The Morris and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a Town of Morris election forum Thursday night at the Morris Multiplex. The nine council candidates vying for the six seats on council and the two candidates vying for the mayoral seat participated. The 2026 municipal election is Wednesday, October 28th. The event was livestreamed by the Chamber, and you can find a link to that video below to watch the entire forum. The opening statements from each of the candidates in the order they spoke are below. Mayoral candidates Victoria Dearborn "Hello. Good evening. My name is Victoria Dearborn. I'm running for mayor because Morris is my home. I've lived here for most of my life and my family has been a part of the community for many generations. I've watched Morris change. I've watched people build lives here and I've experienced firsthand the way neighbours can show up for one another. This is what I want to build on. I believe that municipal government should be about people first. It should be accessible, responsible, transparent, and accountable. The mayor shouldn't feel like someone who sits above the community. In my opinion, the mayor should be someone who is a part of it, someone who residents can talk to, question, disagree with, and work alongside. And I know that meaningful change doesn't happen just because one person alone is elected. It happens when a mayor and a council are willing to work together, listen to the community, and have the courage to do things differently. We need to take care of our infrastructure, including something as basic but as important as our sidewalks. We need to be responsible for taxpayers' money, but also need to explain what we are spending it on, why we are spending it, and what residents are receiving in return. We need to attract families, keep our young people here, and create reasons for people to invest in more risk. And I believe growth is important, but growth we can manage, plan for, and do well. That starts with taking care of what we already have, our main street, and I want that street to be seen as something that can become a place where businesses want to come, where people want to spend their time, and where we can be proud of what we're building. I also know that like many communities, Morris has carried some divisions over the years, but I don't want to spend time looking backwards at them. I want us to look forward to what we can build. I want Morris to be where people who may not always have had a voice at the table now has a seat there. That is part of why I want to create advisory boards that connect residents directly with the mayor and council. I don't believe that one person has all of the answers, and I believe that we can accomplish more when we listen to one another, bring different perspectives together, and are willing to try new things. I'm flexible in how we get there, but steadfast in my ethics and conditions. Thank you very much." Scott Crick "As many of you know, my name is Scott Crick. I've served as the town of Morris Mayor for the last eight years. I will be honest with the room tonight. First of all, thank you everyone for coming to the Chamber of Commerce for hosting. It's been quite a week, I'm sure as many of you may know. Council has helped with some very difficult animal control issues. And unfortunately, more fortunately, those will resolve today, result in animals being taken away from their owner, resulted in the owner being arrested, resulted in the potential threats of violence to members of council. So, just stating that, you know, when people look at everyone who's sitting up at the stage over there, when people want to run for council, I truly believe that everybody who does want to run does so with the best intention. And a lot of people think about the things that they can do in the community. Housing, very common. economic development, very common. We've been talking about supportive housing for probably close to two decades now. Those are things that I think we all have in common and I believe everybody who comes to this table wants to support that. But I think it's also important to recognize that anybody who is elected from this table who is going to be serving you as an elected official, they have families, they have wives, they have to make hard decisions sometimes. And it's not always the fun decisions that really decide clear leadership on council isn't who they are as people, it's the hard decisions in dealing with the fallout of that. Other than that, and I've gone a little bit off script tonight, I do have my brochures up in the hallway, which talked a lot about the progress we've made over the last eight years. Infrastructure improvements, zero entry pool, paved parking lot in multiplex, industrial park. We've done it all managing tax money smartly. We built savings so we have money available when opportunities come, including supportive housing. And we're going to continue to work on bylaw enforcement and economic partnership for the region to benefit the entire community. Thank you for coming tonight. I hope to see you again soon." Related Stories: Mayoral and Council elections happening in Town of Morris Crick points to experience, trust in bid for third term as Morris mayor Council candidates Sayla Cook "Good evening, everyone. As she just let you know, my name is Sayla Cook. Some of you may know me. Most of you won't, because I have only been living in town for one year, in the province for just under three. Even though I'm new to the town and new to the province, my family and I have been working very hard to plant deep, solid roots here. And I figured what better way to serve our community than to go for a seat on council and try to serve our town. A little bit about me, I'm a stay home mom. I homeschool my two kids and we spend our days out and about this town, which is where some of you may recognize me from. We do a lot of walks. We attend the community gardens. We read at the library and access our local resources, such as the Parent and Child Centre and the food bank. We volunteer. We host. I attend almost every community event I possibly can. We play at the parks and we shop at our local retail, especially the MCC, so a lot of people from there. We also enjoy going to as much of the local recreation and sporting events as we can. My main goal in life is to raise two good, Godly children who know what community looks like and I figured there's no better way to set them up for success by giving them a solid example of what a community member looks like. I hope to make a positive mark on this town and add to the already incredible work and efforts that are being made here. I want my kids to be trustworthy and reliable friends and neighbours, and I think without a seat on council, I'm going to continue doing that, volunteering on boards and being a present member of our community and showing up where I can. Ultimately, I think serving in this position would be a large sacrifice for me, and it's not something I'm pushing for other than to be a part of the community." Laura Epp "Good evening, everyone. Yes, I'm Laura Epp. Having lived, raised my family and operated a business in Morris for the past thirty years, I care deeply about this town, its present and its future. For the last decade I felt a calling towards serving on town council. And now that my children are independent, I have time, energy, and focus required to give this role my full attention. When asked why I'm running, my response is simply that I am stepping forward to serve Morris in a meaningful new way. My vision is built on collaboration, fostering strong, productive relationships between council, local businesses, and residents, while expanding partnerships with neighbouring municipalities. Together, these pillars will drive sustainable economic growth and secure future for Morris. Thank you." Yvette Habes "Well, good evening everybody. My name is Yvette Habes. I'm running for Town Council. I've worked at the pharmacy going on five years. This is a place where I have gotten to know you and all your families. Dennis and I have been together for almost 25 years. We have raised our family together and now we get to enjoy our ten grandchildren. Dennis has been with Morris Fire for over 30 years volunteering his time. As for myself, I have done many fundraisers for friends who helped take the pressure off and focus on healing. I've also done fundraising to make Christmas even more special for Red River Valley Lodge, the Villa, and Hospital. This is all done on behalf of Morris Fire as well. We have put on street parties and thanks to some super fantastic souls who worked tirelessly to make it all happen, it was amazing to see neighbours meet neighbors. I have a lot of goals that I would like to see Morris come live again with Main Street opening up and thriving. Maybe offer a cut in taxes for three years, so a building can be rented out and opened up again. Open up an ER. I believe Southern Health can provide mobile walk-in clinics. Now we have a home care shortage. We need to find better solutions to look after those who cannot get home care. We have our older folks having to move out and get care that they need. Same with a friend who has to move back to the city, because he can't get home care here on a daily basis. We need increasing recreational availability for youth. Use empty buildings to have pool tables and games and so on. I won't be able to change the world, but I would like to beautify Morris and make it amazing. Let me be your ears, your eyes, and your voice. Thank you." Chris Hamblin "Chair Harms and residents, it's great to see so many people here tonight. First, I'd like to thank the Morris and District Chamber of Commerce for hosting this evening's forum. As you've heard, I'm Chris Hamblin and I'm seeking re-election as a Town of Morris Councillor. My husband Lorne and I have farmed and lived in this area for more than fifty years and we've raised our family here. Morris is a great community with so much to offer. As your Councillor, I'll keep working to make our community strong. I've served as a Councillor for the past eight years and I'm proud of what we've accomplished. We've seen high-speed internet installed in town, created the Morris Industrial Park, and built a new Early Childhood Learning Centre. As chair of the Economic Development Committee, I've worked to find opportunities to attract new businesses and housing to our community. Council has also partnered with neighbouring municipalities