Former Manitoba cabinet minister, city councillor Kevin Klein to enter mayoral race

Former Progressive Conservative MLA and city councillor Kevin Klein says he will launch a second bid to become Winnipeg’s mayor.

On Aug. 19, Klein told 680 CJOB he would not run for mayor. On Tuesday, however, he told CJOB’s Hal Anderson that he’d reconsidered.

“After I was on your show, I had so many people reach out with emails and messages online, and texts from people I know just saying, ‘Look, reconsider. We really need you to run for mayor,’” he said.

“They don’t believe the city is better after four years. They think we’re in worse shape than we were before,” Klein continued.

If elected, he said he will focus on improving transit, decreasing crime and boosting affordability. His platform will be released over the next couple of weeks and will show his plans to tackle issues like encampments and property taxes, he said.

Winnipeg’s current Mayor Scott Gillingham has burdened taxpayers with new, hidden taxes, such as the garbage collection tax, the candidate said.

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“He hasn’t kept his promises. It’s as clear as that,” Klein continued.

The mayoral hopeful sat on Winnipeg City Council for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood from 2018 to 2022. At the end of that term, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor, placing third in the overall vote count. Klein then served as a Progressive Conservative MLA for Kirkfield Park from December of 2022 to September 2023.

Klein is the president and CEO of the company that has owned the Winnipeg Sun newspaper since 2024.

Eleven candidates are currently registered in the race to be mayor of Winnipeg, according to the city’s website. At the time of publication, Klein had not officially registered.

Incumbent mayor responds

Gillingham, who has already declared his intention to seek re-election, called Klein a “toxic mayoral candidate.”

“Members of every political party have been targeted by Klein’s constant attacks and personal criticisms,” Gillingham wrote.

“At a point when the governments of Canada and Manitoba are collaborating with Winnipeg on major priorities, electing Klein will send a signal to close those doors.”

Gillingham also described Klein as being “notorious for his work as a Caribbean political fixer for Peter Nygard,” referring to the founder of the Winnipeg-based, now-defunct, fashion company, Nygård International.

In Toronto, Nygard was found guilty in 2023 of four counts of sexual assault and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was also convicted of one count of sexual assault in Montreal. He has not yet been sentenced in his Montreal case.

Klein told Global News the mayor’s news release is “incredibly childish,” saying that it was “playing into dirty politics.”

“I would remind Scott (Gillingham) that thousands of Winnipeggers worked for Peter Nygard,” Klein said.

“I quit after four months (after) realizing that he was not able to be the type of human being I wanted to be associated with. I left without a job. I left my career with them.”

The deadline to register for the race to be Winnipeg’s mayor will close at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

Voters will elect Winnipeg’s next mayor Oct. 28.