Foot patrols, stricter panhandling laws could help downtown Winnipeg safety, report says

A new downtown safety communications centre, better co-ordination ofdowntown foot patrols and closed-circuit TV cameras could improve safety in downtown Winnipeg, a Manitoba Police Commission report says.

The report on downtown safety, which was requested by the provincial government in September,was released on Tuesday morning.

Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen called ita "road map" for a complex problem.

He was joined at a news conference by the Manitoba Police Commission, the Downtown Safety Partnership and True North Sports and Entertainment. The Winnipeg Police Service was not invited to participate and city officials weren't there, either.

The report contains a list of initialrecommendations for ways to improve downtown safety, including enforcement of panhandling laws, better co-ordination of Downtown Business Improvement Zonefoot patrols and increased outdoor lighting.

The commission recommends exploring Minneapolis's Downtown Improvement District model, a private sector-led initiative thathas created adowntown safety communications centre that'sseparate from the police service.

The communications centre there is a collaboration between different social service organizations that provide street outreach downtown and communicate with each other using an app.

Winnipeg police commission chair DavidAsper said staff at a communications centre here, including Downtown BIZ foot patrols,could deal with safety issues that do not involve crimes and thus could complement what police do.

The report says police have a role to play, but they shouldn't be the lead agency in a downtown safety strategy.

Italso recommends focusing on community health and wellness bycontinuing to support homelessness and poverty initiatives in the city, and considering additional funding for such initiatives.

Cullen didn't commit to any additional funding for any of the report's recommendations.

Mark Chipman the chair of True North Sports and Entertainment, and a member of theCommunity Wellness and Public Safety Alliance said it's important for the private sector to be involved in public safety.

"I think we've come to understand that thisis not necessarily a problem that [lies] at the feet of government in and of itself, or the police service," he said.

"We've explored some other communities that have very thoughtfully combined the resources and efforts of the private and public sector to effectively take on the issue of community wellness and safety."

Aspersaid panhandling was addressed in the report because road safety in Winnipeg is top of mind for citizens.

"We heard that traffic, actually, is aproblemwith panhandling, when panhandlers are in the middle of traffic," he said.

"Should the Highway Traffic Act be a tool in how we manage peoplewalking in traffic and causing danger?"

Rules against panhandling are currently under a Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge that argues they're unconstitutional.

The National Anti-Poverty Organizationis suing the citytostrike down the "captive audience" portion of Winnipeg's Obstructive Solicitation Bylaw, which prohibits panhandling atbus stops, banks,parking lots and outside vehicles. The organization argues the bylaw violates freedom of speech, liberty and equality provisions in the Charter.

Mayor alerted about release

Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smythtook issue with the lack of municipal representation at the press conference. He said he was only given a copy of the report on Friday and wasn't invited to participate Tuesday.

He said the report is largely redundant.

"Many of the recommendations are initiatives that the [Winnipeg Police Service] and the City of Winnipeg have been engaged in with other downtown stakeholders for some time," he said in a statement.

"Other recommendations require legislative changes that have been previously identified but not acted upon."

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, though, said hewasn't concerned there was no one representing the city at the downtown safety announcement. The premier alerted him about the pending release in a recent meeting, Bowman said.

The report aligns with some of the things the city is already working on, the mayor said, and he intends to go through its recommendations more thoroughly in the coming days.

"We'll look to play a constructive role," Bowman said. "We all want to see public safety improve, as well as perceptions of public safety downtown."

Report draws criticism

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the report seems more concerned with sanitizing downtown than boosting safety.

He also said public safety isn't something that should be tackled by the private sector.

"I have a lot of respect for Mr.Chipman and for David Asper, but these are not problems that are going to be solved by the private sector. It's not their job," Lamont said.

"We have a mental healthcrisis, we have a homelessness crisis, we have a meth crisis and a public safety crisis. These are all publicthey're supposed to be solved by the government."

Smyth agrees. He said the statement that police shouldn't be the lead agency on a safety strategy came as a surprise.

"The WPS remains committed to downtown safety and will continue to advance the strategy outlined in our strategic plan."

New Democrat Nahanni Fontaine, the MLA for St. Johns, said Winnipeg's recent crime wave seems to stem fromsocial issues that the recommendations in the report fail to address.

It's great the report was produced in partnership with local businesses, but it didn't include the same level of input from front-line community groups or the City of Winnipeg, Fontaine said.

"We all want to be safe downtown," she said.

"The fundamental way that you ensure that Manitobans are safe is that we're dealing with those root causes, and we did not see that today."

Broadening the conversation

The province also asked the police commission to create six community committees to discuss public safety, including outside Winnipeg, Cullen said.

"We want to make sure we're engaging all Manitobans," Cullen said.

"We can track results and wecan make informed decisions as we move forward."

Report garners hope for improved downtown safety, but critics question recommendations

5 years ago

Duration 2:22

A report from Manitoba's police commission addresses safety in downtown Winnipeg, but some question whether its focus on public-private partnerships is well-founded.