Morden by-election candidate Megan Giesbrecht was born and raised in Winkler and moved to Winnipeg. When choosing to move back to the Pembina Valley, she decided to live in Morden for its beauty and tight-knit feel. She opened her salon business in Winkler in 2020.
The timing of this decision and the challenges she faced, influenced her decision to run for Morden City Council.
"That decision came from being so involved in business, and seeing the effect I could have on the community and the people around, and just wanting to get into a room with the people that can make those big decisions for us. I don't have an agenda. There isn't a whole bunch of things about Morden that I really want to change because I love it for what it is, and I moved here for a reason. I would like to see more people taking advantage of the amazing things that we have within our community, and I'd like to see growth within that community."
She learned a lot from the challenges she faced early on in her business.
"I think that opening in March of 2020, when I did really gave me the opportunity to see how impactful each person actually is when it comes to community and how even if you see something that you're not totally happy with in your community, if you actually put some feet on the ground and start moving, you can make changes and that can make a big difference within your community and where you're living."
As far as issues in Morden, Giesbrecht is wants to learn and serve.
"I think we all kind of have some of the same concerns, whether it's uncontrolled intersections or the smell of the lagoon, but some of those things aren't actually fully controlled by us, but I would like to be able to have those conversations and, in all honesty, just be able to learn. I'm young and I have energy and I have the willingness to sit on Council and sit in meetings and learn so much about things that I don't know. That's my game plan, get in there, learn what's going on, and figure out ways that I can actually help boost the community in ways it needs to be."
Although she doesn't have an agenda, she is clear on what she hopes to accomplish.
"There is no main, massive agenda that I'm trying to fix anything. I just want to be a voice for the people and just be somebody that represents a different type of voter. I'd like to see more people in the 20-year-old, 30-year-old demographic getting out and voting for things, whether it is as small as a municipality election or something bigger. Our community needs involvement otherwise we don't have community."
Candidates confirmed to be running in Morden's by-election are:
Mayoral Candidates:
Nicholas Hoeppner
Nancy Penner
Councilor Candidates:
Chris Abrams
Megan Giesbrecht
Dave Hildebrand
Brenda Klassen
Tracey Krause
Allan Spearman
Darlene Wiebe
An All-Candidates Forum will be held December 4th at the Morden Activity Centre at 7pm.
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