Chris Clacio Roots

Chris’s Story

Chris Clacio was born in Winnipeg and raised in the Maples by a single mother and extended Filipino family. Growing up in a modest, working-class household, and later helping care for their mother, gave Chris an early understanding of how much families depend on one another when money, time, and care are stretched. Those experiences continue to shape how they think about affordability, public services, and whether Winnipeg remains a city where working people can build a secure life.

A graduate of Maples Collegiate who later attended the University of Winnipeg, Chris’s interest in leadership began young, but much of their education in public life came through community. In 2014, while volunteering at Count Me In Winnipeg, they became involved with Aboriginal Youth Opportunities as a helper. Working directly with young people, community organizations, and service providers strengthened their belief that civic responsibility is learned through participation, and that young people should see themselves as having a role in shaping their city.

Over the following years, Chris worked alongside Indigenous youth and community organizers through initiatives such as Meet Me at the Bell Tower, while supporting families involved with child welfare, young people with experience in care, and peer-led responses to substance use and mental-health challenges. The work gave them a close view of how housing instability, addiction, poverty, and public safety intersect, and helped shape their belief that a safer city must protect people from harm while preserving the dignity of those experiencing crisis.

Chris’s community work also led them into research and policy. They served on research engagement and ethical oversight committees involving Indigenous youth and contributed to community-based work in public health and community development. From 2019 to 2021, They worked as a consultant supporting a CMHC National Housing Strategy-funded Social Innovation Lab focused on housing solutions for Indigenous youth aging out of care in Winnipeg. That experience deepened their understanding of housing as connected not only to supply, but also to affordability, relationships, services, and the supports people need to build stability. It also reinforced the importance they place on combining evidence with the knowledge of people directly affected by public decisions.

Chris’s Community

Over the years, Chris has believed that building a stronger Winnipeg starts with showing up, getting involved, and creating spaces where people can learn from one another. From early civic conversations like Politix Brainstorm and Intercivics, to volunteering, organizing, leadership development, and community work, each experience has been an opportunity to learn, contribute, and build relationships.

Chris takes great pride in the communities he has been part of. More than any title or accomplishment, some of the most meaningful parts of that journey have been the people he has met, the relationships he has built, and the lessons they have shared along the way. These are some of the communities, organizations, and experiences that have helped shape who Chris is and how he approaches community, leadership, and public service.