Lee Fehler is the Liberal candidate for Steinbach in the upcoming election.

Incumbent Conservative MLA Kelvin Goertzen now knows at least one of his opponents in the upcoming provincial election.

28-year old Lee Fehler announced himself as the Liberal candidate for Steinbach in the October 4th election Monday.  Fehler is a name familiar to many in the city.  He unsuccessfully ran for a spot on City Council in the municipal election in 2010.  He got the nod for the provincial Liberals by acclamation August 24th.

"The Liberals and I had a few conversations about running here.  I just feel very passionate about the way things are going in this community and I think, when it comes to some of the things we've seen with the last government, I think Steinbach's been left in the dark a little bit."

When asked about what he means by that, Fehler says he means in terms of healthcare and education.

"I don't think the NDP find this an important riding right now, and that's disappointing in my books.  That would be one of the reasons why I'm running for the Liberals.  I would see an importance put on education, importance put on healthcare...we see a hospital expansion that's always been delayed and, situations like this."

In the release announcing his nomination, Fehler puts a strong emphasis on the effect Manitoba Hydro's Bipole III project could have on the area.  He agrees the project would be on the fringe of the riding, but still says it will have a big impact.

"The technology is there and the science is there to run the line through Lake Winnipeg and keep the line out of farmer's fields, out of people's property and prevent all the negative things that come with that....problems spraying crops, or just the fact of living with this industrial hydro line in your backyard every day."

Fehler acknowledges his age may be an issue for some voters in the riding.  But he says his youth is what will set him apart and he doesn't think it will actually be that big of a deal.

"I kind of have the young face here but, I don't think that really bothers me as much.  Especially when we're talking about trying to bring some new ideas and different ideas to the plate here.  I think a young person can do exactly that.  I mean, we have Roldan Sevillano who's a Liberal in Tyndall Park and he's looking like a favorite to win that riding so, I don't think age is as big a problem here."

Likely his biggest problem will be going up against incumbent Kelvin Goertzen.  Fehler knows he is up against a giant and has nothing but respect for what Goertzen has accomplished.

"Kelvin is a great guy and a great member of the community, and he's represented us fairly well I would say.  Obviously, we have ideological differences and I think that's hopefully something we'll get to talk about during some public debates.  It'll be a fun next few weeks here...we'll try to knock on some doors and turn some heads."