Russ Wyatt (born 1970) is a Canadian politician in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He represented Transcona on the Winnipeg City Council from 2002 to 2018, and is the incumbent. And at times he served as a member of the city's executive policy committee. His father, Reg Wyatt, was a councillor from 1983 to 1986.
Early life and career
Wyatt studied Political Science at the University of Winnipeg and worked for the Wyatt Insurance Group, a family company, before entering public life."Transcona", Winnipeg Votes 2006, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed 8 February 2008; "Seeking city hall seats", Winnipeg Free Press, 2 July 1998. In the 1990s, he was an assistant to Transcona councillor Rick Boychuk and chairman of the East Kildonan-Transcona residents advisory group.Bill Redekop, "Factory boss set for tall-grass fight", Winnipeg Free Press, 10 August 1993.
In 1993, Wyatt recommended that the City of Winnipeg introduce "park-and-ride" areas to improve public transportation.Bill Redekop, "City agrees to study park-and-ride idea", Winnipeg Free Press, 29 July 1993. "Park-and-ride" areas are for drivers who choose to park their cars before taking public transportation. During the 1997 federal election, he argued that renewed debates over national unity were drawing attention away from pressing issues such as job creation, and credited the New Democratic Party as the only political party willing to discuss the economy.Russ Wyatt, letter, 2 June 1997, A11. He led a petition drive against bus fare increases in 1998.Kim Guttormson, "City budget plan secretive, too rushed, councillors told", Winnipeg Free Press, 28 February 1998, A4.
Wyatt planned to run for city council in the 1998 municipal election with an endorsement from the New Democratic Party of Manitoba,Linda Quattrin, "10 New Democrats run under banner", Winnipeg Free Press, 18 August 1998, A3. but withdrew just before the nomination deadline."Wyatt departs race; leaves two to vie for Transcona seat", Winnipeg Free Press, 3 October 1998, A8. He led a citizen's campaign to preserve Transcona's health centre in 2000, and criticized the provincial government of Gary Doer when it chose to move the centre."Transcona fights to keep health centre", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 November 2000, A6; David Kuxhaus, "Health-care centre move opponents 'betrayed'", Winnipeg Free Press, 16 December 2000, A14.
At the time of the 2002 municipal election, Wyatt was the director of communications for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.Nick Martin, "Pining for police", Winnipeg Free Press, 20 October 2002, A6.
City councillor
First term (2002–2006)
Wyatt was elected to city council for Transcona in the 2002 municipal election, at age 32. He was no longer affiliated with the NDP by this time, and ran without a party endorsement."Candidates endorsed", Winnipeg Free Press, 21 September 2002, A2; Nick Martin, "Pining for police", Winnipeg Free Press, 20 October 2002, A6. He called for improved municipal infrastructure, and an increased police presence in his ward.Carol Sanders, "Transcona win sends message: new councillor", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 October 2002, A10. After the election, he was appointed to the city's protection and community services committee.Mary Agnes Welch, "Rookies win plum positions on city council", Winnipeg Free Press, 13 November 2002, A6.
Wyatt soon developed a reputation as a hard-working councillor and a vocal defender of his ward's interests.Mary Agnes Welch, "Wyatt's abandonment of hell-raising style sign of his ambitions?", Winnipeg Free Press, 13 December 2004, B3.; Mary Agnes Welch, "Transcona tired of being abused", Winnipeg Free Press, 14 March 2003, B1. He also emerged as a prominent opponent of Mayor Glen Murray, with whom he frequently clashed at council meetings. While some accused Wyatt of grandstanding, and of acting in an undiplomatic manner, Wyatt achieved broad popularity in his community for his brash style, support for residents, and no-nonsense attitude toward public policy and government.Mary Agnes Welch, "Shouting match erupts between mayor, councillor", Winnipeg Free Press, 17 July 2003, A3.
Police services
Wyatt opposed Winnipeg's 2002 police restructuring plan, in part because his ward was slated to lose its station to the St. Boniface area.Leah Hendry, "Police stations at risk", Winnipeg Free Press, 11 December 2002, A1; Leah Hendry, "Police station plan 'alienates' Transcona", Winnipeg Free Press, 14 January 2003, A6; Mary Agnes Welch, "Councillor threatens to 'fight' city hall", Winnipeg Free Press, 27 June 2003, B3. Following unsuccessful attempts to block the plan on council, he launched a billboard campaign that called for Transconans to protest Murray's handling of the issue. Murray described this move as "very unprofessional", adding that it was based on the flawed assumption that he was personally driving the policy.Mary Agnes Welch, "Councillor targets police station plans", Winnipeg Free Press, 19 July 2003, A7. Council approved the restructuring plan in July 2003.Mary Agnes Welch, "New police stations win council approval", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 July 2003, A3.
Other issues
Wyatt remained a vocal supporter of public transportation, and endorsed rapid transit services for Winnipeg in 2002.Leah Hendry, "Higher fares for bus riders get council OK", Winnipeg Free Press, 12 December 2002, A12. He opposed Mayor Murray's plans to introduce a sales tax, on the grounds that it would unfairly target the city's working and middle classes.Daniel Lett, "'Get off the fence,' Tory chief tells Doer", Winnipeg Free Press, 25 September 2003, A6. He also proposed a "Taxpayer's Bill of Rights" in 2004, arguing that it could be used to give citizens a direct vote on new taxes and major capital investments.Mary Agnes Welch, "Committee rejects bill of rights for city taxpayers", Winnipeg Free Press, 6 May 2004, B3.
