Winklerites have a choice between three candidates in the upcoming city council byelection.
Residents head to the polls Dec. 12 to cast their for vote for either Dustin Brown, Pam Fedack, or Ryan Hildebrand. The winner will serve a two-year term at the council table, filling the seat left vacant after the death of councillor Don Fehr this fall.
The Voice sat down with each candidate to find out who they are and why they feel they deserve your vote.
You can also check out our coverage of Monday night’s virtual byelection forum on Pg. 3.
Dustin Brown
Dustin Brown has called Winkler home his entire life and has a keen interest in the community’s ongoing growth and success.
“I was born and raised here, and I really enjoy it here,” he shares. “I enjoy the people, the culture. I’m looking to give back in a way, put my name out there and try and make a contribution and be involved with the goings-on behind the scenes and just try and make a difference.”
Brown has worked at Lode King Industries for the past 20 years. In his spare time, he serves on the board of directors of the Winkler Flyers and has been involved as a volunteer with the Winkler Citizens on Patrol Program for 22 years. Earlier this fall he was elected chair of the provincial Citizens on Patrol Program.
“Volunteering is very important to me,” Brown says. “I joined Citizens on Patrol within weeks of getting my driver’s licence, so that is very important to me.
“The Flyers board is more recent—I’ve only been there three years—but it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve followed the Flyers since I was in Kindergarten, and gone to so many games. And there again, I thought it would be neat to help them behind the scenes.
“Winkler is really good at having a lot of people willing to put their time and effort into giving back to those kinds of organizations, and I love being a part of that.”
Brown has long had an interest in local politics, and first threw his hat in the ring in the 2022 municipal election.
While he was unsuccessful in that bid, he very much enjoyed getting out into the community to hear what people had to say, and he’s looking forward to doing the same again this time around.
“[I enjoy] taking the time to listen to people, because at the end of the day, that is the biggest thing. People here have a lot of good ideas.”
He feels he’d bring a lot to the role of councillor.
“I think that I would bring some similar attributes as the existing council of being very open and transparent, being approachable,” Brown says. “But at the same time, maybe bringing a different dynamic, reaching out to some of the slightly younger generation as well and figuring out what’s important to them.”
Municipal infrastructure is something Braun is eager to tackle.
“Winkler is growing at a very impressive rate, and with that brings its own set of challenges of water and sewer and roads and all that stuff,” he says. “I think Winkler is in a really good spot with the way they’ve been handling things in the past and present. But at the same time, the asset management has recently been brought in and that really needs to be looked at to see what do we need to do to maintain the infrastructure that we have and also keep planning for the future if we want Winkler to continue growing the way it has been.”
He’s also eager to see the city’s new public transportation plans rolled out, and, if elected, to have a hand in pursuing meeting the targets in council’s recently released strategic plan.
“I was at the release there a couple weeks ago and it was interesting to see the recommendations from professionals on how we should work together regionally. I think it’s super important in a lot of the ways that we can to try and offset costs and efficiencies and keep the city running smoothly and look for ways to improve. Because there are always improvements to be had.”
Pam Fedack
While this is her first time running for public office, Pam Fedack is certainly no stranger to municipal politics—she covered it as a news reporter on local radio for over 20 years before moving on to new opportunities this summer.
Fedack spent her early years on a poultry farm north of Winkler and later an acreage in the Winkler-Morden corridor, attending school in Winkler.
“It’s been a community that I’ve loved and cherished,” Fedack shares. “Our kids were all born here, and they all want to stay and make roots in the community too.”
Fedack’s career in broadcasting started at CKMW Radio in 1996. She joined the Golden West news team in 2001, and has extensively covered local and regional politics and provincial news, as well as community events and sports.
“Over 20+ years of attending various meetings—council meetings, school board meetings in Winkler, RM of Stanley, Morden, Carman, and many others—I’ve interviewed and followed along with many projects in the area, delving into things to find out some of the backgrounds,” she says. “You learn so much, and I find it so fascinating.”
Running for office has always been in the back of her mind, and this byelection came along at the perfect time for her to jump in.
“As soon as I made that decision that I wanted to do it, I knew it was the right decision,” she says, reflecting that she feels she would “bring a very strong listening ear” to the role. “Compassionate and fair and a calmness—I’m somebody that likes order and likes to get things done.
“And also with the knowledge that I have with interviews and the people I’ve talked to over the years, I just feel I would be able to really hit the ground running with the things I know.”
Fedack’s community involvements include volunteering in the Boundary Trails Health Centre’s chemotherapy unit.
“It was something that I really wanted to get involved with after my mom had cancer; she passed away from cancer,” she shares. “During her cancer journey, she was there having chemo and I was with her. So when I saw the call for volunteers, I felt like that was something I could do.”
It’s given her a unique viewpoint on local healthcare, Fedack says, which is something she has on her list of priorities as a council candidate.
“I want to work in conjunction with the Winkler and District Health Care Board to ensure Winkler residents have the best access to health services. They do such a fantastic job, but the work is never done,” she says, pointing to the need to support ongoing physician and medical staff recruitment and retention.
Identifying and addressing gaps in Winkler’s recreational offerings, finding ways to attract job and education training opportunities to the area, and working with local poverty reduction groups to ensure everyone in our community has the opportunity to thrive are some of the other priorities on her list.
“I’m passionate about people and about serving,” Fedack says, “and just want to be a listening ear, to be here to listen to the needs and some of the wants, and hear what people are thinking.”
Ryan Hildebrand
Ryan Hildebrand may have grown up in southern Ontario, but he’s long since put down roots in this community.
He spent childhood summers visiting family in the area and then returned to study at the Winkler Bible Institute as a young adult, later moving here for good to raise his family.
Hildebrand worked in accounting for 20 years, including a decade as the chief financial officer for Eden Health Care Services.
“This is where I developed my passion for affordable housing, having seen firsthand the need in this community and throughout Manitoba,” he shares.
Hildebrand has served on the board of Central Community Homes (formerly Winkler Affordable Housing) as treasurer for nearly 10 years and was involved provincially on the Manitoba Not for Profit Housing Board as a director.
“It takes a long time to get an affordable housing project moving,” Hildebrand reflects. “This one across the street here [the apartment complex going up on North Railway Ave.], is probably four years in the making. It takes time, but I don’t mind that kind of behind the scenes stuff.”
He’s worked extensively with various government departments on projects, including health, families and housing, addictions, and homelessness.
“I’ve spent years kind of cultivating and developing those relationships. I think that’s a big part” of what he’d bring to the council table, Hildebrand says. “I understand how this process goes and have the patience to see it out.”
Hildebrand has served on boards ranging from the Winkler & District Health Care Board and the Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce to the Central Station Community Centre, amongst others.
For the past four years, he has worked as the executive director at the Buhler Active Living Centre, which has given him the opportunity to work with and hear from many local seniors.
“Working with the seniors has been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it,” he says. “There’s lots of wonderful personalities in this building, and outside of here as well in this kind of seniors core community downtown.”
This is his first crack at running for political office, but it’s been a dream of his for some time, and now it seemed right to take the plunge.
“For something like this byelection to come along, it’s a unique opportunity,” Hildebrand says. “And I think I have the experience and the skills that would be useful. I think I would bring different perspective to the table.
“I think Winkler is in a great spot,” he adds. “The councils that have come before us have done a really good job of preparing the community for growth, but obviously there’s some big challenges that are still coming up when you look at some of the projects that are in the process but not quite started yet. And that part’s interesting to me.
“As the community keeps on growing, there’s all kinds of challenges that come with that … helping the community grow through that is something I want to be a part of.”
