Unions sound alarm on downtown safety after random skywalk attacks

Fed up with safety concerns in Winnipeg’s downtown, union officials are speaking out after police arrested a man accused of randomly assaulting three women walking in the skywalk system last week.

Gord Delbridge, the president of CUPE Local 500 — which represents about 5,000 City of Winnipeg public service workers — said officials from various unions recently met for a meeting about the safety of their members.

“We feel that we have to ramp up safety and security in the downtown core,” Delbridge said Monday. “We’re seeing it, from various locations, whether it’s the Millennium (Library) or whether it’s Portage Place where we’ve got federal employees… and we’ve got provincial employees at various other locations… everyone is very much concerned about this, the safety and security in the downtown core.”

The meeting occurred before Christmas, said Delbridge. It also included officials from the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, unions for emergency services and unions that represent various federal public sector workers, he said.

“What we think is we need to see both levels of government, municipal and provincial, really ramp things up in the tune of providing security downtown,” said Delbridge.

Police charged a 40-year-old man with two counts of assault, one count of robbery, assault with a weapon and uttering threats after he allegedly assaulted three women in the skywalk between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. last Thursday. The man was arrested the same morning in the skywalk system around 7:30 a.m., the Winnipeg Police Service said Monday.

The city and province fund the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, in which teams conduct outreach and well-being checks. Delbridge called that initiative helpful, as are the city’s community safety officers, who largely patrol in and around the Winnipeg Transit system. Still, he wants to see patrols beefed up further.

He said the unions also discussed the need for more resources and supports for vulnerable people with addictions or mental health issues.

Delbridge said members of various unions are often assaulted or shaken up in incidents that don’t make it to the media.

“But us as a group, when we sit down and we talk and we know the incidents that have been reported to us as union officials and to their employers, it’s significant,” said Delbridge. “If something is not addressed, this is going to become an epidemic.”

The president of the MGEU said more people need to live in Winnipeg’s downtown to improve safety.

“What we think is we need to see both levels of government, municipal and provincial, really ramp things up in the tune of providing security downtown.”

“If you want a vibrant and healthy downtown, a vibrant and secure downtown, we need the population density, people living here, not just working here,” Kyle Ross said. “When the whole downtown is a ghost town after 5:30 in the afternoon every day, it’s not going to be safe.”

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said he and the provincial government would be happy to meet with union officials in the future to discuss the concerns that came out of last month’s meeting.

“I appreciate that they are concerned about these issues as well and that are that they’re working towards solutions,” he said.

Wiebe pointed to various funding initiatives and programs the government has developed as working toward a safer downtown, including its public safety strategy, funding boosts for law enforcement and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, and the move to allow for longer detentions of people intoxicated on illicit drugs.

“What we’re looking for is… a way for us to come together to listen to those who work downtown, those who live downtown, and we want to see labour as part of that conversation,” said Wiebe.

Mayor Scott Gillingham, too, pointed to recent moves to make the downtown safer, including funding for police to add more officers, the new community safety patrol and the downtown partnership, as well as a plan to coordinate the various agencies to work together under the “Safe Winnipeg Initiative.” The city is also considering developing a new emergency service to respond to mental health calls.

“We have done, I think, a lot to improve safety in the downtown, but we have a ways to go. We’re not done,” said Gillingham, noting crime was down 9.2 per cent last year compared to the previous year, statistics show. “I’m in active conversations with federal and provincial partners about what more we could do to enhance safety in Winnipeg’s downtown.”

He said the perception of safety, too, is an important aspect to tackle.

“I appreciate that they are concerned about these issues as well and that are that they’re working towards solutions.”

Kate Fenske, chief executive officer of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, who noted downtowns across North America are facing similar troubles, said a number of key things need to happen in the short term, while long-term strategies play out over time.

“There does need to be increased visible presence on our streets, absolutely. Whether that be DCSP, Winnipeg Police Service, Bear Clan,” she said. “It’s everybody working together in a coordinated effort.”

She said getting more people downtown — new residents and otherwise — will also improve the vibrancy and safety of the core, as will simple fixes, like lighting.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca