Hydro not communicating with downtown tower’s tenants after lobby assault and lockdown, restaurant GM says

Rudy’s Eat & Drink general manager Mackenzie Robb was working in the restaurant Friday evening when she noticed one of her colleagues rush out to the public area of Manitoba Hydro Place.

The body language suggested something wasn’t quite right. When she followed the action out into the foyer, she saw a man getting repeatedly punched by someone near the security desk.

“Just being, like, constantly punched by a younger man, just like, towering over him,” Robb said Tuesday afternoon. “He wouldn’t stop wailing.”

Robb grabbed two of her staff — chefs with previous experience working security — and they were able to subdue the man until police arrived. A Hydro employee intervened and helped to get a knife out of the suspect’s hand. Shortly after, building security came to their aid.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. He was released on an undertaking.

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

The incident has sparked a lockdown of the Hydro headquarters at 360 Portage Ave., while a security review is conducted.

Only Hydro employees are allowed inside the building’s public gallery; patrons of Rudy’s and Clay Oven Express and a recently opened dining hall have to enter through outside doors.

Robb is questioning the lack of communication from Hydro to its tenants on the plan to reopen the lobby to the public.

“I have not spoken to one single person. No one’s come and talked to me in person. No one’s called me,” she said

“I have not spoken to one single person. No one’s come and talked to me in person.”

Security guards were stationed at both of the building’s main entrances Tuesday afternoon and were not permitting the public though the doors. Posters advising residents of the closure were tacked to the building’s two entrances off Portage Avenue and Graham Avenue.

Usually, the only entrance to the dining hall, Cafe 360, is through the building’s lobby. An emergency exit off Portage Avenue is being used for customer access now.

Hydro spokesperson Scott Powell said public access to the lobby remains closed while the Crown corporation develops a security protocol that will both “allow Cafe 360 to remain open to the public and support our downtown community, while maintaining a safe and secure workplace for all of our employees at 360 Portage Avenue.”

Robb received an email Saturday from Hydro informing her of the building’s closure, but there’s been no followup this week, she said.

“It would just be nice to know what Hydro’s plan is, some clear communication,” she said.

There has been tension in the past. In September Hydro closed public access to the building after 6 p.m. because of an increasing number of incidents involving unco-operative and intoxicated individuals.

The closure has impacted patrons from easily accessing the restaurants, especially on nights the Winnipeg Jets play at Canada Life Centre. The restaurant relies on fan foot traffic through the connected skywalk.

“The most important part of that story is that Manitoba Hydro security were nowhere to be found… If it continued on the way it did, there would have been grievous bodily harm.”

Friday’s incident happened around 5:30 p.m. — only 30 minutes before the metal curtain in front of Rudy’s closes, separating the restaurant’s entrance from the building’s public foyer. Robb said if the gate had been closed, her employees wouldn’t have been able to help the attack victim as quickly as they did.

“The most important part of that story is that Manitoba Hydro security were nowhere to be found,” she said. “If it continued on the way it did, there would have been grievous bodily harm.”

Rudy’s has operated at the location for 15 years. Robb said Friday’s incident was an isolated one, and that the building is no more unsafe than anywhere else downtown.

Phil Klein, who operates two of Cafe 360’s vendors — Bagelsmith Express and Super Slice — chose to close for the week.

Klein agreed that Friday’s incident was an anomaly and the building feels safe most days.

“This is unfortunate what happened. But… my staff aren’t fearful to go to work,” he said. “Hydro obviously have to do their due diligence and make sure that everybody’s safe when they’ve got all the proper protocols in place and whatnot.”

Powell did not have an expected date to reopen the lobby to the public.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca