Tough fight in Ward 6

No incumbent means race is wide open

With no incumbent running, the race to be River East Transcona’s Ward 6 trustee is still as tough as ever, as the two candidates vying for the position bring a wealth of experience to the table.

Longtime area residents Orin Cochrane and Greg Proch want the one Ward 6 position, which represents East St. Paul.

Cochrane is a retired teacher and principal who attended John Pritchard School (when it was still known as Lord Kitchener) and Miles Macdonell Collegiate.

His main concern is making schools safer when it comes to bullying.

“Every child should feel safe in school, every teacher should feel safe in school,” said Cochrane, whose wife Donna is also an educator and taught at Sun Valley and Maple Leaf schools.

Cochrane said he would like to see anti-bullying programs that address three key areas: teaching kids not to bully, teaching kids what they can do if they are bullied and teaching kids who are witnesses to bullying that they have a responsibility to try and stop it.

“It’s a school issue but it’s what anyone should do (intervene), to be a good citizen – it’s learning for life,” he added.

Other concerns for Cochrane include placing an importance on programs such as music and phys. ed., making sure there are programs for students with special talents and special needs, and putting pressure on the provincial government to better fund schools.

Candidate Proch is well-known in East St. Paul, having worked for the rural municipality for about 30 years.

He said his experience working with budgets and making things happen under tight monetary constraints make him an asset for the school division.

“I’m just interested in getting in there and seeing what I can do,” said Proch, who has lived in East St. Paul for 34 years.

“I want to keep everything on budget because it seems to be rising all of the time.”

Proch said his main area of concern is safety, but more so when it comes to weapons such as knives or guns in schools.

Recent shootings in Montreal and Pennsylvania have many parents worried, he added.

Proch said another area he’d like to improve on is lunch programs because too many schools are inconsistent.

“I’m open-minded and I’ll listen to all of the issues,” said Proch, whose daughter attended three River East Transcona schools.

“I want to see if I can make a difference.”

Both candidates have been actively campaigning door-to-door, even in this riding that still has areas with homes located far away from each other.

The trustee election takes place on Oct. 25.