A former Winnipeg pastor has his eyes set on the mayor's seat of the City of Winnipeg.

Scott Gillingham has been a city councillor for the past eight years, and says that he believes now is the perfect time for him to lead the city. "Right now, I believe I have the right combination of the current experience on council to know what we do well at the City of Winnipeg, what we need to do different to make Winnipeg stronger, and then what we need to do to seize the opportunities that will make our city healthier and grow our city for the future.

Part of that plan, Gillingham says, includes fighting homelessness with a housing-first strategy that will aim to turn vacant city properties into homes.

He also says that he will "go back to a focus on crime prevention," looking at the root causes of crime, including addiction, mental health, and poverty.

Watch the full interview with Gillingham below. To see his platform and learn more, you can go to www.votescott.ca