U of M beefs up security after incidents made headlines

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This article was published 26/03/2025 (195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba is implementing several security upgrades in response to two serious incidents at its Fort Garry campus last year.

Gordon Perrier, the university’s campus security director and a former deputy police chief with the Winnipeg Police Service, outlined the changes during a well-attended seminar Wednesday at St. John’s College. He noted some of the initiatives were already in progress before the incidents.

Key upgrades include replacing 255 security cameras, with the first batch arriving in the coming weeks and a full rollout over three years. Additional improvements at both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses involve enhancing the campus loudspeaker and blue tower systems, which are nine-foot poles that provide 24-hour lighting and instant communication with security personnel. Both campuses will also see upgraded lighting.

“Building and maintaining trust is a big thing,” Perrier said. “It’s incumbent on us in security work to maintain that and have a plan on how to build that.”

The university also aims to increase subscriptions to its UM Safe app and improve collaboration between human resources and student services.

The changes stem from two incidents that made headlines last fall.

On Nov. 18, reports of a man wielding a knife led to an active threat situation, class cancellations, and confusion due to communication breakdowns between security, police, and the university community.

A month earlier, on Oct. 25, a woman was attacked around 4:45 a.m. in her dorm at the Arthur V. Mauro Residence. Convicted sex offender Garry Edwards was arrested the next day.

Raman Dhaliwal, the university’s chief risk officer, acknowledged poor communication during the Nov. 18 incident left many students and faculty uncertain about the situation and how to respond. Some were unaware of the terminology of the shelter-in-place directive.

Some didn’t receive any communication before showing up on campus, unaware of what was happening.

“We had instructors that were in classrooms, they didn’t have their phones, they didn’t read emails, so they didn’t have any idea of what was going on, that we had to shelter in place, that we had to lock the doors or anything like that,” said Grace Ng, a receptionist in the Asper School of Business. “They were frustrated the news didn’t get to them.”

Security officials have conducted emergency response exercises with the university’s leadership to address these issues and briefed deans and directors on response protocols.

Both incidents were categorized as Tier 2 because they partnered with local police for support. Tier 1 incidents don’t require police intervention, while a Tier 3 incident — the highest — would be a catastrophic event, such as an active shooter.

The university is encouraging wider adoption of the UM Safe app, which will allow faster notifications to its 40,000-person community. Currently, the app has 12,000 subscribers. In emergencies, it will be used alongside emails and social media.

The app features an emergency button that connects users to security staff within four seconds, tracking their location until help arrives. It also allows mass text notifications to 50,000 recipients within three seconds — significantly faster than university-wide emails, which can take up to 45 minutes to distribute.

“I appreciate that they took accountability and said things weren’t necessarily treated in the most appropriate ways,” said Romeo Gauthier, who works at the sexual violence resource center on the Fort Garry campus. “They didn’t try to explain it away or work their way out of it.”

University security handles between 8,000 and 10,000 calls annually, with 450-500 reported crimes each year — a stable trend over the past decade.

Campus crime has risen 49 per cent since 2021, though still below pre-pandemic levels.

In 2023, 90 per cent of the 444 Criminal Code violations on campus were property crimes, such as theft and vandalism.

“We have a systemic problem when it comes to property crime that’s entirely preventable,” Perrier said.

Meanwhile, WPS special operations divisional commander Eric Luke and Staff Sgt. Shawn Langstaff reviewed “Run, Hide, Fight” protocol for active shooter situations.

“It’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war,” Luke said, emphasizing the importance of preparedness.

Luke encouraged attendees to think about what they would do in such a situation, suggesting everyone can defend themselves provided they’ve given it some thought previously.

“Don’t ignore your instincts,” Luke said.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca