Security rebates will enhance public safety
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2022 (185 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Home and business security protection systems play a key role in keeping people safe. They also enhance public safety by allowing for more efficient use of policing resources. Security systems have the direct effect of protecting homes and businesses by deterring burglaries and reducing the insurance costs of homeowners and businesses. These surveillance systems can be remotely monitored by smartphones, giving individuals an immediate sense of security.
Neighbourhoods such as Elmwood benefit when more homes and businesses have security systems. That’s why we need a province-wide tax rebate or other incentive program to encourage residents and businesses to purchase approved security systems. The provincial government needs to work with Manitoba municipalities, including the City of Winnipeg, to establish such a program as soon as possible.
Cities across Canada and the United States are already doing this. Chicago, Ill., Washington, D.C., Salinas, Calif., and Orillia, Ont., offer rebate programs because they enhance safety and make economic sense.
Supplied photo
Honouring the values that unite us all on Remembrance Day at Prince Edward Legion No. 81 with former Manitoba premier Edward Schreyer, who also served as Canada’s 22nd Governor General, Elmwood MLA Jim Maloway, branch president Brent Vall, and poppy chair Greg Hastmann.
Winnipeggers are worried about public safety. A 2022 Angus Reid Institute poll found that 70 per cent of Winnipeggers surveyed believed crime had increased over the last five years — highest among cities in Canada. Winnipeggers felt the least safe, with half of us saying they do not feel safe walking alone at night.
The bottom line is that the public intuitively supports initiatives just like this. It must also be said that Manitobans know that the rise in crime speaks to larger issues, such as lack of food, addiction and poverty, which are, of course, the main drivers of crime. A rebate program such as this would allow us to be creative and offer alternative strategies.
For more information, please call my office at 204-415-1122 or email me at jim.maloway@yourmanitoba.ca