Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 26, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A4 A 4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 TOP NEWS winnipegfreepress. com Expires April 30, 2015 one coupon per visit. LiquorMarts. ca � SAVE UP TO 40 % OFF SOME WINES MAY ALSO BE AVAILABLE AT: Banville & Jones Wine Company Calabria Market & Wine Store De Luca Fine Wines Fenton's Wine Merchants (& Cognac Sale) GJ Andrews Food & Wine Shoppe Kenaston Wine Market La Boutique del Vino The Winehouse WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! AIR MILES � reward miles only available at Manitoba Liquor Marts Items vary by location. � T Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B. V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation. Please drink responsibly. VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS On a selection of Clearance Products SPIRITS * WINE * BEER * COOLERS 245 McDermot . 204.287.8279 . intothemusic. ca NEW & USED VINYL, CD'S, DVD'S, BOOKS, MAGS & ODDITIES FEED THE COLLECTOR WITHIN. VINYL CD Quality Collectible Music A ND the rules have changed, again. The NDP's provincial council voted narrowly on Sunday to allow some form of remote voting from five northern ridings: Thompson, Flin Flon, The Pas, Kewatinook and Swan River. It is not known yet how people in those constituencies will vote - mail- in ballot, electronic ballot - but we know now any eligible delegate from any of those ridings will not have to endure the time and expense of travelling to Winnipeg to participate in the March 8 leadership vote. Sunday's provincial council result effectively overturns a party executive decision to not allow remote voting. The executive elected to use normal annual convention rules, which require delegates to appear in person to vote, and not special leadership rules. That ruling was challenged by Steve Ashton, the former cabinet minister now making his second bid to lead the NDP. Ashton, the MLA for Thompson, pushed hard for remote voting because he has been able to generate an enormous number of delegates in northern ridings by selling enormous numbers of memberships. On Sunday, his campaign could hardly contain its excitement at the provincial council vote. " We're thrilled that northerners will be able to have their say for the selection of leader," said Ashton spokesman Christopher Sanderson. Each riding gets 10 delegates for every 100 members in good standing. Not surprisingly, at least not for people who know Ashton well, several northern ridings will be among the most delegate- heavy in this race. Ashton's riding, for example, has qualified for 56 delegates, one of the largest in the province. But that pales in comparison to The Pas, which boasts 147 delegates. That is the largest number of delegates from any single one of Manitoba's 57 ridings. In fact, it is expected only one other riding, the Maples, will generate more than 100 delegates for this convention. Some have claimed the membership boost in The Pas is due to the fact there is a byelection expected later this year. As a super- safe NDP seat, with four candidates seeking the NDP nomination, it's not surprising to see so many memberships sold. Others believe Ashton was using the byelection race as a diversion to allow him to stockpile potential leadership delegates. Allegations such as this are the burden of a man whose ambition is only matched by his ability to sell memberships. Regardless of the motivation, the 252 delegates available in those five northern ridings could, theoretically at least, play a major role in deciding the leadership race, where it is estimated 700- plus votes will be needed to secure a victory. Those northern delegates will almost certainly play a role in determining which candidates survive to see a second ballot. It is far too early to begin accurately handicapping the leadership race, but more and more New Democrats are beginning to see the first ballot will be a critical battle for Oswald and Selinger. In other words, while Ashton might not have enough support to win the leadership, it seems more and more likely he will have the support to make the second ballot. In 2009, in a head- to- head race that required only one ballot, Ashton was not able to overcome a coalition of internal constituencies that galvanized around Selinger's campaign. When the votes were counted, Selinger garnered the support of 1,317 votes to Ashton's 685. If there had been a third candidate in the race - former cabinet minister Andrew Swan dropped out halfway through the leadership campaign - it was likely Ashton would have led on the first ballot, and only one of Selinger and Swan would have survived. That scenario seems likely now it's a three- way race on the first ballot, and all those northern delegates will have at least a fighting chance now to participate. Ashton's key to victory will be leading the first ballot, and then forming a coalition to secure enough support from whichever candidate drops out to win the second ballot. And yes, there are a lot of " ifs" in that scenario. Ashton not only has to win all the northern delegates at selection meetings in February, along with a goodly number of delegates from the south, he then must get them all to show up to vote on March 8. Even with some form of remote voting, it is far from a certainty he can do both. Northern delegates have been notoriously unreliable in past leadership battles. In 2009, Ashton was able to capture the gross majority of northern delegates but not all of them showed up to support him. In the end, it didn't matter that much, as Selinger was able to secure the support of far many more delegates from ridings in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba. dan. lett@ freepress. mb. ca NDP flip- flop on voting very good news for Ashton DAN LETT A WESTERN Manitoba First Nation set up teepees in the path of Bipole III this weekend to protest Manitoba Hydro's decision to push the transmission line through its treaty entitlement land. And at least one other First Nation set up its own teepee in a gesture of solidarity Sunday. The occupation is peaceful with about 30 people at the main camp in a clearing next to Highway 10 between Swan River and The Pas, Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Chief Nelson Genaille said by phone from the site Sunday. A sacred fire for tobacco offerings was lit at the main site to signal the peaceful intent. " Our people are now standing up for their rights and interests," Genaille said in a statement. A second teepee stands deeper in the bush. Both cross the path of crews cutting a 200- kilometre stretch intended for the line. The crews that are cutting the line work for a M�tis economic- development company that won the contract to clear the Crown land, which in addition to being claimed by Treaty 4, is also claimed by the Manitoba Metis Federation. A Court of Queen's Bench ruling Jan. 14 denied Sapotaweyak Cree Nation's bid for an injunction to halt the work. " I have exhausted the diplomatic and legal routes to voice our concerns against this project. And regrettably, the Manitoba ministers and Manitoba Hydro bigwigs did not take our concerns seriously," the chief said. Manitoba Hydro said in a statement Sunday it considers the action a blockade. " At this time we are evaluating the potential impact of the protest on our work in the area. Clearing work will continue where possible," said Hydro spokesman Scott Powell. " Manitoba Hydro is reaching out to both the protesters and community leadership to resolve the issue as quickly as possible." Hydro will continue to evaluate its options and assess the situation, said the spokesman, noting the legal options are firmly in Hydro's favour. " The community recently went to court to request an injunction to stop work on project, but the courts denied the request," Powell said. - Alexandra Paul Teepees set up as protest of Bipole III's planned route SUBMITTED PHOTO A sign in front of a teepee set up to protest the Bipole III route. More New Democrats are beginning to see the first ballot will be a critical battle for Oswald and Selinger A_ 04_ Jan- 26- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A4 1/ 25/ 15 8: 55: 33 PM ;