User:Canucklehead/Incubator/Don Woodstock

Don Woodstock (born c. 1968 ) is a Jamaican–Canadian businessman, activist, and perennial candidate known for repeatedly contesting elections in Winnipeg at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

Early life and career
Woodstock was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in 1995. He moved to Winnipeg in 2001, and has previously worked as a driver for Winnipeg Transit.

Woodstock was certified in real estate law by the University of Technology, Jamaica and holds a diploma in business studies from the former Institute of Management and Production.

In 2014, Woodstock and his partner founded JamRock Security, a home security and home automation business.

Political career
Woodstock is an environmental activist and has been credited for organizing various environmental efforts within Winnipeg. In 2009, he convinced the city government to rename "Garbage Day" to "Recycling Day."

Woodstock first ran in Manitoba's 2007 and 2011 provincial elections as a Liberal, contesting the respective Winnipeg ridings of Southdale and Minto.

In 2013, Woodstock wrote a protest song accusing premier Greg Selinger of lying about tax increases. He attended a public hearing over the increase to Manitoba's provincial sales tax passed that year, where he sang it to government officials.

In 2014, Woodstock ran for a city council seat in Winnipeg.

Woodstock contested the federal riding of Winnipeg Centre as a Green candidate in the 2015 federal election.

In September 2015, Woodstock attended a public forum at Portage Place with other candidates running in Winnipeg Centre to discuss and debate various urban issues with the public. During the forum, Woodstock repeatedly stated that his opponents did not live inside the riding, and accused incument MP Pat Martin of failing to improve the situations of low-income residents of the riding. Martin ended his rebuttal by calling Woodstock a "son of a bitch," and later added that Woodstock was a "fucking prick," although the latter was not overheard on the microphone. Woodstock also later accused Martin of jabbing him in the ribs. The event brought national attention to the Winnipeg Centre race, which ultimately concluded with Martin's shock defeat. Woodstock finished in fourth place with just over 4% of the vote.

In the 2016 provincial election, Woodstock again contested the riding of Minto. He initially was nominated as the Green candidate, but later exited the party to run as an independent.

In 2018, Woodstock ran for mayor of Winnipeg, finishing fourth out of the eight candidates with 2.21% of the vote. He was noted for brandishing a football during the CBC's mayoral debate with a promise to turn Winnipeg from a "crime capital" to a "sports capital," and having his Jamaican accent mocked by opponent Ed Ackerman.

Controversies
Woodstock was investigated by Elections Manitoba for allegedly falsifying his home address during his 2011 provincial election campaign. The investigation revealed that he had used the address of a house he had put a deposit on, but never actually purchased.

In September 2018, Woodstock was scrutinized for constantly wearing a medal on the left side of his jacket, which he dubbed the "Order of Canadians," incorrectly claiming that it was "one level below" the Order of Canada. The medal was actually issued by a volunteer group which had revoked Woodstock's membership earlier in the year, and accused Woodstock of ignoring demands to return the medal. Woodstock claimed that lifetime ownership of the medal was implied, and that he was removed from the group because of a disagreement over plans for the group's future.