Police board member announces run for Point Douglas council seat

A former Winnipeg Police Board member and business owner will run to unseat the incumbent councillor in the Point Douglas ward.

Mohamed (Moe) El Tassi registered as a candidate in the Point Douglas ward on Wednesday.

"Point Douglas is very special to me," said El Tassi, speaking outside city hall after submitting his registration papers.

Although he lives in northeast Winnipeg, El Tassi said he has connections to the Point Douglas area through Peerless Garments, owned by his father, Albert El Tassi. Moe El Tassi works there as a manager.

"I grew up throughout Point Douglas, through our family business. I've seen first-hand Point Douglas, and I believe it's the heartbeat and the pulse of the city. I think that in order for the city to thrive, it will do so through the success of Point Douglas."

The day before registering as a candidate, El Tassi announced he is taking a leave of absence from the police board while working on his campaign.

In a statement announcing his candidacy, he spoke about his work as a philanthropist and his work on social causes related to poverty, crime and education.

"Everyone wants to feel safe leaving their home, walking to the bus stop. Nobody wants to feel unsafe," he said in the interview.

Economic development will also be a priority, he said.

"We need to bring business and local businesses need to thrive in the community. We need to rejuvenate the area without jeopardizing its historic value."

Several members of El Tassi's family, including his mother and father, along with Transcona Coun. Shawn Nason and other supporters, greeted El Tassi after he registered at city hall.

El Tassi was recently named a member of the Order of Manitoba. He was appointed to the Winnipeg Police Board in 2019.

Santos running for re-election

He will run against current councillor Vivian Santos, who was elected in 2018 after her former boss, Mike Pagtakhan, decided not to run for re-election. Santos had worked as Pagtakhan's executive assistant.

Santos said Wednesday she wants to continue pushing for better services in Point Douglas, like building a new Tyndall Park Community Centre gymnasium. She has also pushed for lower transit fares.

Like El Tassi, Santos served on the police board, but was forced to resign in July 2020 after failing a police background check.

Santos said she was not given a reason why she didn't pass the background check, although she admitted she had ties to an alleged drug trafficker and his associate. 

Santos acknowledged that she was "very good friends" with the man, but said she didn't know about the allegations against him. Her husband made the mistake of lending their vehicles to help a friend, she said, and called the leak of the information a violation her privacy.

She also served as acting deputy mayor but was removed by Mayor Brian Bowman from that role last September, after she reportedly refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, citing an unspecified health condition.

"That's the challenge with this job being in public office, is your personal life comes to the forefront," Santos said in an interview Wednesday.

"It does make the job conflicting, but I'd like to think that has nothing to do with the actual job itself of what I'm able to do in this position through my advocacy, all the policies I've put through."

Former real estate broker Jose (Joe) Pereira is also registered as a candidate for Point Douglas.

Pereira had his licence as a real estate broker revoked by the Manitoba Securities Commission in January 2021 after he took thousands of dollars from potential tenants in 2018, spent the money on personal expenses, then blackmailed them to deter them from further pursuing refunds as he moved to Portugal. 

On Wednesday, Pereira blamed those actions on an addiction to alcohol and cocaine. He says he's now been sober for two-and-a-half years, and he's ready to use his experience to address addictions and homelessness in Winnipeg.

"I'm sober today and it's the best thing I ever did. I want to share that with others, and I want to improve the city with it," he said.

"All I can ask is to give me a chance, and I'll prove that I can be trustworthy."

New candidate in Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood

The Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood ward also got a new candidate this week.

Evan Duncan, a juvenile counsellor with Manitoba Justice, registered on Tuesday. He ran in 2014 for what was then the Charleswood-Tuxedo seat, after it was vacated by Paula Havixbeck when she ran for mayor.

Duncan came in a close second to Marty Morantz, who went on to be elected as a member of Parliament. Kevin Klein, who is now running for mayor, won the Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood seat in 2018.

In his campaign announcement, Duncan said he's a lifelong resident of the ward and cited safety, improving core services, and accountability of elected officials as top concerns.

In an interview with CBC News, Duncan said he wants to focus on "getting things back on track and making sure that myself as a city councillor will be representing them, not any self-interests or trying to take that next step to whatever level they might be aspiring towards."

The other registered candidate in the ward is Brad Gross, a Realtor who ran for mayor in 2010 and also sought the Old Kildonan council seat in 2018.

Broadcaster Hal Anderson also declared he intends to run for the Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood seat on Aug. 10, but so far has not officially registered.

The civic election is on Oct. 26.

Winnipeg Police board member signs up to run for council in Point Douglas

2 years ago

Duration 2:27

Moe El Tassi added his name to the race for Point Douglas. Meet the three candidates so far who want to represent the Winnipeg ward.