The youngest candidate in Winnipeg’s mayoral race says he would cancel the widening of Kenaston Boulevard and spend that money on public transit instead if elected. Noah Redden, a 27-year-old software developer who grew up in Winnipeg, is one of 12 candidates seeking the city’s top job in the upcoming municipal election. In an interview with CTV News Winnipeg’s Senior News Anchor Maralee Caruso, Redden said he sees his age as an advantage and would make transit a top priority. “I really do think that I can bring a fresh breath of air that I think a lot of the other candidates really just don’t consider,” Redden said. “I would say I have transit as a higher priority than any other candidate, and I really do want to make that shine in the city.” Redden said his daily drive to work through Confusion Corner takes about 15 minutes. By bus, he said, it takes about 30, and missing a transfer can add another 20 to 30 minutes. “I don’t think that’s particularly convenient, and we’ve seen this all across the city, especially on the edges,” he said. “I really do think, with some more investment in more buses, more drivers, we can really increase the frequency of service all over the city.” The mayoral hopeful also wants to extend night hours and create a full-time transit safety team to patrol buses. He said the team would include police officers to respond to violent incidents, along with mental health and support workers to handle less violent emergencies, such as overdoses. Redden said he would pay for his plan in part by reallocating money from the city’s road budget. He said removing a few million dollars from the city’s six-year, $1.1-billion road renewal plan would not noticeably reduce street quality. Redden also argued that widening Kenaston Boulevard would not ease congestion and said that if elected, he would scrap the project. “I would really prefer to spend that money on public transit, which has been shown to reduce traffic even for people who are still driving in their car to work,” he said. The city estimates its Route 90 project, which includes the Kenaston widening along with bridge and sewer work, at $613.9 million, or about $757 million with interest if it is financed entirely through borrowing. He also has proposed scrapping the Chief Peguis Trail extension, arguing that much of the justification is to support more urban sprawl, which he said costs the city more in maintenance than it brings in revenue. Redden said he would freeze property taxes, but if forced to choose between raising taxes and cutting services, he would protect services. Election day is Oct. 28. Redden is one of 12 mayoral candidates CTV News will profile in sit-down interviews ahead of the Oct. 28 election. The full interview can be viewed online. With files from CTV News’ Maralee Caruso
