Polls are closed in Winnipeg

The polls are closed and despite cold rain and strong winds, Winnipeggers turned out to vote in high numbers.

This election, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, Winnipeg residents were forced to make a choice.

Sam Katz has been mayor for six years and is facing a major challenge from former NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

Political newcomers Brad Gross and Rav Gill are also in the race, but over the course of the campaign the race to City Hall has been primarily between Katz and Wasylycia-Leis.

Recent poll results show a very close race between the two front-runners.

The last-minute election campaigning has focused on crime after a brutal shooting in the city over the weekend. A recent report also shows that Winnipeg is the murder capital of Canada.

Katz carried the backing of the police union heading into Wednesday’s vote, and Wasylycia-Leis has the support of former Winnipeg police chief David Cassels, who led the police service from 1996 to 1998.