North Kildonan residents blame transit overhaul for attempted break-ins

Homeowners near a new end-of-line bus stop in North Kildonan say Winnipeg Transit’s route changes have caused a spike in crime in the area.

One resident, who asked to remain anonymous due to his work in law enforcement, described a recent break-in attempt that left him shaken.

Security footage reviewed by the Free Press shows a man approaching the resident’s home on July 8 at 2 p.m. from the nearby bus stop. He is seen trying to enter the house before being pushed away by the homeowner.

“The thing I’d like to share about the incident itself was how delusional the guy was when he entered my house. He was adamant that it was his house,” the resident said, adding the man tried to break into his neighbour’s house after trying to flee.

Though his law enforcement background helped him handle the situation, he fears for his family and neighbours.

“I am extremely thankful my wife wasn’t home when this happened or that this didn’t happen to anyone else on my street,” he said.

“Since the incident, I’ve been replaying it over and over and over in my head. As much as I hate to admit it, I definitely feel like a victim. I feel violated. Someone entered my home. Home is supposed to be your safe place. I continually look at our window now, wondering if something else is going to happen.”

The resident believes the incident is a consequence of the city’s recent transit overhaul, which includes the new bus stop at Raleigh Street at Knowles Avenue. That’s brought an increase in bus traffic — and with it, disturbances — to the once-quiet area.

He said he’s witnessed people disembarking and using drugs at the stop, including one individual who began sharpening and waving a knife at others. Community safety officers have removed disruptive passengers from buses, but they are often left at the stop with nowhere else to go.

“It’s just been constant problems,” he said. “We live on the edge of the city, we purposefully moved to this area because we don’t want to be near this kind of thing. We shouldn’t have to live in fear. My kids shouldn’t be asking me if any ‘bad guys’ are going to come.”

Nearby resident Brooke Hrycyk said she can see the bus stop from her home and echoed concerns about safety and noise due to increased bus activity.

“Thank God I wasn’t home when the guy tried to break into (her neighbour’s) house, because he ran into my yard, that’s where the police were able to arrest him,” she said. “If my kids were there at the time, I would have lost my mind. It’s so scary.”

Police on Wednesday confirmed the break-and-enter, but couldn’t say if crime had spiked in the area since the transit overhaul.

Hrycyk says it’s been a completely different neighbourhood.

“The buses are now constant, and there’s often very few passengers getting on or off of those buses,” she said.

The FX4 route, which starts at Polo Park, passes through downtown and ends at the north end of Raleigh, includes a stop where drivers reset their routes and get a bathroom break.

Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, which represents more than 1,400 members, says some neighbourhoods are now learning what others have known for a long time.

“It’s unfortunate, and I guess new to specific individuals, but this is not a new issue, it’s far from being a new problem,” Scott said. “We have said for years that Transit is the getaway vehicle for petty crime, and it doesn’t matter what area of the city you’re in anymore.”

Scott, a former Transit operator, said the routing has nothing to do with the crime spreading throughout the city. He blames that on a lack of fare enforcement by the city and the bus department.

“The individuals get on, and they know there is no repercussion for fare evasion,” he said. “And then they head out to these areas to commit petty crimes, or they feel empowered and commit these acts of violence on the bus, either toward operators or toward the passengers.”

A city spokesperson said the route provides continuous service to an area previously underserved and may take time to gain traction.

“Because of this, we expect it could take people in the community some time to discover it, and for ridership on this route to grow,” they said, addressing concerns from residents that the route isn’t needed due to a lack of demand. “It is far too soon to decide on potential service cuts, which, depending on the form they take, may or may not be subject to the approval of council.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Biidaajimowin | News from the Centre

Wednesdays

Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences.

Sign up for Biidaajimowin | News from the Centre

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The city plans to evaluate the transit network redesign after a full year of ridership data is available.

“Part of the reason we need a full year is because people have different travel patterns in different seasons,” the spokesperson said. “A route that isn’t well used in the summer could be quite popular in the fall and winter. We need more time, and more data, to make these kinds of recommendations.”

For some residents, waiting that long doesn’t feel like a viable option.

“If this continues, I won’t be staying in the neighbourhood,” Hrycyk said.

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.