There has been a recent change in Mathew Ostrove’s political aspirations, since he learned that his cousin Linda Minuk expressed a desire to be the Liberal candidate in Tuxedo.  
 
Ostrove told the Winnipeg Jewish Review on Monday May 9 that he had just decided to withdraw his candidacy to run as the Liberal candidate in Tuxedo against incumbent Conservative MLA Heather Stefanson. Instead he intends to file his nomination papers to run as the Liberal Candidate for Charleswood.
 
“I am going to be filing my papers for the Charleswood riding right away,” he said.
 
He said he is bowing out of the nomination for Tuxedo in order that  his ‘cousin’ immigration lawyer Linda Minuk [married to criminal lawyer Randy Minuk], will be the uncontested candidate for the  Liberals in Tuxedo.
 
“Linda is a President of the Liberal Party whose term is ending shortly and has lived in the [Tuxedo riding] longer than I have. She has seniority and more experience,” said Ostrove, who had rented a condo this past year in the Tuxedo riding, but has since moved to the Corydon area.
 
Ostrove indicated that he was related to Linda Minuk through his father, Shelley Ostrove.
 
“My dad’s mother is a Minuk and I am related to the Minuks," Ostrove added, indicating that he believed Minuk would be a great candidate in Tuxedo and “I think she will have a good chance in winning.”
 
“This way we will run as a family—and we will all help each other,” Ostrove said, rather than having to faceoff against his cousin in the Tuxedo riding. Both Linda and Randy Minuk practice law together in Minuk Law Partners, and have two daughters, who turn 18 and 21 respectively in June.
 
The nomination meeting for Tuxedo is to take place on June 7, 2011, 7:30 p.m. at 529 Kenaston Blvd. in the Kenaston Village Condominium Clubhouse. Anyone who is member of the Liberal party in the riding can vote.  
 
When contacted Minuk confirmed to the Winnipeg Jewish Review that she had “filed  my documents” and “that the reason the nomination meeting is occurring on June 7 is  that I am currently President of the Manitoba Liberal party and the Presidency is up the first weekend in June.”
 
Fifty one year old Minuk, who has lived in the Tuxedo riding for many years, said she has been President of the Liberal Party for  four years, and used to be President of the Liberal Constituency Association in Tuxedo. Prior to going to law school, Minuk was the Deputy Registrar "doing family matters for the Court of Queen’s Bench."
 
 
The 31 year old Ostrove, who has a lighting business, first announced his intention to run for the Liberal nomination in Tuxedo last July 2010 in a story that was carried by the Winnipeg Jewish Review.  http://www.winnipegjewishreview.com/article_detail.cfm?id=12&sec=6&title=MATTHEW_OSTROVE_SEEKS_LIBERAL_NOMINATION_IN_TUXEDO
 
 
Up until last week, Ostrove confirmed his intentions to the Winnipeg Jewish Review to run for the nomination in Tuxedo, and has only changed his mind in the last couple of days.
 
When asked what she thinks the issues are in the Tuxedo riding , Minuk said that she believes residents are concerned with “health care delivery, education issues, post-secondary education issues and public safety.”
 
She said she is interested in human rights issues and “does a mixed bag of immigration and refugee work.”  Running as a candidate “is my way of giving back to the community." She  said it is important to remember “people who came to this country without anything.”
  
Minuk said she was entering the race to “shake things up.” She said that “We have had the same person represent us  [Conservative Heather Stefanson]  in the riding for ten years and I have no clue what she’s done in the constituency. I don’t ever hear her name unless there is an election.”
 
When aked why she decided to run for election now, Minuk answered that she has had a thought to do it for a long time. “I don’t know if there is ever a right time,” noting that her children are now older such that it seemed like a  good time.
 
Matt Ostrove also said that he had been signing up new members for the Liberal party for the last number of months.

Matt's younger brother Zach Ostrove told the Winnipeg Jewish Review on Wednesday May 11, that he was filing his nomination papers  to be the Liberal canadidate in the new riding of  Kildonan.  He said as of now "I don't know of anyone else who is filing for the nomination" and that he expected the nomination meeting would take place  within the next couple of weeks.

Zach Ostrove has a degree in  political scence from the University of Manitoba and worked as an assitant to Mike O'Shaughnessy , City Councillor for Old Kildonan from 2006-2009. He most recently worked as an executive assistant at a  law firm, and volunteered on Terry Duguid's federal election campaign. [Duguid lost to incumbant Rod Bruinooge].