Wyatt indicated his support for urban reserves in June 2003, as a means of alleviating poverty among aboriginal communities in Winnipeg.Mary Agnes Welch, "Urban reserves to tackle poverty?", Winnipeg Free Press, 25 June 2003, A1. In the same year, he argued that Winnipeg had fallen behind in its efforts to hire greater numbers of women and visible minorities, and called for a department-by-department investigation into the existing state of employment equity programs.Patti Edgar, "City slighting employment equity: Wyatt", Winnipeg Free Press, 4 May 2004, B2. He also opposed the possibility of private companies overseeing Winnipeg's trash services, arguing that municipal employees were more reliable."Privatized garbage pickup debated", Winnipeg Free Press, 22 April 2004, A5.
2004 Mayoral Election
When Glen Murray resigned halfway through his term as Mayor of Winnipeg in 2004 to run for the federal Liberal Party in the House of Commons of Canada, Wyatt considered running for mayor in the by-election that followed, but eventually chose to endorse Garth Steek. He said that he was impressed with Steek's "law and order" focus, and particularly his pledge to crack down on the Hells Angels biker gang.Mary Agnes Welch, "Eight could run for mayor's crown", Winnipeg Free Press, 7 May 2004, B1; Mary Agnes Welch, "Election battles begin brewing", Winnipeg Free Press, 18 May 2004, B2; "Hockey, law and order take the podium", Winnipeg Free Press, 29 May 2004, A1. Later he became disillusioned with the Steek campaign, however, and suggested that Steek was actually trying to ensure the election of rival candidate Sam Katz by attacking Katz's more serious opponents and otherwise keeping a low profile.Patti Edgar, "Steek denies campaign winding down", Winnipeg Free Press, 21 June 2004, A1; Patti Edgar, "Mihychuk says Katz team made her unsolicited offer", Winnipeg Free Press, 22 June 2004, B3. Katz won the election, while Steek finished a distant fifth.
Rapid Transit Review Task Force
Wyatt initially sought to improve his relationship with the mayor after the 2004 Mayoral by-election.Mary Agnes Welch, "Wyatt's abandonment of hell-raising style sign of his ambitions?", Winnipeg Free Press, 13 December 2004, B3. He supported Mayor Katz's decision to shelve a rapid transit bus line in September 2004Mary Agnes Welch, "City transit boss quits", Winnipeg Free Press, 30 September 2004, A1. and was appointed chair of the city's Rapid Transit Review Task Force the following month."Who got what", Winnipeg Free Press, 20 October 2004, A8. After several months of public consultation, the Wyatt and the task force called for Winnipeg to re-establish a rapid transit plan with a more citywide focus.Leah Janzen, "$312-M transit vision unveiled", Winnipeg Free Press, 14 May 2005, A1; Mary Agnes Welch, "The path of least resistance", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 May 2005, B5.
The task force later removed Katz's preferred option of a downtown light-rail system, following a second round of consultations. This created a rift between Katz and Wyatt, and by the summer of 2005 Wyatt had returned to his previous role as a critic of the administration.Patti Edgar, "Light-rail plan derailed", Winnipeg Free Press, 5 July 2005, B1. The task force ultimately recommended a bus transit corridor.Bartley Kives, "The bus stops here", Winnipeg Free Press, 15 June 2008, B1. When the final report was submitted, Wyatt expressed concern that Katz's inner circle would cherry-pick its least expensive recommendations and simply ignore the rest.Patti Edgar, "Rapid transit years away", Winnipeg Free Press, 27 October 2005, B1. By 2008, he accused Winnipeg Transit of watering down the report beyond all recognition, and described the task force's work as a waste of public money.Bartley Kives, "Transit task force a $200,000 'waste'", Winnipeg Free Press, 27 May 2008, A5.
Veteran Winnipeg activist Nick Ternette criticized the task force's conclusions, arguing that light rail transit is more effective than bus rapid transit.Nick Ternette, "Light rail better than buses" [letter], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 May 2008, A12.
Other issues
Wyatt opposed the provincial government's plan to construct the Waverley West suburb in 2005, arguing that it would incur significant infrastructural costs.Mary Agnes Welch, "Waverley West rainy-day funds touted", Winnipeg Free Press, 27 January 2005, B1. He voted against Sam Katz's anti-panhandling bylaw later in the same year.Patti Edgar, "Panhandlers be warned", Winnipeg Free Press, 30 June 2005, B1. Wyatt supported malathion spraying to target the city's mosquito population,Mary Agnes Welch, "Looming infestation swats city's 'greener' approach", Winnipeg Free Press, 13 July 2005, A1. and supported an unsuccessful motion to introduce term limits in March 2006.Bartley Kives, "Council nixes vote on term limits", Winnipeg Free Press, 23 March 2006, B1. Wyatt also supported a similar motion in 2007. See Bartley Kives, "Veteran councillors terminate plan for term limits", Winnipeg Free Press, 22 November 2007, A4.
Second term (2006–2010)
2006 election
Wyatt was re-elected in the 2006 municipal election with 85.2% of the vote in his ward. He was endorsed by the Winnipeg Labour Council, and by an "OlyOpp group" of businesses opposing the OlyWest project.Bartley Kives, "8 council candidates get labour's backing", Winnipeg Free Press, 22 June 2006, B3; Bartley Kives, "Cerilli gets OlyOpp vote", Winnipeg Free Press, 25 September 2006, B1. He described his victory as a message for Gary Doer's NDP government, and warned that Doer's support for OlyWest would hurt him in the next provincial campaign."Transcona", Winnipeg Free Press, 26 October 2006, B9.
Executive Policy Committee