George Provost

Not to be confused with George Prévost

George R. Provost (died June 17, 2002) was a businessman and city councillor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He served on council from 1977 to 1980, and later sought election to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

Provost was a publisher, consultant and entrepreneur in private life. He served on the old St. Boniface City Council from 1964 to 1967, before the city was amalgamated into Winnipeg. He later sought re-election to the council in a 1970 by-election, but lost to rival candidate Michael Dennehy.

He was elected to Winnipeg City Council in the 1977 municipal election as an independent candidate, defeating incumbent councillor Ed Kotowich from the centre-right Independent Citizens' Election Committee (ICEC) in the Langevin ward. During a March 1978 debate on bus fares, Provost said that he would oppose any fare increase for senior citizens. He later voted with the majority on council to introduce bilingual English and French signs to Winnipeg. When confronting local opposition to this initiative, Provost said that there were many anti-French bigots in the city.

He was defeated for re-election in the 1980 municipal campaign, finishing third against independent candidate Evelyne Reese. The Globe and Mail newspaper indicates that he lost public support after railing against what he believed were fire hazards in municipal hospitals, even after an investigation concluded that he was mistaken.

Provost later served as general manager of the Manitoba division of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association, and was appointed executive director and secretary treasurer of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba Inc. in 1997. He also started a company called Showtime Marketing Services Ltd., and produced a series of novelty Manitoba license plates in 1994 to commemorate the province's 125th anniversary the following year.

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