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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Gas scare intensifies safety risk

Man spills liquid at city hall

By: Bartley Kives and Jennifer Pawluk

17/12/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 15

A man is removed by a commissionaire Wednesday after walking into the council chamber with a bottle of gasoline.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image

A man is removed by a commissionaire Wednesday after walking into the council chamber with a bottle of gasoline.

City hall was warned about inadequate security more than 18 months before a man walked into a council meeting with an open bottle of gasoline.

On Wednesday morning, during the final city council meeting of 2009, a man walked into the council chamber with a liquor bottle full of gas that eventually was spilled on a set of steps in the east gallery.

A man is removed.

Enlarge Image

A man is removed. ( COURTESY OF CTV WINNIPEG )

"Remember Louis Riel!" he shouted as he was escorted out of the chamber by the commissionaires who serve as security guards at city hall. The man also accused councillors of "trying to steal each other's money" and trying to eat as much food as possible.

As the smell of petroleum wafted through the chamber, council Speaker Harry Lazarenko told city clerk Richard Kachur, "We have to seriously take a look at the type of security we have in this building."

But city hall has already been warned to make no less than 24 security improvements to the council building. In April 2008, the city clerk's office was presented with a security review that recommended installing metal detectors, cordoning off a secure room to hold disruptive visitors until police arrive and constructing a security gate that would require all visitors to sign in and wear identity badges.

The Manitoba legislature already has these measures in place, but access to Winnipeg's council building is relatively unrestricted.

"When it comes to security at city hall, we don't have very much security," an angry Mayor Sam Katz told reporters following the meeting. "The realities are, when a person walks into city hall and then comes into the council chamber with a very large bottle of kerosene or whatever was in there, it's obvious people can walk into city hall with anything."

Security has been a sore spot since 2007, when a man who was angry about his social service benefits barged into the mayor's office and began hurling furniture and other objects.

The city ordered a review and set aside $300,000 in the 2009 capital budget to bolster security at the council building. Those improvements have yet to be made, though the security kitty was increased to $500,000 in the 2010 capital budget.

"There was money put into the city clerk's budget and obviously nothing has happened," Katz said, before suggesting city officials are now pointing fingers at each other in the wake of Wednesday's gasoline incident.

But the city has moved forward with plans to improve security, city clerk Richard Kachur said.

Another report has been commissioned and a meeting that was scheduled before the incident will take place next week, Kachur said.

Lazarenko and Katz said council must have security on par with that at the legislature, even though the city council building receives more casual visitors.

"I like to have as open a city hall as possible. I've been to other cities where I think they go overboard on security. But the realities are, we don't have any security," Katz said.

Though police arrived within minutes of Wednesday's incident, it's unclear whether the man who brought gasoline into the meeting was sniffing it or intended to light something on fire.

"I don't know what... kind of message that person was trying to give us, whether he was giving us a Christmas message or what," Lazarenko said.

Elmwood-East Kildonan Coun. Lillian Thomas, who plans to run for mayor in 2010, said people are frustrated with city hall over the events of the past four years.

Council committee meetings resume on Jan. 4.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca jennifer.pawluk@freepress.mb.ca

River Heights condos

Council voted 11-5 to allow one-storey condos along a strip of former railway land in River Heights. The city centre community committee had rejected it, but the more senior property committee reversed the decision. Couns. John Orlikow (River Heights), Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge), Harvey Smith (Daniel McIntyre), Lillian Thomas (Elmwood) and Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) voted against it.

Council expenses

A plan to post councillors' expenses online was put off till January, when council's secretariat committee will review minor changes to the wording. Mayor Sam Katz and six other councillors voted against the delay.

 

 

 

BRT expropriation

Council voted unanimously to spend $3.4 million to buy Osborne Village's Midtown Car Wash, whose footprint was reduced due to the construction of the southwest rapid-transit corridor.

 

 

 

 

Assiniboine Park

Council voted unanimously to approve $1 million in operating cash to tide over the fledgling Assiniboine Park Conservancy until the end of March, when Winnipeg's operating budget is passed.

