Alex Reid

Several weeks ago, veteran Winnipeg City Councillor Bill Clement passed away and frankly I was a bit shocked, partly because I know of almost a dozen good people in Winnipeg who have passed on suddenly and unexpected in the past few months.

I wasn’t close with Mr. Clement but for a long time I’ve held in him in high regard for his hard work while I worked at City Hall, mere doors down from his office, and most of all, for his willingness to communicate with me, despite any disagreements in viewpoints we may have had. I certainly didn’t always agree with him; I believe his views on policing and fiscal areas were our common grounds. But of all of the 15 City Councillor on council, there were only three City Councillors who I feel went beyond the call of their duty. Mr. Clement was certainly one of them.

Mr. Clement was the only City Councillor who always responded to me personally, some times even calling me, within 24 hours of any inquiry despite me not being a resident or voter in his riding. Communication skills are the most important skill a politician or businessperson should retain, and Mr. Clement never disappointed. He also was the most fiscally trained City Councillor, something I repeatedly celebrated in my news reporting during the early 2000s, rarely employing an assistant.

Since my last communication with him in the winter about a policing issue, I meant to thank him via email for all of this but my email outbox attests I never got around to it.

Mr. Clement was the City Councillor for 27 years, a partner is his family business Aqua Pleasure Pools, he truly was a people person, gruff but a straight shooter and most of all, was not petty to mere political differences.

You will be missed Sir.

My man Andy Barron captured some shots from a Conan live show last night.

My new favourite web site: Lasagna Cat.

Last week, I was shocked to learn that my dear friend Asher Webb had passed away. It was very unexpected, and most definitely accidental.

I first met Asher online in the late 1990s, as he was one of the few Winnipeggers whom had a web presence at the time. He had some quotes on his web page, espousing positivity, and I had messaged him to compliment him on that. We began to exchange emails more regularly and eventually we began hanging out at his Exchange District haunt.

Asher wasn’t just a dear friend of mine; he was a friend of the community.

He is best known as the executive director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone (1996-2007) and organizer of the fabulous Canada Day festivals in the village during his run as the ED. He was responsible for co-ordinating Winnipeg’s first public conference on HIV & AIDS.

He was also involved as a board member of the Graffiti Gallery, the Gas Station Theatre and was one of the founders of Gio’s Club and Bar, an institution in the Winnipeg gay community. He was also instrumental in Glen Murray’s campaign to be Mayor in 1998 as one of Murray’s campaign leaders. In fact, it was Murray who was one of the first to know of his passing.

Asher was passionate about everything he did, and he wasn’t afraid to let you know if he disagreed with you. And if you had a bad day, he was the first to hold you and assure you that whatever was causing you stress would pass. Asher was a friend to many and his presence provided profound comfort for so many people.

Even though Asher has passed on, he will live forever in our hearts and I will do my best to honour his spirit in doing more of what he did; caring.

“Dreams are reality yet manifested…GO FOR IT!” ~ Asher Webb