along Highway 75 to support economic development across the area and this work continues. We also partnered with the rural municipalities of Morris and Montcalm to create the Red River Supportive Housing Inc. The collaboration was progressing well, but building costs grow significantly, largely due to the onset of the tariffs. The rural municipalities became concerned about the project's feasibility and withdrew from Red River Supportive Housing Inc. Our council, however, has kept the organization in place because we continue to see supportive housing as a priority. We're still looking for ways to make it a reality in Morris. As you may have heard, Manitoba Housing is looking to replace the Villa, and we believe that this could create economies of scale to help us reach our goal of a new facility. There's still a great deal of work ahead, but I'd like to keep moving and support the project forward. I'd also like to thank all the candidates who put their name forward. Having a choice leads to stronger councils and greater accountability. I wish you all the best. Choice does matter, and on October 28th I'm asking you to choose me as one of your councillors for the next four years. Thank you." Barry Krueger "Good evening. Thank you for coming. My name is Barry Krueger and I'm running for town council. I've lived in Morris for the last eighteen years. I'm retired after spending many years in the insurance industry. I exercise daily, walking several kilometers daily in Morris. While I'm walking, I get to meet and chat with many people. During some of these chats, three main concerns always seem to pop up. Briefly, they are rising property crime in Morris, The dangerous dogs allowed to run loose around town. The third concern is wine forest doesn't seem to be attracting new business at a similar pace as a few neighbouring communities. Rosenort and Altona, for example. Regarding rising property crimes in Morris, potential resources available to small communities to help deal with increasing crime rates. I believe we need to explore the ones that would be available to us. Addressing the dangerous dog problem we're having in Morris, there are several solutions that I believe can be implemented to deal with this, mainly one being strengthened in the dangerous dog bylaw and enforcing them quickly. Lastly regarding attracting new business to Morris in order to grow our economy. I believe there are tools that a few of our neighbouring communities are using successfully to grow new business to their towns. I think we can learn from their successes and apply the same types of strategies they are using, one being placing a moratorium on taxes and new business that would otherwise come to Morris. I believe we need to do better and I know that we can do better. Thank you." Mel Baxter "Good evening and thanks to the Chamber for putting on this event, which is appreciated. I have been a resident of Morris for thirty years and fifty-two years as a pharmacist, so I've had lots of managerial and work experience. I enjoyed my time on various boards around town, and the nice thing to say about all the boards and committees that I'm on, they're now in a financially good position in most cases. That's pleasing, because it wasn't that way when COVID hit back in the 20-22 timeframe. My position on council, I'm running for re-election, my position on council was as finance chair. As finance chair, please to indicate, as you were all aware of your tax bill, there was no municipal tax increase this year. Something I'm proud of, as is the council. We continue to work on assisting supportive living, housing, which Chris has made reference to. In particular, we want to maintain the retention of the Davidson Centre. It's a project formed through Morris Area Senior Services, and I definitely want to see the cooperation with Manitoba Housing, the existing building or a new one connected to a new facility that's put together. Thank you very much, that's it." Pro Lagos "Good evening, my name is Pro Lagos and I'm running for Councillor. I've been a partner for almost 20 years. I'm a business owner of over 36 years and 20 of those years I've been partner here in Morris. I'm a proud member of the Chamber of Commerce here in town and I'm a proud supporter of the Morris Museum and a proud supporter of the fundraisers that we do in Morris. I'm currently the Vice President of the Manitoba Used Car Dealers Association. I've been a member of the board for 25 years and held the chair as president. I'm a proud father of two daughters and I have two wonderful grandchildren. Using my past experience and business knowledge, I hope to be a voice for the town of Morris to serve our community. My mission to achieve a positive change for the town of Morris is to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the Council. I want to bring awareness to the town and make it a destination where people stop when passing through to help boost our economy. Over 5,000 vehicles pass through our town daily. We have great opportunities to revitalize our town and show the historical significance this town has to offer. I would like to bring more awareness to the Pine to Palm story, which is currently displayed on my building on 117 Main Street. Sharing the history of