‘The current system is not working’

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This article was published 08/10/2024 (333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bail reform, homelessness, mental health and addictions support — all were pressing issues flagged on Parliament Hill by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and its national counterparts Tuesday.

“Our focus … is really the stark decline that businesses have seen in the health and safety of the neighbourhoods that we represent,” Kate Fenske said by phone from Ottawa.

She’s both chief executive of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone and chairperson of International Downtown Association Canada, which represents business districts throughout the country.

Small-business owners, residents, workers and visitors of Canadian downtowns have reported feeling unsafe, Fenske relayed. It’s happening in major cities and smaller communities, she added.

A major request by the various business lobby groups gathered in Ottawa — representing nearly every province — was a systematic review of bail reform.

The House of Commons has tabled Bill C-48 to address repeat violent offences, and offences involving firearms and other weapons, in Canada’s bail laws.

It doesn’t address the theft happening across Canada, Fenske stated.

Shoplifting has been on a steady increase since dipping in 2021 and 2022, according to publicly available Winnipeg Police Service data. Shoplifting increased year-over-year by 48 per cent in March 2023, and again by 44 per cent in March 2024.

As of March, police had counted 6,586 reports of shoplifting over the past 12 months.

Downtown Winnipeg has also seen year-over-year increases in violent crime in 2022, 2023 and 2024, when looking March to March.

“The current system is not working,” Fenske said. “It’s really (about) figuring out — what are the solutions?”

Canada may be lacking adequate supports for people released from jail, she said.

Fenske gathered with more than 20 people via the International Downtown Association Canada to speak with upwards of a dozen politicians from the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic parties.

“There’s some good work happening, but we can’t wait five to 10 to 20 years.”–Kate Fenske

The downtown advocates called for supports and resources to address mental health, addictions and homelessness. They sought commitments to work with provincial and municipal governments on the “humanitarian crisis playing out on our streets,” Fenske said.

“There’s some good work happening, but we can’t wait five to 10 to 20 years,” she said. “We’re looking for … decision makers in Ottawa to lead.”

It’s a priority across the country: every member the International Downtown Association Canada represents listed public safety and increased supports for addictions, mental health and homelessness as their top issue.

One worker at Ink Noir Tattoo Studio in downtown Winnipeg said she can feel unsafe walking to her car at the end of a shift.

Colin Koop, owner of Devil May Care Brewing Co. on Fort Street, has cleaned up vandalism and experienced “colourful characters” on site.

He hasn’t witnessed violence, nor does he consider downtown unsafe; still, there’s a need for “community-minded solutions” to address issues of mental health, addictions and homelessness, Koop stressed. “The mental health aspect is a big one.”

Koop noted encampments along riverbanks, people sleeping in bus shelters and panhandlers: “I think those people shouldn’t … be punished, they should be helped.”

Morning talks in Ottawa went well, Fenske said. The International Downtown Association Canada first met with MPs on Parliament Hill last year to discuss COVID-19 pandemic-era loans and other business supports.

Fenske considers the day of meetings with MPs “productive” and expects it to be an annual affair.

This year has marked the first since the pandemic in which downtown Winnipeg has clocked more businesses opening than closing.

Entrepreneurs have repeatedly highlighted theft and a lack of foot traffic as dampers on business. Theft adds to increased costs — inflated food prices, higher minimum wage, and so on — businesses already face.

“Two things can be true at once: there are absolutely safety concerns on our streets, but at the same time, we still hear there are a lot of great things (about downtown),” Fenske said.

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ launched a campaign last month calling for people to share positive stories about the city’s core. The BIZ has received more than 100 responses, Fenske said.

It shows downtown is “worth working on,” she added.

The International Downtown Association Canada was scheduled for meetings with MPs throughout Tuesday, including a policy roundtable with regional economic development agencies.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com