For many families in River East Transcona, finding space in local schools has become more than a planning issue. It’s becoming a daily reality.
In the latest episode of Winnipeg Votes 2026, host Graham McDonald speaks with Jerry Sodomlak, a candidate for School Trustee in Ward 1 of the River East Transcona School Division. A retired teacher, principal, and former board chair, Sodomlak returns to municipal politics after moving back to Winnipeg earlier this year.
His message is straightforward: growth is putting enormous pressure on the education system.
“Growth you’d assume would be a positive thing, and it is,” Sodomlak said. “But when you’re getting five, six, seven hundred new students per year for the last five or six years, that now imparts quite a demand on the system.”
According to Sodomlak, classrooms are filling faster than infrastructure can expand. While a new 800-student school is under construction, he believes long-term planning is essential because enrolment continues to rise across the division.
Funding is another concern.
“The funding part from the government hasn’t kept up,” he said, pointing to inflation, rising maintenance costs, utilities, transportation expenses, and staffing pressures.
During the interview, Sodomlak also discussed support for students with additional needs, services for newcomer families, the growing role of artificial intelligence in education, and the importance of locally elected school trustees.
One area he hopes to advance is stronger collaboration between schools, health services, social agencies, and community organizations.
“We’re working with the same families and the same children,” he said. “We need to be able to work together for the betterment of kids.”
With voters preparing to head to the polls on October 28, the conversation offers insight into the challenges facing one of Manitoba’s fastest-growing school divisions and how one candidate believes those challenges should be addressed.
Disclaimer: As part of U Multicultural’s 2026 Winnipeg Municipal Election Coverage, candidates were invited to share messages with our audience. The views expressed in this article are the candidate’s own, and this article does not constitute an endorsement by U Multicultural.
Yuliia Kovalenko, U Multicultural Journalism