Chin hopes to champion diversity

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This article was published 14/06/2018 (2142 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mike Chin has only lived in Steinbach for seven months but, grounded in a question that he asked regularly on his CKUW radio show at the University of Winnipeg, he looks forward to serving Steinbach citizens.

Chin’s passion for all types of music led him to that hosting role, where his question, “What motivates you?”, was an often illuminating starting off point for interviews.

For Chin, a strong motivation to be a champion for diverse voices in the community is at the heart of his council run, fuelled by his faith in God as well.

Though Steinbach is his new home, the 38-year-old is very familiar with the Southeast and has many family connections in the area.

It was visits to his mother in Mitchell that first sparked his interest in a move from Winnipeg.

“Every time I came out, I wanted to stay,” he said.

“I believe we need more voices to be heard in the community, I believe we need more diverse points of view on council,” said Chin, who has past experience working with Winnipeg city councillor Jenny Gerbasi and former NDP politicians Tim Sale and Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

His radio background, his abilities as a public speaker and his use of social media are just part of what he thinks make him a solid choice for listening to the needs of residents and taking action.

“That’s our job on council…to make changes for them.”

Addressing poverty and homelessness have been two of Chin’s passions for many years, through things like community development work and the Know Poverty campaign through the Social Planning Council.

As a councillor, Chin said he thinks part of his role would be to bring awareness to groups like South East Helping Hands and Steinbach Community Outreach, but also cultural groups‑like the local Indigenous community which he said deserves more recognition.

“We’re already at the point where we’re having a Steinbach Pride. Let’s have a Steinbach powwow,” he suggested.

As an astute social media user, Chin says he observed the discussion in recent days on Sunday shopping.

He suggested a trial run might be warranted to produce the data on whether or not a permanent change be made.

Or he mused that residents concerned about stores being open on Sunday might be better just to shop through the internet.

“I get better deals online, 24 hours a day,” he said.

Chin encouraged anyone interested in volunteering on his campaign to connect with him through social media.