Announcing the Manitoba Stronger Together Candidate Training Program
- kenrdrysdale
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Changing How Municipal Leadership Is Built in Manitoba
Manitoba Stronger Together is proud to announce the launch of something we believe will fundamentally change how municipal leadership is built in this province.
Today, we are officially launching the MST Municipal Leadership & Candidate Training Program — a free, in-depth, non-partisan training and education program designed to prepare Manitobans to understand, evaluate, and run for municipal office with clarity, competence, and confidence.
This program is available right now inside the Manitoba Stronger Together Learning Portal and is free for all registered MST members. (And yes — MST membership is also free.)
Why We Built This
For too long, municipal politics has operated in a strange paradox:
Municipal governments make some of the most direct and costly decisions affecting our daily lives
Yet voters are given very little real information about what candidates actually understand, what powers councils truly have, and what systems they will be stepping into
As a result:
Good people run without understanding the system
Voters vote without being properly informed
And councils often end up dominated by institutional momentum rather than informed leadership and public accountability
We believe that has to change.
Our goal is simple — and ambitious:
To help create the most informed, engaged, and effective municipal voter base in Manitoba’s history.
What This Program Is
The MST Candidate Training Program is a structured, step-by-step learning experience that walks participants through:
How municipal government actually works (not the myths, the real mechanics)
What powers councils truly have — and just as importantly, what they don’t
How budgets, taxation, and administrative systems really function
Law, ethics, and conflict-of-interest realities
Regional pressures, institutional capture, and hidden power structures
What it really takes to prepare for a campaign — without crossing legal lines
And how to think clearly, strategically, and responsibly before ever putting your name on a ballot
This is not a campaign school.
This is not a political party program.
This is a citizenship and leadership education program.
Some people will take this training and decide to run.Others will take it and become far better, more informed voters.
Both outcomes are wins for Manitoba.
Why This Matters Now
The next Manitoba municipal election is on October 28, 2026.
That may sound far away — but in reality, the groundwork for who runs, who is credible, and who is taken seriously is being laid right now.
Between now and then, Manitoba Stronger Together intends to:
Raise the overall competence level of candidates
Raise the expectations of voters
And change the culture of how municipal councils are elected and scrutinized
We want voters asking better questions. We want candidates giving better answers. And we want councils that actually understand the systems they govern.
Where You Can Find It
The entire program is hosted inside the MST Learning Portal on our website.
Access is:
Free for MST members
And MST membership itself is free
If you care about your community, your taxes, your services, your freedoms, and the future direction of Manitoba — this program was built for you.
This Is Bigger Than One Election
Our long-term vision is not just to influence one election cycle.
We are building:
A better-informed citizenry
A more serious standard for public office
And a cultural shift toward competence, accountability, and informed consent of the governed
The quality of our local government will never exceed the quality of understanding of the people who elect it.
We intend to change that — permanently.
Join Us
Whether you are:
Considering running for office
Want to better evaluate candidates
Or simply want to truly understand how your local government works
This program is for you.
The 2026 election will not be business as usual.
And with your help, neither will the councils that come out of it.
— Manitoba Stronger Together
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