In this episode of WINNIPEG VOTES 2026, host Graham McDonald spoke to Lora Meseman, a candidate for city council in Transcona. A lifelong resident of the ward, Meseman is presently the executive director of the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres.
“Now as the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres executive director, I see a need to advocate from within,” Meseman said about her candidacy.
“I just feel that city hall is the next step to take my skill set to.”
She remarked that one thing community centres and the city as a whole have in common is a finite amount of money for infrastructure spending.
“There isn’t a bucket of money for capital dollars, and community centres are aging infrastructure. Most community centres are well over 50 years [old].”
Meseman explained that in her role as a community centre executive, she successfully urged council to reject a proposed reduction in annual community-centre renovation funding from $2 million to $965,000.
Meseman clarified that once she is officially nominated, she will take a leave of absence from her role at the GCWCC, and she will formally step down from the role if elected on October 28.
Meseman said she will work hard to get additional funding from the provincial and federal governments for the East of the Red RecPlex.
“Transcona is far from a lot of the other recreation facilities, so I will be working hard to advocate for that other funding,” Meseman said.
On transit, Meseman favours incremental changes to the transit system rather than completely reversing the route overhaul which happened in 2025. She said that a wholesale return to the old system would be problematic both because of cost and because of issues residents of her ward were already having with the old system.
She believes the city should collaborate with community groups that provide wrap-around services for homelessness and addictions.
She is also in favour of expanding Transcona’s housing supply but says that new developments should fit the “feel of the community.”
Meseman said that the first thing that will happen if she is elected is that residents of her ward will have an accessible and communicative councillor.
“Residents want to be heard,” Meseman said. “They don’t want to be told to call 311 and just be left on their own. They want to hear from their councillor.”
“There is no doubt: that is the number one thing that will change within the first year of my term in office.”
To learn more about Lora Meseman, her candidacy, and her positions, check out the full interview on U Multicultural Channel 14 in Manitoba, Bell MTS channel 1029 in Winnipeg, U Radio on 88.7 FM in Manitoba and U Multicultural’s YouTube channel.
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.
Graham McDonald, U Multicultural Journalism and Media Arts Centre