Every vote counts in St. Vital, where tight race expected after narrow PC win in 2016

The candidates vying to become the next MLA in St. Vital are so invested in the race, they'll campaign in the midst of some big life milestones anddig deep into their own pockets.

The incumbent, Progressive Conservative Colleen Mayer, wastoiling awayin her campaign office this week when her team diverted her attention long enough to surprise her with a birthday cake.

Then there's Jamie Moses, the NDP'scandidate, who spent an anniversarydate with his wifeknocking on doors.

And Liberal Jeffrey Anderson hasput his money where his mouth is, donating the maximum$5,000 allowed to his campaign.

Rematch willgo down to the wire

The dedicationfrom the candidates forthe three largest parties is telling the Winnipeg constituency is expected to be one of the most competitive election races in the Sept. 10 Manitoba election.

There are six candidates running in St. Vital.Elizabeth Dickson, who was not available for an interview, is runningfor the Green Party, while David Sutherland is on the ballot for Manitoba First andBaljeet Sharma is an independent candidate.

The main storyline, though, will beanother showdown between Mayer and Moses.

In 2016, Mayer a former city councillor assistant and school trusteetook back the southeastern Winnipeg seat for the Progressive Conservativesby just under 400 votesover the NDP's Moses, a software company employee who has worked for Investors Group and the Canadian Wheat Board.

"It'salways going to be a swing riding," Mayer saidfrom her campaign office on St. Mary's Road, where herimpromptu48th birthday party took place.

"I'm really honoured that St. Vital gave me that opportunity three-and-a-half years ago.I'm going to continue to work and strive for that," she said. "I wouldn't have taken this job if it was easy."

And it won't be easy to keep.

The New Democratslaunched their 2019 campaignat St. Vital Park in August, with leader Wab Kinewsaying the NDP's path to victory runs through the riding.

Moses has name recognition in his corner, withformer St. Vital MLA Nancy Allan volunteering. She held the riding from 1999 until her retirement in2016, when she began mentoring Moses to take over.

The Progressive Conservatives are putting up their own fight.

When PC supportersralliedfor a pre-election door-knocking blitz early this year,party leader Brian Pallisterpersonally chose to visit homes in St. Vital.The party's campaign manager, David McLaughlin, has spent time canvassing in the riding this week, his Twitter account notes.

'I knew I had a voice:' Mayer

Mayer said accomplishments she's proud of during her time in office include the60 daycare spaces that will be added atRen DeleurmeCentre by the end of the year, and her participation in community events not only aroundelection time.

She envisioned herself as more ofabackroom operative before she ran for office, but that's changed.

"I didn't see myself as the leader, butyou know what, I knew that I had a voice and I knew enough about my community that I could help carry that voice and make those decisions to help them," Mayer said.

She was promoted from the back bench to cabinet in August 2018 tooverseeCrown corporationsa problematic area for theTories after theexodus of most of Manitoba Hydro'sboardearlier that year, and a more recentspat between insurance brokers and Manitoba Public Insurance.

When questioned about her handling of theportfolio, Mayer preferred to speak instead about the importance of ensuring Crown corporationsprovide affordableservices.

Her main challenger, Moses, is focused on health care.

"I'm running because, with a family with two kids, the thingsI'm concerned about are making sure they have good, accessible, quality health care," he said.

The Tories went ahead witha controversial reform of the health-care system during their first term, including the consolidation of emergency care from six Winnipeg hospitals to three. The NDP is promising to reopen two of thoseshuttered emergency roomsand hire more nursesif elected on Sept. 10.

Moses said the main difference between the 2016campaign and this year'sis that voters are noticingcuts and closures under the Progressive Conservativesfor themselves.

"Every vote is going to matterno matter where you are in the province, but especially in St. Vital," Moses said.Like Mayer,he's becoming known around the community, waving at driversduring a recent rush hour.

"We want to talk and connect with every voter we can to make sure that we can earn their vote."

For this election, St. Vital'sboundaries have shifted west, past Dunkirk Drive to encompass homes hugging theRed River. Many polls in that areawent to the Progressive Conservatives in the last election, a CBC analysis shows, but opponents say the seat is in play overfrustration with the Pallister government.

Swing riding has gone red

Recent pollingsuggests the PCs and NDP are neck-and-neck in Winnipeg, which demonstrates the importance of swing ridings likeSt. Vital, which has flipped betweentwo parties for decadesexcept in 1988, when the Liberals took it.

The party's candidate in this election Jeffrey Anderson says he shouldn't be counted out.

Voters aretired of picking between two political parties that aren't making life better, he said pointing to NDP in-fighting that saw former premier Greg Selinger's leadership challenged before the 2016 election as an example.

"When I'm out at the doors and I'm talking to people, I'm constantly reminding them, actually, that it was the in-fighting of the NDP and the doubling of our debt which led to an individual like Mr. Pallister taking power."

He experienced a different kind of fighting during this campaign, though, when he says he was assaulted while canvassing.

Anderson said he initially ran for office because of his owndesire to implement change, but he's no longer running for only himself.

In his previous job asa civil servant in information technology, he says he got afirst-hand view of chaos that followedtop-down decisions from thePC government.

He thinks of the paramedic he met who couldn't bring a cardiac patient into a hospital because of overcrowding, or thenurse of 40 years who hates her job because of the pressure.

"You start absorbing all of these stories," he said. "The reality is, I feel like I'm carrying all these people on my back now."

• Full coverage of the 2019 Manitoba election

Sign up forCBC Manitoba's newsletterfor insight into the latest election news. Every week until the campaign ends, we'll send you a roundup of what you need to know.