Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 20, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba winnipeg.ca/yardwaste It's yard waste season! Yard waste is collected every second week and includes leaves, plants, flowers, grass and tree clippings. For more information, visit winnipeg.ca/yardwaste or contact 311 Space provided through a partnership between industry and Manitoba communities to support waste diversion programs. T HE resumé of a candidate running for school trustee in River Park South has caught the attention of residents and longtime trustees alike. “I’ve never heard of a former minis- ter of education coming back to run for school board trustee,” said Alan Camp- bell, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association. Former NDP MLA Peter Bjornson is one of three candidates competing for an opening in Ward 3 of the Louis Riel School Division. His rivals, Winnipeg lawyer Susanne Dandenault and Ben Singer, whose online biography states he works in “front-line facility services,” are both parents of school-aged children in the division. Bjornson’s latest bid for public of- fice is a testament to the value of this hyperlocal and often overlooked pos- ition, said Campbell, a veteran trustee in the Interlake School Division. Campbell called Manitoba’s former education minister “the voice” in kin- dergarten-to-Grade 12 policy-making. He noted that, in stark contrast, “A trustee is one voice in a group.” Two metro divisions, LRSD and Pem- bina Trails, are both hosting byelec- tions on Oct. 25. Each board is filling a vacancy related to a colleague’s sudden death in the spring. School board elections — let alone byelections — consistently record the worst voter turnout of all levels of gov- ernment. In response to the now-defunct Bill 64 (the Education Modernization Act), the school boards association has ramped up efforts to engage voters and recruit potential candidates in recent years. The Progressive Conservatives’ 2021 proposed legislation would have made the association extinct. It called for re- placing 37 elected school boards with a handful of regional entities run by gov- ernment appointees. At the time, the Progressive Con- servative government cited the preva- lence of uncontested trustee races and dismal voter turnout. Former premier Brian Pallister stepped down amid public outcry over his controversial reforms. Bjornson said his interest in K-12 education didn’t disappear when he left the legislature in 2015, or when the last of his three children graduated from LRSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The former NDP MLA for Gimli oversaw the education portfolio for a combined six and a half years between 2003 and 2015, under both the Doer and Selinger governments. Bjornson was a high school teacher before he entered politics. He current- ly delivers student-teacher courses, in- cluding “The School System: Structure and Dynamics,” at the University of Winnipeg. Manitoba’s Public Schools Act re- quires a board to organize a byelec- tion if a vacancy occurs more than 12 months prior to the next general elec- tion. The circumstances, whether it’s the result of a death, resignation or otherwise, do not matter. The president of the school boards association called that clause, which is resulting in costly polls across the province this month that will be redone in a year’s time, “a bit of a headscratch- er.” “It would be valuable to review that timeline,” Campbell said. Winnipeg residents will elect a may- or, city council and school trustees for a new four-year term on Oct. 28, 2026 — just over a year after LRSD and Pembina Trails welcome new repre- sentatives. AN environmental assessment of a north Transcona scrapyard that was razed by fire in May found high- er-than-acceptable levels of several chemicals and concluded the plot re- quires remediation work. Soil samples collected from 568 Gunn Rd. exceeded the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Tier 1 soil-quality guidelines for xylenes, naphthalene and petroleum hydrocar- bons, says a report submitted to the province in August. One sample found nearly 4,000 per cent of the commercial limit of naph- thalene, a chemical compound used in a variety of industrial uses, including solvents and fuel additives. Once released into the environment, the chemical takes a long time to break down and can contaminate soil and water. It can be toxic to humans if in- haled over a long period of time. The site assessment, conducted by JD Environmental of Winnipeg, rec- ommended the land be excavated to a minimum depth of four metres or until future tests show no detectable vapour concentrations. On May 12, a grass fire ripped through the yard, formerly home to Oluspe Autos and Parts Inc., and af- fected several other businesses in the area. The business rented out plots for customers to store and salvage old cars. At least 100 cars were on the lot when the fire ripped through. The cause re- mains under investigation. Francis Zvomuya, a professor of soil science at the University of Manitoba, said the contaminants found on the site are common in such places, but he worries about the future of the site in the event remediation work isn’t done properly. Xylenes and naphthalene are con- sidered possible carcinogens, while pet- roleum hydrocarbons are a mixture of multiple chemical compounds and can form new, unpredictable compounds when they break down in soil. “If you have these chemicals in the soil, because many of them are very soluble, they can kill some microorgan- isms in the soil and therefore disrupt nutrient cycling,” he said. A provincial spokesperson said remedial work identified in the as- sessment has been completed and a remediation report is expected by mid-November. After the fire, the provincial environ- ment department issued an order under the dangerous goods law to the prop- erty owner to hire a qualified environ- mental professional to assess the site, which included soil sampling. Soil testers dug 16 boreholes across the parcel of land to test for contamin- ation by polycyclic aromatic hydrocar- bons, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and petroleum hydrocarbons. The chemicals detected are used in crude oil and manufacturing and have negative impacts on health in high con- centrations. Levels in two of the boreholes were found to be above the allowable thresh- old for commercial land use, the report said, suggesting the site may require further remedial action or risk manage- ment prior to being redeveloped. Levels in one borehole suggest the presence of heavier petroleum hydro- carbons typically associated with diesel or lubricating oil contamination. “Although commercial criteria were not exceeded at this (hole) location, it represents a potential concern if the site is intended for residential or mixed- use development,” the report said. At the time of the fire, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt called on the prov- ince to order an environmental as- sessment of the property, citing en- vironmental and water contamination concerns. Wyatt said the city has failed to en- force bylaws for industrial areas, in- cluding the Gunn Road lot, which he said was the subject of numerous com- plaints months before the blaze. He alleged the fire spread through the yard so quickly because there was no proper egress for emergency crews to attack the flames when it got to the back of the lot. The owner of the property could not be reached for comment. At the time of the blaze, a provincial spokesperson said an inspection of 568 Gunn Rd. was conducted in November 2024 following a complaint about im- proper disposal of automotive fluids, but the complaint was ruled unsubstan- tiated. nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca MONDAY OCTOBER 20, 2025 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM SECTION B CONNECT WITH WINNIPEG’S NO. 1 NEWS SOURCE ▼ CITY ● BUSINESS Worrying signs of contaminants at torched scrapyard NICOLE BUFFIE Gunn Road assessment calls for excavation MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Burnt-out cars sit in a lot destroyed by a grass fire in north Transcona in May. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE WILL HAVE TO WAIT Liam the zombie waves to family as he takes a spin on the merry-go-round during Witchy Wonderland at Red River Exhibition Park Sunday. The event, which offers costumed crusaders rides, snacks and fireworks, continues next weekend. A portion of admission supports post-secondary scholarships and bursaries. Familiar face on school trustee byelection ballot MAGGIE MACINTOSH Bjornson a former MLA, education minister ● TRUSTEES, CONTINUED ON B2 ;