The number of women elected to council in the 2018 Manitoba Municipal Election grew by 3 percent over the 2014 vote. According to statistics compiled by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), 20 percent - 174 out of 879 - of all elected officials in the province are now women.

Joe Masi, AMM executive director, also pointed out that 21 women were elected mayor or reeve this time around compared to 15 in 2014.

"This is something that we as AMM a number of years ago started a process where we looked at some of the barriers for women participating on the municipal council, and we did some work with FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) to try to address those barriers and slowly it made an impact."

Masi feels these latest statistics are positive for AMM's membership, noting a variety of viewpoints are needed around the council table, including from women, as they represent a good portion of our communities.

"Often when I talk to them about running, they've indicated a lot of the issues they really care about are for their families and for themselves - bread and butter issues (like) good roads, recreation for their children, and safety."

Additionally, Masi feels the overall environment in council chambers is slowly changing to make women feel more comfortable about being involved in local politics. He explained AMM is working with the Province of Manitoba to create a code of conduct to ensure a respectful workplace on the council for all candidates.

"So that they feel comfortable serving their communities and not facing either intimidation or other kinds of things that go on," he said. "We hope that has led to at least the recognition that the AMM takes that seriously and that we want to make sure there are good, respectful workplaces for all people that run for council and are elected."

He also attributes this growth in female representation to improved candidate information sessions during this election, and a growing line of mentorship among elected officials who are women.