Winnipeg, Man. (September 25, 2022) - The letter below is my reply to an email a resident sent requesting information about my stance on the Ukraine conflict and the actions which I have taken in response.
Aligned with my commitment to accountability, transparency and public participation, I have posted the reply to the resident on my website. Below you will find my commitment to Ukraine which I made as a councilor and continue to hold as a mayoral candidate.
My response is as follows:
Thank you for your email and concerns regarding the situation in Ukraine. Winnipeg has a strong connection to Ukraine with many residents of Ukrainian heritage. We are also officially sister cities with Lviv for five decades, over which the cities have shared various programs and active relations (which we should celebrate in 2023).
What the Ukrainian people are experiencing is nothing less than tragic.
Although I am not a federal politician with influence on foreign affairs, I did bring the following motion to council in May (I actually tried to raise it in April, but was prevented by internal politics):
More details on the IEA report can be found here:
https://www.iea.org/events/playing-my-part-how-to-save-money-reduce-reliance-on-russian-energy-support-ukraine-and-help-the-planet https://www.iea.org/reports/a-10-point-plan-to-reduce-the-european-unions-reliance-on-russian-natural-gas
The intent of the motion is for the City to play its small part in a global collaboration to support Ukraine and other nations being directly impacted by this war.
We must recognize that the world is tightly connected, and that even the smallest of actions can make large positive impacts if acting together in a unified and coordinated manner as recommended by the International Energy Agency, of which Canada is a member nation. If Russia lacks money, it can’t pay for armies and weapons, and can’t sustain war. The IEA has developed a simple 9 step plan which Cities and citizens can follow to reduce the excess profits of energy sales by Russia used to finance war.
Unfortunately the City of Winnipeg did not act on my motion with any major steps forward, and the City did not communicate my motion to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for unified national adoption.
This is one of the reasons why I am running for Mayor. It is unacceptable for the City to turn a blind eye to problems around us, whether it be local crime, poverty and homelessness, the environment, or the global responsibilities towards the war in Ukraine. I made a clear motion for the City to take a few small steps to help, this wasn’t followed with any real progress by the City. I am sorry to all in the Winnipeg Ukrainian community that our City wasn’t able to get its act together to help.
As mayor, I would like to immediately prioritize actions on this item. We can’t ignore this tragedy and act obliviously to the massive global impact this war is having.
Such horrible tragedy.
The lack of action by the City is an embarrassment for me as a Councillor.
We need public pressure to change this.
Regards,
Kevin Klein
Candidate for Mayor of Winnipeg 2022
Winnipeg City Councillor serving – Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood