Six-way race in Seine River’s Ward 3

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This article was published 05/10/2022 (1296 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two incumbents, one former trustee, and three newcomers are vying for three seats in Seine River School Division’s easterly Ward 3, while acclamations and an appointment will fill the remaining seats on the nine-member board.

Ward 3 encompasses schools in the communities of Ste Anne, Richer, and La Broquerie, though its catchment area is much larger, stretching to Ste Genevieve and Woodridge.

In separate phone interviews, each of the ward’s six candidates outlined their priorities.

Bergson seeks fifth term

Incumbent Theresa Bergson said the next board of trustees will need to remind the provincial government that “local voices and local choices” matter to parents and educators.

“Nobody in any other school division is the same as the one next door to them,” Bergson, who lives in Ste Genevieve, said.

Bergson listed her top priorities as Indigenous reconciliation work and lobbying the province for a new high school in Ste Anne, where her children went to school. She is also excited about a new divisional committee of high school students who will meet regularly with the board of trustees.

“I think youth voice is something that we should never look a blind eye too,” Bergson said.

Reflecting on the pandemic that consumed much of the board’s attention over the past 30 months, Bergson said the board handled COVID-19 well.

“Every single day was changing, so you had to adapt really fast. We did what we felt was best and I think we did a good job.”

If the pandemic worsens this winter, Bergson said the board must follow provincial public health guidance.

“Whether we agree with it or not, we have to follow what the government tells us,” she said.

But Bergson also hopes the province considers local input from parents and school divisions if restrictions are needed again.

“A lot of parents felt that they weren’t being listened to, and it was really tough to understand and not know why the decisions were being made,” she explained.

Bergson plans to campaign using Facebook, handmade signs, and door knocking.

Howe throws hat in ring

RM of La Broquerie resident Katie Howe is seeking elected office for the first time.

A mother of two who sells ionized water machines, Howe said she was inspired to run by her husband, Sean Howe, who was the People’s Party of Canada candidate for Kildonan—St Paul in the 2021 federal election.

“Just hearing all these strong parents standing up for their children over these past couple years just inspired me to run,” Howe added.

Howe said her platform includes “transparency for parents and guardians,” a strong focus on “parental rights,” and “equality for all kids.”

“And then another thing is to have all the highly sexualized stuff removed from the school, and the gender ideology. I’m not against any of that, I just believe it should not be taught in schools. It should be taught at home,” Howe said.

In a follow-up interview the same day, Howe amended her platform to remove “any of that gender stuff that I talked about, because I know that could go really wrong.”

“I don’t want to be portrayed as one way, or like, as a crazy something, which I’m not.”

Howe said Seine River’s current board of trustees handled the pandemic in a “very one-sided” way.

“The decisions I don’t think were made in the best interest for the children, unfortunately.”

Asked for an example, Howe replied, “I don’t want to give you examples.”

Howe was asked what steps she’d support if the pandemic worsens this winter.

“These questions I don’t feel comfortable answering, sorry,” she said.

Howe is active on Instagram, where on Aug. 26 she posted a video in which she calls parts of the public school system “corrupt,” saying it isn’t a place where homeschoolers “want to send our kids.”

In her interview, Howe denied calling the public school system corrupt. Regarding her decision to homeschool, Howe said it seemed like the best option in 2020, when her children were starting school. Over time, she found homeschooling was a good fit for her family.

“Eventually, I would love for my kids to go to school,” she said.

Howe plans to campaign using lawn signs, pamphlets, and door knocking.

Rivard plans return

Robert Rivard wants to rejoin the school board he sat on for 19 years.

“It was something I really enjoyed while I was doing it,” Rivard said. “The other side that I went to—municipal politics at the RM level—was not nearly as enjoyable. It was very frustrating, as a matter of fact.”

In 2014, Rivard leapt into municipal politics, successfully running for mayor of the RM of Tache. After a narrow election defeat in 2018, he ran for the Manitoba Liberals in Dawson Trail during the 2019 provincial election, finishing second to Progressive Conservative incumbent Bob Lagassé.

Rivard, who recently moved to Ste Anne from Dufresne, is retired from a career at a Winnipeg manufacturing plant and wants to return the world of school governance. If elected, he committed to serving the full four-year term.

“All other politics is out of my system now.”

With the provincial government poised to make changes to education funding models, Rivard said he wants to ensure Seine River continues to receive the dollars it needs to meet the needs of all students, not just some. He also wants to lobby for more classroom space in growing communities like Ste Anne. Beyond that, Rivard said he is not motivated by any overarching issue, and wants to hear what priorities ward residents have while he’s out on the campaign trail.

Siemens seeks seat

Realtor Sajda Siemens moved to Marchand from Winnipeg in December 2021 and is running for elected office for the first time. Siemens said she and her husband also co-run a property development and rental business. The couple has two children aged 15 and 21.

