A city pool could be named after a departing federal minister who also served on city council.
During Thursday’s city council meeting, Coun. Brian Mayes said he plans to raise a motion to rename the Bonivital Pool after Dan Vandal, who recently announced he will not run in the next federal election.
“We want to do something to honour Dan. He has had almost 30 years of service to St. Boniface and St. Vital. (He’s) a champion for francophone rights, a champion for his neighbourhood, for his city, for the nation (and) a strong spokesman for Métis causes,” Mayes told media.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
MP Dan Vandal served St. Boniface and St. Vital for almost 30 years.
First elected as the city councillor for St. Boniface in 1995, Vandal served in that role until 2004, when he made an unsuccessful bid to become mayor. Vandal was re-elected to his council seat in 2006, which he held until 2014, when he jumped to federal politics.
In 2015, he was elected to represent the federal riding of Saint Boniface-Saint Vital. Vandal has been minister of northern affairs since 2019.
Mayes said he plans to raise a motion to rename the pool after Vandal leaves office.
Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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