10 things to know before Winnipeg votes

Municipal voters can be like students preparing for an exam.

They don't pay attention to the subject early on. They wind up cramming at the last minute. And when they finally get around to perusing the multiple-choice questions, they do little but complain about the options.

The lack of engagement is a shame, given that what happens at city hall is bound to affect your life in a far more profound mannerthan anything thattranspires atthe provincial legislature or on Parliament Hill.

But given the reality some Winnipeggers have not been paying attention, here's a little primer on your options on Wednesday, when you may select your choice of mayor, city councillor and school trustee and mark a "yes" or "no" in the Portage and Main plebiscite.

1. Winnipeg will elect no fewer than 5 new councillors

In recent years, change has become the norm at city council. The last time Winnipeggers voted, in 2014, fully half of the incoming members of council the occupants of eight out of 16 seats were rookies, including Mayor Brian Bowman.

On Wednesday, no fewer than five new members of council will be elected, thanks to vacancies in four wards and the creation of a new ward in southeastern Winnipeg.

• Jenny Gerbasi Winnipeg's longest-serving councillor won't seek 6th term
• Coun. Pagtakhan will not seek re-election

Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry is wide open for the first time since 1998, thanks to Jenny Gerbasi's impending retirement. Point Douglas and Transconaare also incumbent-free, for the first time since 2002,thanks to political departures of Mike Pagtakhan and Russ Wyatt, respectively.

• Russ Wyatt makes it official: no re-election run this fall
• Marty Morantz wins federal Conservative nomination

Charleswood-Tuxedo is also open after one-term councillor Marty Morantzentered federal politics as a Conservative candidate.

There's also no incumbent in the new St. Norbert-Seine River ward, which was cobbled together from the southern reaches of what used to be the South Winnipeg andSt. Vital wards.

This means new faces will occupy nearly athird of the council seats, even if every ward elects an incumbent on Wednesday.

2. At least one council incumbent is going down

Thanks to ward-boundary realignment, the old city ward of St. Charles has beenwiped off Winnipeg's electoral map and absorbed into two other wards.

Most of what used to be St. Charlesis now part of an expanded St. James ward. That'swhere former St. Charles Coun. Shawn Dobsonis competing against former St. James-Brooklands-WestonCoun. Scott Gillingham in a cage match between two incumbents.

• Insider or outsider? Incumbents give St. James voters starkly different choices

Both Gillingham and Dobson were first elected in 2014. It was Gillingham's first shot at city council; Dobson was elected on his fourth try in 16years.

3. Waverley West voters don't have a council choice

Ward-boundary realignment didn't just make St. Charles disappear. It also carved out a brand-new ward called Waverley West, where nobody signed up to run against former South Winnipeg-St. Norbert Coun. Janice Lukes.

• Janice Lukes acclaimed in new Waverley West ward

On Sept. 18, Lukeswas acclaimed as the councillor-elect for the new ward. However, voters in that jurisdiction can still cast a ballot, albeit only for mayor, school trustee and on the Portage and Main plebiscite.

4.The Portage and Main vote isn't binding

On Wednesday, Winnipeggersalso get to decide whether or not Portage and Main ought to be reopened for pedestrians. Or at least they get to vote on the idea, because the decision is a plebiscite, not a binding referendum.

• A Portage and Main primer: What you need to know before you vote

Both of the most popular mayoral candidates Brian Bowman and Jenny Motkaluk have promised to respect the result of the vote. But there'snothing compelling the next council to do so, beyond incurring the wrath of the public that would feel used and abused.

5. A "no" vote maynot keep the barricades

But don't get too excited. No matterhow the Portage and Main plebiscite turns out, the city is going ahead with $2 million worth of repairs and other improvements to the intersection, both above and below the ground.

• Mayor's inner circle approves millions to prepare for possible Portage and Main reopening

Those improvements may result in the removal of concrete barricades at one or more of the corners. But that won't facilitate pedestrian crossings.

The barricades at the northeast corner of Portage and Main where the Richardson Building sits would be replaced with railings, Winnipeg planning, property and development director John Kiernan said earlier this year.

6. You have 8 choices for mayor

Brian Bowman has done the job for four years. Jenny Motkalukis a business consultant.Tim Diackis a police officer. Don Woodstock used to drive for Winnipeg Transit.

UmarHayatis an entrepreneur. Doug Wilson served one term as Morden's mayor. Ed Ackermanis a filmmaker. VenkatMachirajuis a Hindu priest.

Chances are, the mayoral race has been the only aspect of the election that has engaged you. If not, peruse their promises here.

• Mayoral promises: What the candidates are offering Winnipeg voters

If that seems like a lot of options, it could have been worse. In 1992, 17 candidates ran for mayor in a race won by Susan Thompson.

7. Jeff Browaty could become citycouncil's elder

When city council was prorogued for the election, North KildonanCoun. Jeff Browaty was its second-youngest sitting member, at the age of 40.

Browaty nonetheless stands to become the senior member of city council, should he be elected for a fourth term next week. Browaty was first elected in 2006 at the age of 28 and now has 12 years of council experience, which outranks any other council incumbent thanks to the departures of Gerbasi, Wyatt and Pagtakhan.

8. Nearly 40,000 have already voted

When advance polls closed on Friday, a record 39,840 Winnipeggers exercised their democratic right prior to election day. That breaks the previous advance-voting record of 30,619, set in 2014.

• Winnipeg sees record-setting advance voter turnout

This does not necessarily mean voter engagement is high. It may only mean more voters are eager to vote, as voter turnout in 2014 was a measly 50.23 per cent.

9. Polls are open Wednesday for 12 hours

You may vote from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In order to be eligible to vote for mayor or councillor, you must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old and have lived in Winnipeg or have owned property in the city for no less than six months.

You must also bring a driver's licence to the polling station or two pieces of identification that demonstrate you are who you say you are and live where you live.

10. The Jets play the Leafs on Wednesday

So vote prior to game time if you care more about Patrik Lainevs. Auston Matthews than you do Brian Bowman vs. Jenny Motkaluk.

• Winnipeg right-winger poised to turn heads on election night

Puck drop is at 6 p.m. That means the mayoral result will likely be known before the NHLgame ends.

Watch for the results here on cbc.ca/manitoba or listen live on CBCRadio One at 89.3 FM or 990 AM.