Police chief, front-line agencies discuss differences over drug sweep

Winnipeg’s police chief said Tuesday he is committed to ongoing discussions with agencies that help the homeless in the wake of their concerns about a 10-day drug sweep in the inner city.

Gene Bowers and top police officials met with members of the organizations on Monday over their frustrations about the operation that began last week in which officers approach people who openly use drugs on the street, including the Main Street strip.

“It really actually opened the door for that communication and we had everybody there at that table,” he said. “It was impactful and I look forward to continuing to work with everybody.”

Bowers acknowledged the meeting had tense moments.

“There was some frustration in the room… I really wanted to listen and I heard them and I want to ensure that we’re working together, not against one another,” he said.

Police swept in on Main Street last Thursday near the head office of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, across the street from Main Street Project, and “interacted” with more than 100 people, arresting 25, and taking another 20 to emergency rooms. Three were also taken to the 72-hour detox centre on Disraeli Freeway.

For their part, advocates say the meeting exposed the lack of understanding about community services and the life-saving role of harm reduction supplies.

Police didn’t demonstrate a “clear understanding of the work of a number of groups in the room,” said Kate Sjoberg, executive director of Resource Assistance for Youth, who was at the meeting.

“They did not name referrals that happened through the effort aside from the (emergency room),” Sjoberg said Tuesday.

Sources told the Free Press that none of the three individuals taken to the detox centre met the threshold required to be admitted.

The police chief had promised to meet with the groups after saying he erred last week by not giving them a heads-up that police would begin targeting open drug use and drug trafficking in the inner city.

Police said the operation, which began June 24, was the result of months of mounting complaints from residents, business owners and others who demanded action against the open use of drugs.

“People are fed up. We are answering that call,” Supt. Brian Miln said last week; he said police had “underestimated” the scope of the problem once they began hearing reports from officers.

Front-line workers told the Free Press that officers seized drugs and harm reduction supplies, such as needles and bubble pipes.

Police denied that officers took away those supplies.

Sjoberg said Tuesday that during Monday’s meeting with the chief and his staff, police had little knowledge about harm reduction supplies.

“The conversation also revealed that prior to the effort, WPS didn’t have good info about what harm reduction tools are or how they are used, and also didn’t know the resources available — who they are referring to and what they do,” she said.

She said they were told there was no political push for the crackdown.

Mayor Scott Gillingham announced the initiative alongside police last week, saying that he stood with police and supported their efforts.

“The goal has to be to break the cycle,” he said Friday.

Gillingham did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The mayor, who is seeking re-election this fall, posted about the operation on Instagram on Monday, calling it “a sustained effort to make public spaces safer for everyone.”

Gillingham said he’s been asked if the crackdown is about safety or compassion, to which he said the city needs both.

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Bowers said the drug sweeps would be assessed after the operation concludes on Friday.

“Now we’re at the table and we’re going to be able to speak together on… what we do next and how does that look for the community,” he said.

Outreach organizations, who had their own Tuesday to discuss the police operation and meeting with police, plan to release a joint statement in the coming days.

— with files from Erik Pindera

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott 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.