Library staff say metal detectors should stay

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This article was published 18/05/2023 (890 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Metal detectors that were introduced following a fatal stabbing at Millennium Library should stay in place, says the union that represents library staff.

“The feedback I’m hearing from staff is they are feeling more safe, they do appreciate the security measures that are in place … I think right now staff are feeling that the security is helpful,” said Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500.

Delbridge said the union supports keeping the airport-style screening permanently or at least until social conditions improve in and around the downtown library. It was initially added as an interim measure.

He urged the provincial government to pursue more proactive efforts to address the root causes of crime, such as programs to combat poverty, addictions and mental health crises.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s much of (this type of) solution in place… I think that’s ongoing work that the provincial government has to step up and take a role in. They provide social services and health services,” said Delbridge.

The Millennium Library was closed for more than a month after 28-year-old Tyree Cayer was stabbed to death on the main floor on Dec. 11. Four teenage boys have been charged in Cayer’s death.

On Jan. 23, the facility allowed patrons back in to browse for books with stricter security in place, including a metal detector, four additional security guards and two uniformed police officers.

Based on conversations with city officials, Delbridge said he expects the city will keep the metal detectors in place.

He said a decision on what type of security staff should work at the library, such as police, security guards and/or community safety hosts, is still being discussed.

In response to Delbridge’s comments, a Manitoba government spokesperson said the province has committed to take several such steps, including a $126-million plan to address homelessness that will fund up to 700 new social housing units this year, along with millions of dollars for a mental health and community wellness plan, new addictions treatment spaces and rapid access to addictions medicine clinics.

“We will continue to take a whole-of-government approach to help Manitobans live healthier, more prosperous lives. Some of these initiatives (include) record investments in housing, health care, supports to exit homelessness, and financial relief for those who need it most,” the spokesperson said, in an email.

City officials did not weigh in on the metal detectors on Wednesday.

Coun. John Orlikow, chairman of council’s community services committee, declined an interview request, stating he’ll wait for a report on long-term security measures for the library to be released before doing so.

A request to interview Michael Jack, the city’s chief administrative officer, was also declined. In a brief email, city spokesman Adam Campbell said council has directed city staff to provide long-term safety recommendations for Millennium Library and other libraries, including costs, to the community services committee by May 31.

The statement did not mention the union call to keep metal detectors in place.

Not everyone agrees the airport-style security measures should stay. Some advocates have lobbied against them, arguing the screening violates privacy rights and creates a barrier that prevents some people from using the library.

Joe Curnow, a member Millennium for All, said she’s heard from library staff with diverse views on the type of security measures that should be used.

“What I hear from staff is that there’s quite a bit of diversity in what they think is required and where they’d like investment to be. So, there are absolutely staff who would like metal detectors and police to be in place forever… There are also a lot of staff who feel incredibly uncomfortable with those measures,” said Curnow.

Millennium for All is urging the city to boost funding to hire community safety hosts (security staff specially trained in trauma-related crisis work), reopen the library’s community connections space (that had helped connect vulnerable folks with resources) and increase the number of library staff.

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She argues the city has done little on that front, so some library staff may support current security measures because they don’t believe other investments will be made.

Meanwhile, city data offers an update on some recent library activity. The city counted 25,869 individual visits to Millennium Library in February 2023, down from 32,314 in the same month of 2022. March 2023 saw 30,502 visitors, down from 37,124 in 2022. And April visitor numbers were similar in both years with 35,608 in 2023 and 35,728 in 2022.

The number of items confiscated by security officials in April appears to be lower than in January, when the measures were introduced.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.