's the highest level of education you've attained?
Master's degree
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 live in South Winnipeg, off Bison Drive and Chancellor, one block out of the area. My children are in the Pembina Trails School Division, and in the school catchment area for Richmond West.
Most of my community work has been in Fort Richmond. I helped bring the CancerCare Manitoba mobile BreastCheck clinic to Fort Richmond, and organized support during the pandemic for health workers at the Victoria Hospital and Southeast Personal Care Home. I worked as a Constituency Assistant for former Fort Richmond MLA Kerri Irvin-Ross, with a lot of experience connecting residents of Fort Richmond to important public services.
What is the biggest challenge facing your constituency, and how would you address it?
Fort Richmond is a more diverse community than a lot of Winnipeggers might realize. We have so much in common across the many language and cultural groups in our neighbourhoods. We love our parks and active living corridors, convenient services and gathering places, the U of M, the diversity around us, and the care we show for one another.
We have, however, seen that growth has not been met with all the supports and services we need. Some of our housing is aging and there is not enough affordable housing for all to be housed with dignity. Our schools have seen increased enrolment without enough support for school staff and families. We have suffered without adequate healthcare and social services: there is no hospital emergency room south of the Forks.
We want to change that and get government back to the priorities we share.
If elected, what will be your first priority?
Priority one will be to work to fix our healthcare system, address the staffing crisis, and bring back our community’s Emergency Room at the Victoria Hospital.
Many residents of Fort Richmond have shared their frightening experiences with me about how our healthcare system has been broken over the past seven years, and their concern about the closure of the Victoria Hospital ER and Mature Women’s Centre. With my educational background, I also hope to work within government to advocate for healthy and active communities.
Who are your role models in politics, and why?
Not all role models need to be famous. I was recently inspired by the bravery and perseverance of Manitoba healthcare workers, educators, childcare workers and more. I worked with small businesses to mobilize support for health workers during the pandemic and am deeply moved when communities come together to do something positive for everyone.
I am also inspired by Shahina Siddiqui from the Islamic Social Services Association, who I have worked with many times. She is someone who has dedicated her life to building bridges and understanding between communities, and I hope I can emulate that same spirit.
Tell us something about yourself that voters might find surprising.
People are always surprised when I tell them that my master’s degree in kinesiology is centred around city planning. My research was part of a project identifying how our municipal environment impacts the walking behaviour of older adults in Winnipeg. This is so relevant to Fort Richmond, where many people care deeply about walking, active living, and physical activity.
Other candidates in constituency:
Paramjit Shahi (Progressive Conservative)
Ernie Nathaniel (Liberal)