Attack poverty, drugs to combat retail theft, summit hears 'We can’t police our way out of this crisis': former chief judge By: Nicole Buffie Posted: 11:12 AM CDT Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 Last Modified: 5:06 PM CDT Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 Updates

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Political leaders and Manitoba’s former chief judge stressed the need to address poverty and addiction in order to tackle theft at a first-of-its-kind retail summit Friday in Winnipeg.

The Retail Council of Canada hosted the Manitoba Retail Secure Summit where business and restaurant owners, politicians and community advocates gathered at the RBC Convention Centre to discuss the issue and its underlying causes.

In a powerful speech, former Manitoba judge Ray Wyant called methamphetamine a provincial epidemic and said it was driving the issue of retail theft.

“Our society is disintegrating under the weight of an addiction and mental health crisis,” Wyant told the crowd of approximately 400.

“The availability and use of illicit drugs, especially drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl, is literally destroying lives every day.”

The summit was set to explore priorities among business owners and risk mitigation strategies, including the retail theft and violent-crime prevention program launched in early June.

During a playful introduction of his keynote speech, Wyant revealed a blue shirt with a Superman logo under his dress shirt. The judge joked he would solve all the issues within the criminal justice system during his 30-minute time slot.

Wyant pointed to generational changes as one of the most effective ways crime will be reduced citywide, including eliminating child poverty, hunger and homelessness.

“Sometimes people are stealing to feed themselves. More often than not they’re stealing in order to sell for drugs or to get money for profit or gain,” Wyant said. “We can’t police our way out of this crisis.”

During a brief address, Premier Wab Kinew echoed Wyant’s sentiments, adding dollars spent on child welfare, addictions centres and housing will address the issue in the long term.

Initiatives like a provincial school nutrition program, the Anne Oake Recovery Centre, an involuntary sobering centre and a safe consumption site are all in the works to address social issues, the premier said.

“We’re making sure that the investments are there on the social services, education, health care, and we’re going to be there with that pathway to recovery when somebody puts up their hand and says, ‘I’m ready to change my life,’” Kinew later told reporters.

Mayor Scott Gillingham underscored the need for services like the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, Bear Clan, SABE Peace Walkers, and the retail theft and violent-crime prevention program to deter downtown criminality.

In speaking with local business owners, Gillingham said he has heard of the successes of the three-pronged retail theft strategy and is seeking to make it permanent.

In May, the province announced it would pay for police officers to monitor theft hot spots — Osborne Village, the Exchange District and the West End — in an effort to deter crime and decrease instances of retail theft. The program was renewed through the end of October.

“Over the past several months I do believe we have made some progress. We, by no means, have this thing tackled completely, but we have made some progress in our community,” Gillingham said. “We need to continue to collaborate together, work together to continue to tackle this challenge.”

The province launched a safety strategy in July that expanded community safety patrols and mental health training for downtown partners in response to the increasing presence of street drug use.

Wyant said without addressing the social issues behind crime, the justice system will continue to be overburdened with those who need supports, not jail time.

“Sometimes it’s not reinventing the wheel,” he said. “Good intentions and superficial slogans are not going to solve it.”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca

Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer

Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole.

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