“We’ve done public school and private school kind of throughout my time with my kids in school,” Siemens said.

A sense of community obligation is motivating her to run for trustee.

“I believe it’s part of our civic duty, actually, to participate in politics. School is something near and dear to my heart, so I thought this is a great opportunity to sort of like dip my toe in politics.”

Siemens explained her platform is focused on good decision-making.

“Honestly, I feel like we need to probably just do a better job just exercising common sense in some of the policies that are put in place. I believe that we need to look at facts, we need to look at data when we’re making decisions.”

Asked for an example of board decisions that lacked common sense or weren’t based on facts and data, Siemens said, “I don’t have anything specific.”

She pledged to bring concerns from Ward 3 residents to the board table.

“I want parents to feel like they have a voice, I want them to bring things to me that they think are important.”

Siemens said she wasn’t sure how well the current board handled the pandemic.

“I guess I don’t really know what the board’s responsibility was, and what some of the decisions they made versus the province made, so that’s a hard one for me to answer.”

In a series of spring 2021 Instagram posts, Siemens criticized public health restrictions for increasing children’s’ isolation. One post decried “unjust government overreach of your charter rights and freedoms.”

Asked what she’d do as a trustee if cases of COVID-19 rise this winter, Siemens said the board should review the repercussions of past decisions before making new ones.

Siemens said her election campaign will include door knocking, leaflets, lawn signs, and online interactions.

Verrier big on busing
Lise Verrier wants to help govern the school division that employed her for 41 years.

The Ste Anne resident was a bus driver for 20 years. She then spent 21 years in the transportation department as a dispatcher secretary. She retired earlier this year.

Verrier said she has lived in Ward 3 since 1975. Her children, who are now grown, attended Richer School, where Verrier was a member of the parent advisory committee.

Verrier said she is running for office to reciprocate the community support she has received over the years.

“It’s just something that I can do now that I’m no longer working, and maybe give back to the community and the division.”

Verrier said she is passionate about transportation. If elected, she would focus on efficient bus service and on good route planning that is practical for the division and for families.

Verrier said the current board handled the pandemic well. If cases spike this winter, Verrier said she would support following provincial public health guidelines.

She plans to campaign in-person and through conversations by email and over the phone.

Wall strives for second term

Incumbent Trina Wall said she has enjoyed her first term on the school board.

“It’s been a great learning experience.”

The Ste Anne resident said she is a student-focused trustee who worked with children in camp and church settings before choosing education as her career.

“I’m very passionate about education, whether it’s private [or] public,” Wall said. “I just care about kids, I always have.”

Wall identified herself as “a teacher by trade” but wouldn’t say where she teaches.

“I’m not going to answer that,” she said.

The website of Springs Christian Academy in Winnipeg lists Wall as a member of the “Grade 4/5 Team.”

If re-elected, Wall said she wants to continue being an advocate for children by ensuring popular Seine River programs, like Kids at Play and apprenticeship training, continue, regardless of what changes the provincial government has in store.

Wall also wants to see a new high school built in Ste Anne, which she noted would also relieve crowding at the elementary level.

Wall said the current board did “a great job” of handling the pandemic. She listed the mental health of staff and students as “the number one priority as we move forward.”

If the pandemic worsens this winter, Wall said schools are better equipped to handle it with protocols and plans that have been road-tested over the past two years.

Wall plans to campaign with pamphlets, door knocking, and trips to seniors’ homes and community events.

Acclamations abound

Elsewhere in the division, two incumbents and one newcomer were acclaimed in SRSD’s western Ward 1, which includes St Norbert and La Salle.

Wendy Bloomfield, who was first elected to the board in 1983 and has chaired it since 1990, was acclaimed to a 12th term.

“To be honest, I was kind of relieved,” Bloomfield said Tuesday following a board meeting. “But I was definitely prepared. I had my signs all ready to go.”

Veteran trustee Gary Nelson was also acclaimed, along with Warren Reavely, who will assume the seat held for five terms by Greg Reid.

“I’ve served 20 years, so I just felt it was time for new voice, and I’m just at a point in my career where I’m busy with my full-time job,” Reid explained.

Reid added he’s “a little disappointed” there were no races for seats in Ward 1.

In SRSD’s central Ward 2, which includes St Adolphe, Ile des Chenes, and Lorette, an appointment will be needed to fill a vacant seat.

Incumbents Christine Roskos and Vicky Kiansky were both acclaimed to another term. Jessie Cahill chose not to run again, despite the likelihood of acclamation.

“I’ve been here for 12 years and I was kind of thinking, time for me to take a break, focus on my family,” Cahill said. “I’m just looking forward to spending a couple more evenings at home.”

School board elections take place Wednesday, Oct. 26.