Crowns to get training to help prosecute hate crimes
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Manitoba Crown attorneys will receive enhanced training on the prosecution of hate crimes as part of a national effort to crack down on racism, discrimination and violence against marginalized groups.
The federal and provincial governments are providing $95,000 for the program, which follows the recent arrests of two Winnipeg men charged with separate hate-related offences.
“The impact of a hate crime is significant in a number of different ways. If you are a member of the targeted group, it involves the deep, personal injury of being made to feel this is not a place for you,” said Crown prosecutor Ami Kotler, a member of the working group of provincial attorneys who handle hate crime cases.

“Hate crimes have devastating impacts on victims and communities, and prosecuting these cases can be complex,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe in a news release Thursday. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)
“The occurrence of hate crimes… corrodes the bonds that hold communities together; it normalizes perspectives and approaches that can never be allowed.”
While the Manitoba Prosecutions Service does not have a formal hate crimes unit, the working group has existed for several years and includes about a dozen prosecutors who specialize in various fields of criminal law, Kotler said.
The money will allow Crown attorneys to learn directly from experts who study hate crimes to give them a deeper understanding of the effect on victims and cultural communities. It will also support outreach initiatives to help the public and police understand and address hate crimes, Kotler said.
The need for such education has never been higher. Hate crime cases often require a deep understanding of charter rights, such as the right to free speech. The prevalence of hate-related material online further complicates things, he said.
“Everyone is being required to confront these types of cases more often now,” Kotler said.
Ben Wickstrom, a Crown prosecutor and spokesperson for the Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys, said Thursday’s release was the first the union had heard about the funding. While the union appreciates the government investment, Crown prosecutors in Manitoba need further support, he said.
“Hate crimes can be highly complex matters to prosecute and education and training is essential to ensure justice is served in these cases. Unsustainable workloads and this government’s failure to add any new prosecutor positions are affecting our ability to manage all prosecutions, including those relating to hate crimes.” he said in an email statement.
Manitoba is working with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg to co-ordinate and support the training, which aligns with Canada’s action plan to combat hate. The plan, which was released in the fall, earmarked $273.6 million over the next six years.
“We’ve been working… to ensure that when hate crimes occur, charges are laid and every legal avenue is pursued,” vice-president Gustavo Zentner said in a statement.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims declined to comment on the funding announcement.
Hate-motivated crimes in Winnipeg reached a five-year high in 2023, when 46 reports were filed. The number dipped slightly last year to 44, as per the Winnipeg Police Service latest annual report.
A Crown attorney was assigned to lead the prosecution service’s hate crime working group on Jan. 15 — one day after police arrested 19-year-old Nevin Thunder Young and accused him of defacing walls and fences with antisemitic graffiti.
The charges were upgraded in March to include two counts of commission of an offence for a terrorist group, and single counts of participation in the activity of a terrorist group and facilitating terrorist activity.
Investigators linked Young to a violent international extremist group known as M.K.Y., police said at the time.
On Wednesday, police announced charges had been laid against another Winnipeg man. He is accused of targeting the Jewish, Muslim and LGBTTQ+ communities, as well as visible minorities, in online posts.
Donovan Ballingall is charged with four counts of the willful promotion of hatred. He was arrested April 29 and remains in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre, police said.
Court records show Ballingall has a court appearance May 26.
“We appreciate the RCMP for handling this case with the seriousness it warrants,” Zentner said in a separate statement, responding to Ballingall’s arrest.
“This case is a powerful reminder that hate knows no boundaries.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said Ballingall is the first person in Manitoba to be charged with wilfully promoting hate.
The Free Press was unable to independently verify that information.
Manitoba RCMP deferred comment to its national headquarters in Ottawa, which did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday and Thursday.
Police did not provide further details about the offences Ballingall is accused of committing, or confirm whether he acted alone or as part of a group.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
Every piece of reporting Tyler 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.
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Updated on Thursday, May 22, 2025 5:38 PM CDT: Adds details