Winnipeg Transit security project should continue

When it comes to Winnipeg Transit and the broader concerns about downtown safety, the past week saw some signs of progress — but there are many more signs that we have a long way to go.

On the positive side of the ledger, a 15-week pilot project involving more-intensive police presence and specially trained community safety officers on Winnipeg Transit buses was deemed to be a success. Winnipeg police reported that from September through to the end of December 2025, there was an 18 per cent drop in violent crime, a 15 per cent reduction in property crime on buses and bus shelters, and an overall drop of 15 per cent in criminal incidents over the same period in 2024.

The success involved a lot of hard work. Police logged 143 hours actually riding on buses, and another 101 hours doing foot patrols at bus stops and other transit hubs. An additional 36 hours were dedicated to marked cruiser patrols that focused on transit locations. This led to the arrest of 12 subjects and 98 fare-evasion enforcements.

WPS was quick to point out that as encouraging as these results are, it’s just a pilot project. “We’re not having a victory lap on this right now,” said WPS Supt. Brian Miln. “There’s still all kinds of work that needs to be done in this area.”

And at the top of that list is a commitment to continue devoting police and other resources to expand the pilot project city-wide.

Mayor Scott Gillingham expressed his delight at the pilot results. However, no one has made a commitment to expanding it or making it a regular part of police work, or creating a more robust, dedicated Winnipeg Transit police unit. Indeed, other events earlier in March highlight the need for the city and the NDP provincial government to move quickly to build on this preliminary success.

In early March, a Winnipeg Transit driver was assaulted by a rider, who reached around a security shield and punched him in the face. This incident renewed calls for upgraded driver shields and added to the growing chorus of support for a dedicated transit police unit.

Even with incidents like this, the city and province appear to be hesitant to expand the transit pilot program, which is creating concern the progress it made may be lost in dithering and deliberation. That would be more than a shame given that opinion on the downtown is eroding.

Workers for Downtown Public Safety — a coalition of eight unions representing thousands of downtown workers — issued a challenge this week to the city and province to take immediate and decisive action to deal with public-safety concerns. The coalition is seeking meetings with Gillingham and Premier Wab Kinew to discuss next steps. And at the top of that list is an expansion of the community safety officer program both on downtown streets and on buses.

To be clear, the broader, foundational issues that have triggered the mayhem and random violence downtown and on buses are not going to be solved by better driver shields and community safety officer patrols.

A combination of severe poverty, homelessness, mental-health issues and addictions are at the root of public-safety concerns, issues that require years if not decades of focused, thoughtful government intervention.

However, the city and province need to take immediate steps to make people feel as safe as possible, which is something accomplished by the pilot program.

Better transit safety may only be one aspect of the broader, public-safety debate for downtown, but it’s achievable. More police presence and an expanded community safety officer program need to be instituted immediately. To dither is to take another step backwards.