Winnipeg teams in mass North End cleanup backed by police chief

Teams of volunteers fanned out across Winnipeg's North End neighbourhood on Friday as part of a "Restore our Core" cleanup campaign to beautify the area, with Police Chief DevonClunis telling itsresidents, and the city at large, they had a collective responsibility to work together to improve it.

The crews are to move throughout the district until4p.m. to clear garbage from streets and yards, part of a campaign underwritten by members of thebusiness community and supported by various city departments, including public works, community services and Fire and Paramedics.

Clunis told a gatheringat the North End Development Centre he had lived on Selkirk Ave. when his family moved to Winnipeg from Jamaica 40 years ago and hadbeen "in awe" of the dirt and misery in the area. All citizens and governmentstooshould commit themselves, he said,to improving the quality of life, starting with the environment.

"The message is both to those who reside here and the entire city as a whole, not only to residents, but to government, to everyone involved...," he said. "We have a responsibility, yes for those who are living here, yes it can be better, but for those on the outside to say 'Yes we have a responsibility to bring it to the same condition.'"

Clunissaid he was not "naive enough" to yearn for a return to the past, but hoped the district could restore some of itsbustle. People, he said, often concluded it was thepolice's job totacklecrime, but there was more to it than that.

"The environment here we allow to exist is part of what we have todeal with in terms of crime, so let's get to dealing with the root causes of crime in our city," he said.

Crews, equipped with at least one loader,will pursue theefforts throughout the district on Saturday.

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The North End has earned a reputation for being one of the city's most difficult areas in terms of decay and crime. It has seen a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening health care, education and family ties.

MAKING COMMUNITIES ORDERLY AND SAFE

The two-day cleanup is part of a larger initiative involvingdoor-to-door visits, informing citizens about the Neighbourhood Liveability by-law to maintain orderly and safe communitiesclearing yards and ensuring they arein good repair, checking for graffiti and conducting aninventory to helptargetareas of concern.

Cecilia Zungia, who has lived on Dufferin Street in the North End for 12 years, was gratified by the mass volunteer effort and noted that change was clearly underway.

"It's changing, starting from my area.Everyone started getting the by laws, so that's a good thing
At first everyone was upset, but now after noticing everything is getting clean, it's getting much better
it's good to cooperate and do what is right to keep our community clean," she said..

"It's getting safer.At the beginning there were lots of things going on, but now it's getting much better," praisingvolunteersfrom both inside and outside the area.

"I am learning lots too, trying to work in my garden so I am learning lots too," she said.

Clunisagreed that help from other areaswas critical. In addition to engaging residents, he said, "the greater piece is peoplefrom outside the community coming in and for them to see and interact with people, to start talking to one another again....You have to start here and drill deeper and that's what we are doing here today."

He praised an initiative this week by aboriginal groups to use traditional drums and music to reach out to a woman believed to have fallen victim to drug gangs,

"I think that when the community sees not only their community people working, but that others outside of the community care to build that strong culture of safety and care that we are talking about for the entire city," he said.