 

-- Kives

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 17, 2009 A3

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15 Commentscomment icon

What could possibly be misleading or contrived in trying to outline how our municipal politicians can get more done for themselves than the people they supposedly represent?

Have people become so complacent and brainwashed that they can't realize the problems staring them in the face?

Accountable government is falling apart.

And Vance you seem to writing just to critize City Hall at every opportunity, whether it's relevant to the story or not.

I'm sorry you think that running for council is 'an impossible chore', but I was sincere. I really think you should run.

Have a nice day.

Yes, I'm sure this man (who is being tossed by a senior citizen a foot shorter than him) is a real threat. Lazarenko should start wearing a vest.

I would have concerns too, this would surly now be treated as security hazard. what to do is up to the officials who can enforce new methods of engaging safety at public civil service stations. All public safety is an always on going mesure to deal with no matter what posistions we all occupy in.
City hall has a very powerful inner circle to show the grip that can accomplish this.
I still like that song and song writer, Gordon light foot, It reminds me of gentler times when things were not so aggressive with each other.
Well, I am sure our City folk can ensure to ask our selfs why does it become of people when they need to address inappropeitly? They most likely had child hood distractions.
This man or persons whom walked in a Facility with Gas? Open yet, what was the persons intent? why? what did his mental state start with? Well any whom, hoping things like this are not a frequent occurance, then something is up with the powerful inner side circles. I have strong faith in the City's dispositions I always have. Good work and keep up the good work mery christmax Lauren.

MA, you seem to be writing for a gag...

What is "WCC"? Sounds like you're the one with a chip on your shoulder.

I'm sure what you bring to the table is just more baseless assumptions and vitriol. Accusing someone of doing it themselves - classic!

How to win an argument: Mix humor and impossible chores for your "opponent". That way you look good and give them no realistic options.

At least I'm advocating people think. You just want everyone to shut up and put up.

Get real. Winnipeg has a growing class divide and you're fueling it with this ignorance.

Vance-I'm not sure what the point of your rant was. You seem to have some issues with wealthy people/and/or politicians/720 sq ft bungalows.

Perhaps you should run for mayor or council to counter all the injustices that City Hall seems to bestowing on you personally.

Careful, your WCC roots are showing.

@Realist: Nonsense. I didn't choose to leave anything out. The man's mental state can be discerned fairly easily from his comments.

The focus of today's story is the city's failure to follow through on a 20-month old security audit.

Bartley Kives

Even if City Council Meetings hired a cop to work their meetings, his entire year's salary wouldn't exceed $50,000. How does City Council justify a $300K expenditure, let alone increasing it to $500K? We need a new mayor and some useful council members!

If you saw the video footage, you know this guy was just a clumsy sniffer who came in out of the cold. The City Council members were doing more or less the same thing, as the outcome of most of these meetings is predetermined by Katz' caucus. City Hall already has added security since a "concerned citizen" trashed Mayor Katz' office a while back. The gallery was empty so no additional security is justified, in my opinion.

This will be my last comment on a Free Press story... Because frankly our City of Winnipeg and our Manitoba Goverment are full of nothing but DUMB ASSES. Our city is gone to crap... Our youth are out of control, and dominating the power of who really runs this city. Criminals are giving pats on their backs, and told to be on their way. Doesn't surprise me the this security problem has been overlooked. Mentally ill patients are slipping through the cracks and killing people... Women are having babies in toliets... Police are overwhelmed and condemed when mistakes are made... Atleast they do their jobs by nabbing the lil' punks. Judges well what do I say I don't think they know how to hand down a sentence, guess they didn't get that far in law school or maybe they missed that day?
The City of Winnipeg should be ashamed ... How were still known as friendly Manitobans beats me, cause we certainly are not very friendly at all!!! Sorry for venting but maybe one person from a higher power will read this and actually do something about it... make it an early xmas present, So PLEASE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!

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