Crime and Safety in Winnipeg in 2022 Part 7

Let's be clear from the start: Assaulting the police chief is unacceptable. If this was a protest, it was poorly thought out. Regardless, it was an attack and it seems inevitable that charges will go to court unless a mental health assessment determines otherwise. No matter what your thoughts on the police are, physically assaulting an officer is a crime. Danny Smyth should have been able to attend Folklorama as part of outreach. For many new people to Canada, the one consistent time to meet local, provincial and national officials is at cultural festivals. Is the goal to make sure that elected officials and public officials are only reached once they have been strip searched outside the fortress walls?

A civil discussion of police policy, labour issues, oversight, budgets, use of force and core services does not include a water fight or worse. Neither the police or citizens of the city should be forget this and resort to violence against each other.

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On another matter, the province took it on the chin in a legal decision of money from federal transfers to kids in foster care being redirected to the provincial treasury. Both the NDP and Tories did this and $334 million for kids was stolen from them. Pallister tried to create protection from courts for what his government did. It didn't work. The Stefanson government won't appeal but they don't seem to be in a rush to refund the money either. Thieves. And a good example of what happens sometimes when the Feds transfer money to the province for something. Pallister used it for a tax and service cut. Kids' money. Shame.

An example of how kids who need safety and security were robbed of it is foster care by NDP and Tories.

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The removal of Arlen Dumas from the leadership of Assembly of Manitoba Chief is quite a change from past times. The previous brush with this should have been a warning to do better. In the case of the executive, it was. For the leader, not so much. A third party investigation gave a clear assessment and the executive made a clear decision. AMC is not the only indigenous group that will need to do better. And they did a sight better than political parties who have also clammed up about harassment, violence and bullying. Historic wrongs should be confronted and reconciled. In a lot of cases, past behaviours do not reflect the person as they are today. However, some past offences are so egregious that they can't be ignored and legal and other recourse are needed. The thing that can and should be learned from AMC is the expectation that an organization can ignore continued bad behaviour is not happening. It will explode in their faces. Ask Hockey Canada what they have learned paying millions to protect rapists.

 As a general rule of thumb, try to be respectful. Everyone makes mistakes but if you think no one will make you own up to them, those days are over. Insincere efforts do better will earn you loss of job and maybe jail time.

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Lastly, the child on child crime this week with 13 years robbing and assaulting another 13 year old makes the heart sag. 

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So far in previous parts I have listed things the city and the province can do to help reduce crime and increase safety. That still leaves the federal government. Their contribution of Statistics Canada numbers on crime are a valuable tool that puts pressures on nearly everyone to focus on what is going wrong but also on what is going right. For example the latest numbers for Winnipeg indicate violent crime is up which comes as no surprise and property crime, traffic crime and other crimes are down. We'll look at those numbers a bit later.

Unlike the United States, homicide is solely in the domain of the federal government government. It isn't a state by state thing in Canada. The justice and punishment for this crime rests with the federal government. If the crime rises to a degree where the punishment is two years and over, most end up in Manitoba's Stony Mountain Institution. The inmates call it Murder Mountain. It is one of the oldest prisons in Canada. In 2014, an expansion of 96 cells for a maximum security wing made it a minimum/medium/maximum security prison. Statistics reveal that around 70% of inmates at Stony Mountain are indigenous. Gang warfare is rife and deaths there make the prison series Oz look like a resort. 

In terms of what the federal government does to help with crime and safety issues, here are some areas to look at.

- Reform the RCMP. Constables are being killed for lack of training, poor equipment and failed  management. While the present Commissioner is a woman, it has not been a good place for women for far too long. Harassment and assault can't be every day part of the job. We can no longer have 60 open RCMP jobs in Manitoba. While this hurts the north and rural municipalities a lot, never forget that RCMP Divisional HQ is in Winnipeg. It also took Winnipeg Police and RCMP working together to make arrests in the catalytic converter thefts. It was a city and country crime. It is up to federal government to deliver the best RCMP we can get for policing in Canada.

- Winnipeg and many other areas of North America are experiencing theft of catalytic converters for their valuable metals. The federal government should mandate all new car parts, especially the converters come with a VIN number. It is more effective for the Feds to work with car ad parts manufacturers to do this. Given how many cars in other parts of the country are stolen and shipped overseas, it would be helpful to be able to track them and immobilize them before they get aboard a ship. Confiscate a few ships as proceeds of crime and they will do a lot more to end this organized crime. Federal legislation could end the trade in stolen parts along with provincial regulations and good policing. When cars were being stolen all over North America, it took many approaches to deal with that. It is no different now.

