Safety less of a concern, optimism growing in the Village, mayor says

Fewer empty storefronts, dozens of new apartment units and more foot patrols are fuelling optimism among some Osborne Village business owners, after efforts to address crime and safety were stepped up last year.

Safety was a big concern for a long time in the neighbourhood, said Zohreh Gervais, executive director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone.

“We’ve seen quite a lot of progress on that front, which has been really encouraging,” she said Thursday while visiting businesses with Mayor Scott Gillingham. “Obviously, there’s still stuff that happens, but overall it’s been feeling a lot better in the Village.”

Gervais didn’t have readily available figures, but said retail vacancies are have decreased to the point where there are only a few on Osborne Street, between the Assiniboine River and Confusion Corner.

“Things are filling in quite well around here. I think it’s going to be a struggle for folks to find a space to lease soon,” she said.

Gillingham and business owners and staff discussed topics such as police foot patrols and Osborne Village BIZ’s community safety ambassadors, homelessness, construction projects and ways to help small businesses.

Launched last year, the ambassadors conduct outreach work, are trained in drug overdose response and de-escalating situations and provide safe walks.

Gillingham said the Village faced a lot of struggles after the COVID-19 pandemic, with some businesses deciding to leave, and others turning to the city for help.

“I think what the Osborne Village represents to me is kind of almost a before, during and after scenario, where there was a concern regarding a lot of crime and public safety in the area,” he said during a stop at Shirley’s Restaurant.

“We’re trying to enhance this area, trying to focus on doing what we can as a city to support and partner with the BIZ and the businesses here and the residents to transform the space into what what it ultimately can become once again.”

Police increased patrols in the Village last year to help deter crime and build rapport. Violent crime was targeted in an operation launched over the summer.

While he didn’t have statistics at hand, Gillingham said anecdotal evidence indicates foot patrols have made a difference.

The business improvement zone covers an area between the Assiniboine to the north and Confusion Corner to the south, and a few blocks to the east and west of Osborne Street.

In the wider and more populated River-Osborne area, 16 violent crimes were reported to police in October (the most recent month with available data) compared with 26 in October 2024, according to an online dashboard. Reports of property crime increased from 58 to 68.

Crumb Queen/Andy’s Lunch co-owners Cloe Wiebe and Andy Koropatnick, who also live in the neighbourhood, said they’ve experienced no problems since their business opened more than two years ago.

They were encouraged by a number of recent openings that have contributed to the area’s vibrancy. The more foot traffic there is, the safer the area will be, Koropatnick said.

“We want to create a space where people feel safe,” he said of his business.

Joel Edwards, a restaurant server who has worked in the area for most of the last 15 years, said he hopes more will be done to help people experiencing homelessness and addictions.

“Winnipeg has some serious issues to tackle,” he said.

Edwards said there hasn’t been a big turnaround yet in the Village, but things are moving in the right direction.

Judy Coy, who owns three shops on Osborne — Silver Lotus, Hen and Small Mercies — was equally optimistic. A Village entrepreneur for 38 years, she doesn’t think the area is a crime hot spot.

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She named more than a half-dozen locally owned businesses that have been in the Village for decades.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of neighbourhoods in the city that can say that,” she said.

While there are social supports such as a soup kitchen and food bank, the area does not have a 24-7 safe space for homeless people.

“That is really difficult for the community, because people here care. They want to be able to help those who are in need,” Gervais said. “That’s something we’re working on.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris 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.