UMSU pres-elect has criminal record revealed during election

Tessa Vanderhart Staff

A flurry of media coverage has characterized Garry Sran’s election as UMSU president, but not all of it has been positive: Sran was charged with possession of drugs two years ago.

That Sran has a criminal record became public in a story in the Winnipeg Sun on March 1, the first day of the UMSU election, followed by a story in the Winnipeg Free Press on March 2.

Sran’s parole will end on May 1, the same day he assumes the role of UMSU president.

“I was never associated with any of this; I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Sran.

In August 2003, charges were pressed against Sran on different counts. He was convicted of possession of drugs under the Controlled Substances Act in May 2005, and spent the next four months in prison.

“I was convicted of a possession charge,” said Sran. “I had to plead guilty to a possession charge.”

“It’s never been an issue before,” said Sran. “I knew that it was an issue that could come up, but the way it did was totally shocking to me.”

Sran said that most of what is published in those articles is “untrue.”

He has since contacted both the Free Press and the Sun, and is seeking a legal opinion about what was printed.

He said that he would prefer not to discuss specific details mentioned in the Free Press to avoid spreading further misinformation.

“It was a part of my past; I did pay my debt to society,” Sran said. He added that he has sought to give back to the community, particularly through his school involvement.

He said that rumours have been circulating about him, including one that he was going to kill his campaign opponents, which he dismissed.

“I’ve never had possession of a gun or held a gun,” said Sran.

He added that students should feel welcome to speak with him about anything, even his past.

“It was a hard time in my life . . . . I don’t want this to reflect badly on me, so this is what students are going to have in their mind. It’s something that happened in the past, but it has never effected me, ever, and it’s not going to, so I want students to be clear on that.”

Constable Jacqueline Chapup of the Winnipeg Police Service has handled numerous inquiries from the case, “from both sides” as far as she could tell, from people both against and on his campaign.

She explained that many individuals were confused about the media release circulated among students, describing the charges pressed against Sran, though he was only convicted on a single charge of drug possession.

Rachel Heinrichs, Sran’s campaign manager, said that his criminal record is a thing of the past.

“I think students have shown that they’re capable of being skeptical of media information and that they can look at it and extract the truth — because obviously, they overwhelmingly chose Garry to be president.”