Diana Wooden says she wants to be a voice for Ward 7. (Submitted photo/ Diana Wooden)

By Nigel Maxwell

Election race

Mental health counsellor enters Ward 7 race

Sep 21, 2020 | 4:00 PM

A woman who organized the Black Lives Matter rally in Prince Albert last June, has now set her sights on a new challenge.

Diana Wooden has joined the race in Ward 7. Wooden told paNOW she really enjoyed raising her voice to support a cause that mattered to a lot of people.

“People want to hear support for things that are going in the community and in the world and so I started thinking that maybe I need to start talking about other issues that are around Prince Albert,” she said.

To end the rally in July, Wooden led everybody through a demonstration of staying silent and taking a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds. That was how long Minneapolis, Minn. police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck during an arrest on May 25. The incident that killed Floyd sparked protests against police brutality around the around the world, just like the one in Prince Albert.

Final numbers

Local RM results finalized

4h ago

Commitment

Hildebrand commits to Bemidji State in NCAA DI, first NCAA commitment in Raiders history

6h ago

Inflation

Rent inflation to slow in the next few years, Desjardins predicts

7h ago

Wooden’s family moved to the city nearly 20 years ago and she has worked as a counsellor for the last 14 years. She explained through her work she has seen how mental heath and addictions affect people of every status in the city. She now hopes to bring that acquired knowledge to the council chamber.

“I think just having someone with some compassion and some understanding around those kinds of things, might help coming up with some creative solutions,” she said.

With the addition of Wooden, residents in Ward 7 will have three options. Dawn Kilmer and Liam Dougherty have previously announced their election plans. Wooden explained to paNOW she made the decision to run last June, prior to knowing who her opponents might be.

“This is my ward, this is where I live, and I want to represent it because I’ve been there for 20 years and it doesn’t matter the competition. I am still very much focused on winning this thing,” she said.

Last July current Ward 7 Councillor Dennis Nowoselsky announced his plans to run for Mayor. The civic election day has been scheduled for Nov. 9.

–

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell