‘Enough is enough’: mayor pleads for bail reform after Walmart armed robbery

Mayor Scott Gillingham is renewing his call for bail reform, in the wake of a brazen armed robbery where a security officer was nearly shot in the head with an airgun.

The mayor said the shocking daylight crime at a local Walmart adds to a frustrating trend.

“There are too many repeat violent offenders who are out on the streets and they’re arrested time and again by our police and they’re breaching their court orders … It’s time for every part of the justice system and the federal lawmakers, and every part of the provincial system, as well … to start prioritizing the safety of the public and not the criminals. We need a change to the laws, we need bail and sentencing reform that makes our community safer,” said Gillingham, in an interview Thursday.

The robbery took place around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Unicity Walmart. Police said a 13-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl are among four teenagers facing armed robbery charges. The 13-year-old boy is accused of firing a CO2-propelled airgun at a security officer that missed its target, police said.

A 15-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy also face charges in the incident. All four were detained in custody.

Gillingham noted two of the suspects have been accused of repeat offences.

“As the mayor of Winnipeg, I am frustrated. The people of Winnipeg are frustrated. Enough is enough. The federal government, the judicial system, has to step up and make our community safe because police can’t keep doing what they’re doing, arresting the same people over and over again,” he said.

While he noted investments in rehabilitation are also important, Gillingham said protecting the public must become a higher priority.

At this point, he said he doesn’t have a specific duration of time that he’d like to see suspected repeat offenders remain in custody.

However, he noted a police officer once told him some suspects are released before the paperwork is even completed on their arrests.

The 15-year-old girl accused in the Walmart incident was charged with armed robbery using a firearm and had additional arrest warrants for failing to comply with sentence and release orders, as well as two warrants for theft under $5,000. The 17-year-old boy was charged with armed robbery using a firearm and two counts of failing to comply with a sentence order. In addition, he had a warrant for three counts of failing to comply with a sentence order.

When asked why he believes current laws don’t prioritize public safety, Gillingham noted the Manitoba Integrated Violent Offender Apprehension Unit, a joint effort of WPS and the RCMP that cracks down on violent and prolific offenders, has made more than 700 arrests in the last two years.

“The evidence is on our streets. We see the police arresting the same people over and over and over again. If we have almost one arrest a day in this city of people who are repeat violent offenders breaching their court orders, the system isn’t working,” he said.

Gillingham planned to raise bail reform in a meeting of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus Thursday but said there’s only so much municipal leaders can do to address the concerns.

The City of Winnipeg’s 2025 budget includes funding to hire 36 new police officers — 18 in each of 2025 and 2026 — and 15 new community safety officers by 2027, he noted.

But the mayor said bail reform is also needed to ease the workload on front-line responders.

Gillingham said federal and provincial leaders have appeared open to bail reform in past discussions but pressure must continue until changes are made.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga