Hydro, Manitoba Housing HQ to hire safety officers to battle escalating violence

Manitoba Hydro plans to deploy institutional safety officers at its downtown headquarters, which was the site of a recent knife attack that prompted an ongoing lockdown of the building.

The provincial government updated regulations on Jan. 14 to allow institutional safety officers to be stationed at Manitoba Hydro and the Manitoba Housing & Renewal Corp. — both of which have offices downtown. The government didn’t publicly announce the change. Previously, safety officers were permitted to patrol hospitals and post-secondary institutions.

Safety officers, who are equipped with pepper gel and handcuffs, are specially trained and licensed security staff who have the legal authority to restrain, detain and make an arrest.

Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said the Crown corporation will initially hire three security staffers with the specialized training at its 360 Portage Ave. location next week while it works with Manitoba Justice to develop a more thorough safety officer program.

Hydro has been working with the province on the plan to deploy safety officers at its HQ and its other facilities as part of its “ongoing efforts to enhance safety for our employees, customers and the public,” Chura said.

About 2,000 Hydro employees work at the downtown tower.

In a statement, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said his department has been in talks with various groups about expanding the provincial safety officer program. The development of Hydro’s program was predicated on security support for public infrastructure sites.

“Violence in downtown Winnipeg cannot be tolerated. This is exactly why our government has focused on downtown safety and took action to enhance the powers of (institutional safety officers) in Manitoba,” Wiebe’s statement said.

On Friday, a man armed with a knife attacked a Hydro employee in the lobby as they were leaving work. Another employee and staff from a nearby restaurant had to intervene before security and police arrived.

The building has been on lockdown since then. Only employees are permitted in the building and people who want to access the two restaurants and dining hall must use external entrances.

Chura said the corporation is looking at implementing “physical security measures” at Manitoba Hydro Place, but wouldn’t elaborate.

Hydro has not said when the building will reopen to the public.

In September, Hydro closed public access to the building after 6 p.m. because of an increasing number of incidents involving unco-operative and intoxicated individuals.

Chura said the plan had been in the works since before Friday’s incident.

“Violence in downtown Winnipeg cannot be tolerated.”

Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 998, which represents about 700 technical and clerical employees at the downtown HQ, is calling on the province to hire safety officers immediately.

President Michelle Bergen told the Free Press she was not aware of the regulation changes.

CUPE spokesperson Dale Edmunds said the union wasn’t notified by the government or Hydro about the changes prior to Friday’s incident.

“I can see a number of Hydro sites where this work would be important to safety,” Bergen said in a news release that calls for the safety officers. “It may not be the last health and safety improvement we need to see, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Bergen declined to comment further.

Details about assigning safety officers to the Manitoba Housing & Renewal Corp. office at 352 Donald St. were not available Wednesday.

Mobilization of safety officers has proven to tamp down violent incidents elsewhere. Dozens of them are stationed at hospitals in Winnipeg to make patients and staff feel safer, said Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson.

“I’m hearing from nurses that there is a deterrent to the behaviour… So they are finding them very effective,” Jackson said Wednesday.

Most security guards are contract workers who don’t have the ability to restrain or detain suspects. Instead, they rely on police officers. Safety officers can detain a suspect until back-up arrives.

Jackson is advocating for more officers to be stationed at facilities confronted by violence or safety concerns.

“Unfortunately, many of our public areas are getting more unsafe. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality of society right now. I think it doesn’t matter where you are, you deserve to be kept safe,” she said.

Mackenzie Robb, general manager of Rudy’s Eat & Drink, the eatery inside Hydro’s HQ, welcomed the idea of installing specialized safety officers in the building.

“Anybody who’s competent and has skill in defusing intense situations is welcomed,” she said.

Manitoba Justice officials and Hydro are prioritizing the development of an ISO program that suits “Manitoba Hydro and community needs,” Wiebe’s statement said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca