‘People are concerned’: union demands more security after attack at Hydro HQ

The union representing hundreds of Manitoba Hydro employees is calling for more security measures at the downtown headquarters after an employee was randomly assaulted in the building’s gallery on Friday.

Manitoba Hydro Place at 360 Portage Ave. is temporarily closed to the public after a man armed with a knife knocked down an employee who was leaving work for the day. Winnipeg police received several calls about a disturbance involving the man at the building at about 5:30 p.m.

Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said the building will be closed to the public until further notice while the Crown corporation reviews security protocols.

Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 998 president Michelle Bergen said she wants to see increased security in the gallery — which is open to the public — for the union’s 700 clerical and technical employees who work at the HQ.

“We want to make sure that we have that support out there for them in terms of security and stuff,” she said Monday. “I’m getting calls and emails and text messages. People are concerned.”

Bergen is calling for more security guards, key-card access to the building or even police officers stationed in the gallery. She has yet to meet with other union leadership or the employer to discuss the ideas.

Police said in a news release the perpetrator knocked the employee — who had been walking through the gallery — to the ground. A passerby intervened and was able to disarm the attacker and several bystanders stepped in to help until police arrived.

During the arrest, police used a Taser on the suspect, “who was unco-operative and continued to be violent,” police stated in the release.

The victim had minor injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene.

About 2,000 Hydro employees work at the downtown headquarters.

An 18-year-old man faces charges of assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. He was released on an undertaking and his name hasn’t been publicly released.

Chura said Hydro leadership is working to ensure the building can remain open for employees and the public.

“We’re going to ensure that that this is a safe place for our employees to come and go from as they should reasonably expect to be able to,” he said.

“I’m getting calls and emails and text messages. People are concerned.”

The building employs security guards and has a security desk in the gallery. Most Hydro employees work at home Mondays as part of their collective agreement. All will be able to return to the office Tuesday, but Chura did not say what additional security measures would be in place.

The assault comes after Hydro closed public access to the building after 6 p.m. because of an increasing number of incidents involving unco-operative and intoxicated individuals.

In September, the Crown corporation limited public access to the building through the connected skywalk. Chura said that was due to more people coming into the building and causing potential issues.

Friday’s incident was the first time an armed individual had caused an issue inside the building, the spokesperson said.

Two restaurants, Rudy’s Eat & Drink and Clay Oven, and the Cafe 360 dining hall are located inside the building. Chura said Hydro is working to ensure public access to the eateries; Rudy’s and Clay Oven have external entrances, but Cafe 360 is accessible only from inside.

Cafe 360 has several restaurants within it: Colosimo Coffee Roasters, Greenish, Bagelsmith Express, and Super Slice Pizza.

Kristina, a Colosimo Coffee Roasters employee who declined to provide her last name, is confident Hydro will sort out its security issues in the coming days. She said she doesn’t feel unsafe going to work but understands the downtown has its share of issues.

“The situation is hard, but we also understand that this can happen anywhere,” she said.

Last year, the Manitoba government announced it would give the Downtown Community Safety Partnership $500,000 to deploy a safety action plan. It also announced 12 provincially funded police officers to patrol downtown Winnipeg.

“The situation is hard, but we also understand that this can happen anywhere.”

After a trio of random assaults in the downtown skywalk system on Jan. 8, the partnership coordinated with other organizations for a patrol program for skywalk users, director of operations Matt Halchakar said.

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Two Downtown Community Safety Partnership patrols are now stationed at the entrances of the most-used skywalks between 6:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

Halchakar did not have any readily available data on the number of responses to Manitoba Hydro Place, but said it is not considered a “hot spot” for incidents in the downtown core. Patrols typically check in on the building throughout the day.

A statement from Downtown BIZ spokesperson Larissa Gobert late Monday said the organization recognizes safety and security are ongoing concerns throughout the city and more needs to be done on “a number of levels” to improve safety.

Gobert said the BIZ continues to advocate for better lighting downtown, bail reform, increased supports for mental health and addictions and improved cleanliness.

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.

Every piece of reporting Nicole 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.