Global News is projecting Matt Allard as councillor for the St. Boniface ward.
Matt Allard was facing two challengers — one familiar face and one first-time candidate — in his bid for a third term as councillor for St. Boniface.
Allard, first elected to council in 2014, retained the seat in 2018 with an impressive 82.79 per cent of the vote over his only challenger, Marcel Boille.
Boille, a long-time realtor and contractor, ran again to represent St. Boniface this year in a three-way race rounded off by restaurant owner, Nicholas Douklias.
Unofficial voting numbers as of 11:30 p.m. Wednesday showed Allard winning with 10,124 votes. Douklias brought in 3,876 votes, and Boille garnered 934, according to the unofficial counts.
Allard, who chairs council’s infrastructure renewal and public works committee, has said his policy priorities if elected again will focus on fiscal, environmental sustainability, transit, safety and homelessness.
On his campaign website, Allard pointed to making transit free for kids 11 and under as one of his proudest achievements on council.
Boille, who picked up 17.21 per cent of the vote in 2018, had said he would support St. Boniface separating from Winnipeg if elected.
In a campaign video posted to his website, Boille called St. Boniface’s move, along with 11 other municipalities, to join Winnipeg in 1972, a “forced amalgamation” and vowed to call for a referendum on leaving the city if elected.
Other priorities for Boille included development — especially the replacement of the Norwood Pool — as well as crime and safety.
Douklias, who owns Helios Restaurant and Catering, sits on a number of local boards, including the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, Le Musée de Saint-Boniface, Enterprises Riel, and the Norwood Grove Business Improvement Zone.
The first-time council candidate had said he was running to make sure community members and organizations have a voice on council.
Top priorities for Douklias, according to his website, include infrastructure, homelessness, and the opioid crisis.
St. Boniface is located in central Winnipeg and includes the neighbourhoods of North St. Boniface, Central St. Boniface, Tissot, Archwood, Dufresne, Holden, Maginot, Norwood East, Norwood West, Windsor Park, Stock Yards, The Mint, Mission Industrial, Niakwa Park, Niakwa Place, Southdale, and Island Lakes.
It’s bordered by Point Douglas, Mynarski, and Elmwood-East Kildonan to the north, Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry to the west, St. Vital to the south, and Transcona to the east.
According to the latest census data provided on the city’s website, St. Boniface had a population of 46,035 in 2016 and just shy of 27 per cent of the population reported speaking both French and English.
That year the median individual income for all residents in the ward was recorded at $44,108, according to the census data.
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