The former mayor of Winnipeg has taken his place as a part of city hall once again — this time, as a painting.
Brian Bowman, Winnipeg’s 43rd mayor — and first Indigenous mayor — had his portrait unveiled at the Gallery of Mayors on Monday, joining a host of the city’s honoured leaders since its incorporation in 1873.
Bowman took his seat as Mayor in 2014 after Sam Katz decided he would not seek another term. Before then, he was a lawyer, and had never run for office.
The former mayor said when people see the painting, he hopes “they feel a sense of pride and confidence in the community that we all call home,” and referenced the Métis pin that he sports in the portrait, saying it’s the first Indigenous symbol that city hall has seen.
“Being the first Indigenous mayor of Winnipeg is a historical first of hopefully many more to come,” he said.
The current mayor, Scott Gillingham, said Bowman marked his career with “inclusivity, and commitment, and certainly a focus not only on progress but on reconciliation as well.”
“No other mayor has done more, intentionally, to advance the critical work of reconciliation in our community,” he said.
Notably, during Bowman’s service, he set up the Mayor’s Indigenous Advisory Circle in 2015 — which the province’s newly minted premier, Wab Kinew, led as chairman.
“I’m just proud of my friend,” Kinew said, adding he got to know Bowman when inviting him to community organizations, for which the former mayor took the time to volunteer.
“I really got to appreciate the fact that Brian Bowman is a fundamentally decent person — somebody who walks through life with a lot of enthusiasm and integrity,” Kinew said.
Of course, the premier said “there were ups and downs during that period, but I think he served us well and with a lot of positivity.”
During Bowman’s time in office, he wrestled through one of the most trying years he spent in office, as he navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the social consequences it brought.
Now, the former politician says he is the vice-president of sustainability and social impact for Canada Life.
“I’ve been enjoying a little more time in the evenings to play hockey, but also to coach hockey, which has been humbling when I get out on the ice,” he said.
Among his reflections, Bowman said in politics “sometimes you get credit for things you don’t deserve, and you also get blamed for things you don’t feel you deserved.”
He served as Winnipeg’s mayor up to 2022, when he decided he did not want to run for another term.
Portraits of Winnipeg’s mayors have been hung in the Gallery of Mayors since 1902, Gillingham said.
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