Highway 75 will help to make Morris an attraction and bring more businesses to Morris. One of my top priorities as a councillor is to open the lines of communication so more voices of the town's residents are heard. After many years in business, I know the importance of communication and responding to phone calls, texts and emails. Through my past experiences as a leader in business, I hope to bring more business opportunities to Morris, share the historical importance of our town, and offer fresh perspectives to the role of councillor. I would appreciate the chance to show you the difference a new councillor can make. My name is Pro Lagos, and I am ready to be one of your new councillors for the town of Morris." Trevor Thiessen "Good evening, everyone. Thanks very much to the Chamber for hosting this event. Thanks to my fellow candidates for being here, and thanks to everyone for showing up on this blessing evening. My name is Trevor Thiessen. I'm running for re-election for Town of Morris Council. Morris has been my home since the 80s. For nearly thirty-five years I've been involved in this community beginning with the Morris Fire Department. I've had the privilege of serving as a firefighter and lately becoming the chief. I've also contributed to numerous local boards and organizations. These experiences have given me the firsthand understanding of our community, our strengths and the challenges we do face. My wife Carolyn and I are proud to call Morris home. We're local small business owners at Hillbilly Garden Centre, parents of three children and grandparents. Our parents live in the community and they are involved in local boards. Like many of you, we care deeply about the future of the town and want to see Morris remain a place where families can grow, businesses can succeed, and people of all ages can feel welcome. My priorities if elected will continue to be responsible for financial decisions, affordable housing for both families and seniors, economic development, and a safe, welcoming community for all generations. I believe we need to make thoughtful decisions with taxpayers' money, plan responsibly for our long-term needs, maintain the infrastructure and services our residents depend on, and create opportunities for local businesses to thrive. We also need to ensure that seniors can continue to live comfortably in Morris, and that young families have opportunities to put down the roots. To me, being a councillor isn't about making promises we can't keep. It's about listening to the residents, considering different perspectives, asking the right questions and making decisions that serve the best interests of the entire community. I bring years of local experience, a strong commitment to public service and a genuine belief that Morris's best days are still ahead of us. I'm asking for your support because I want to help build a Morris that we can all be proud of today and that future generations will be proud to call home. I want to thank everyone for the time this evening. I look forward to hearing from you as the evening goes. Thank you." David Funk "Good evening. First and foremost, thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for hosting this forum tonight, to my fellow candidates, and to all of you who have come out here to see me. For those of you who don't know me, my name is David Funk, and I have had the pleasure of serving our community as councillor for the past four years. As a lifelong resident of Morris, I am really looking forward to the opportunity to continue to serve the community in this capacity. I went to Morris School for kindergarten to grade 12, and currently sending my son to that same school. I work for the Red River Valley School Division and have been there for over 10 years. Throughout my years in the community, I have served in many organizations, including seventeen years on the Morris Fire Department. In terms of community recreation, I have completed multiple terms on the Morris Minor Hockey and Red River Wild Hockey Boards, assistant coach for the Morris Mavericks wrestling team, and head coach for U-14 and U-16 co-ed flag football teams. I'm excited for the opportunity to continue my work as a councillor. When I ran four years ago, my priorities included a long-term solution for childcare and expanding recreation programming for youth. I'm happy to say that I've accomplished these feats, including securing a new building for the Morris Early Learning Center at Ash Boulevard and expanding our school-age program on our location on Main Street. Looking ahead, I am establishing a new set of goals and priorities. The citizens of Morris deserve a long-term solution for assisted living and seniors housing. Economic development is vital, especially marketing our industrial park and revitalizing the street. We have made good strides at developing relationships with various stakeholders, but the work is not done. High inflation and increased cost of living are all impacting the citizens of Morris. As a councillor, it is my duty and my obligation to not only ensure that our citizens are provided with opportunities, but also remain responsible financially and spend tax dollars wisely. Thank you for the opportunity to be here." - with files from Candace Derksen -