The Winnipeg Green Party was a municipal political party in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The party has been inactive and is possibly defunct.
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2006 campaign
The party was created in 2006, and fielded six candidates in the 2006 municipal election, none of whom were elected.
As of 2006, the Winnipeg Greens are the only municipal party in Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg does not officially recognize political parties, and all six candidates appeared on the ballot without party affiliation. The party is not formally affiliated with the Green Party of Canada or the Green Party of Manitoba, although many of its members also belong to these parties.
The Winnipeg Greens campaigned on a six-point platform in 2006. The party supported reinvestment in existing neighbourhoods, rather than the pursuit of developer-friendly policies in new urban extensions. It also called for improved public transit, greater accountability in public works, a ban on cosmetic pesticides, and the removal of Video Lottery Terminals from the city. All six candidates opposed the OlyWest slaughterhouse planned for the St. Boniface/Transcona area.
The party does not have an official leader, although former Green Party of Manitoba leader Markus Buchart has been its primary representative at public events. Elizabeth Fleming is the party's president.
The WGP should not be confused with an earlier municipal Green Party, organized by social justice activist Nick Ternette for the 1989 municipal election.
David J. Danyluk (Elmwood-East Kildonan)
Danyluk was raised in northern Manitoba, where his father worked as a firefighter. He himself worked as a realtor before earning a Bachelor's Degree in Politics and Administrative Studies from the University of Winnipeg. As of 2007, he is completing a Master's Degree in city planning at the University of Manitoba.
Danyluk became co-ordinator of Save Our Seine, a group encouraging the protection of an urban forest area along the Seine River, in the early 2000s. In 2006, he strongly criticized the municipal government's decision to introduce a moratorium on new Seine River trails.
Danyluk endorsed Winnipeg Centre Liberal candidate David Northcott in the 2004 federal election. In 2007, he wrote an editorial piece in the Winnipeg Free Press that was strongly critical of the provincial government's increasing reliance on Video Lottery Terminals as a source of revenue.
Danyluk was a founding member of the Winnipeg Green Party, and was the first person to hold the position of party secretary. He was 33 years old during the 2006 election. He received 1,657 votes (19.32%), finishing second against incumbent councillor Lillian Thomas.
Markus Buchart (St. Vital)
Buchart, the party leader, received 1,049 votes (7.35%) for a third-place finish against incumbent councillor Gord Steeves.
Stephen Smith (Transcona)
Stephen Smith was raised in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, and was a 28-year-old student at the time of the election. He already held a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, and was seeking a Master's Degree in Natural Resource Management. During the campaign, he said he was running to ensure that voters had a democratic choice. He opposed construction of an OlyWest hog processing plant near his ward. He received 581 votes (6.28%), finishing third against incumbent councillor Russ Wyatt.