- Housing. The government of Canada has a lot to say about housing through CMHC but their focus has been often on suburban housing that has been increasingly getting higher in price. The older population and housing stock requires new thinking. More affordable options, amenities and density with a focus on security is something the Feds can help with. Homelessness has been in entrenched because governments makes no allowance for single room occupancy or ultra low income residents. Think how many World War II vets, newcomers to the country, single or separated people have used small apartments as a lifesaver. We need Single Room Occupancy (SRO) and tiny houses and places with services to see people move off the streets.

- Safe to say that the past government of Stephen Harper would have never changed cannabis rules in Canada. Never. Conservatives might decry Trudeau then and now but a change in government will not reverse that change the Liberal government made. And why? The reason is legalizing cannabis and allowing provinces to regulate and tax it was safer than prohibition. Today's stores, warehouses, banking, distribution and growing of cannabis have been removed from the control of organized crime. Just like alcohol. While liquor stores were being ravaged by organized shoplifting swarms, cannabis stores operated with ID at door and product behind further locked doors with government oversight everywhere. In other words, well equipped for today's crime reduction world. Further movement on other drugs should be looked at. If not legalization, then decriminalization of small amounts and move things to a healthcare focus and let police concentrate on trafficking of large amounts across territorial borders. Prisons do not stop addiction or reduce criminal behaviour on drugs. Regulation and taxation do.

- Parole. There will always be controversy on this but a parole board, parole officers and supports as well as transparency will continue to be required to ensure low risk to offend are released with monitoring and high risk offenders remain in place. Prisons are expensive places to keep people who society might have better options for.

- Hate laws and freedom of speech. This is primarily a federal area and within our Constitution. The rise in Jewish, Asian and Muslim hate crime has to be taken seriously. Attacking historic and cared for Jewish cemeteries and a beloved Asian store in Winnipeg is heartbreaking. The Jewish population of the city are our friends and neighbours. The Asian community has deep and caring roots and the Muslim community are a growing and diverse people living in peace. Whatever the world conflict, Winnipeg is where many people live together under pluralism. Feel free to express your opinion but if it comes with incitement to hatred, violence and terror know that order will be restored.

- Indigenous People. The Treaties are federal, the responsibility is federal but as provinces have learned, it is also their responsibility for all citizens in their jurisdiction to be cared for. The courts keep ruling in that area as we have seen with the foster care money decision. If you steal money from meant for children, it hurts the children. Stop using for tax cuts that a child doesn't need. There have been a few deals and settlements made which should see new business for First Nations and Metis. Here in Winnipeg, it will probably mean development begins in places like Kapyong and money paid to the city for same rate they world earn as taxes. From the public's perspective, it will probably look very much the same as any commercial/residential development. To make real world change, it is going to require more partnerships, higher education and economic growth to break the grinding poverty and true reconciliation can begin.

- Rural and northern crime. How to stop urban crime is to remember criminals commute. Drugs go back and forth, stolen parts and violent  offenders. The RCMP have said they will taskforce up and go after repeat offenders on an ad hoc basis. This means executing warrants, doing compliance checks and not putting up with individuals who will break the law till someone dies. Better to catch them violating the law than giving free passes. The police often know who the bad actors are. This ain't the good ol' boys. Safety will go up and crime will go down if the Feds give the RCMP and Band Constables the ability to act and deescalate offenders before they harm others.

- Cybercrime. Often now we are harmed by criminals outside our own areas. The federal government is best equipped for this as the crime can and has been about national security attacks by rogue nations that not only involves police but national defence.

- Canada is consistently rated in the top ten for safety among 163 countries according to the Global Peace Index. Other factors figure in the global rating but they point out that Canada has one third the crime rate of the U.S. which shows different government structure have significant differences even with similar cultural backgrounds. There may be a decline this year with the presence of the trucker convoy because that comes under political stability. Even now the convoy continues along Trans-Canada this week and at the Legislative grounds which seems to have a permanent presence on it of protest. Freedom of speech is our right. Overthrowing government is not by force. Use you word and your vote.

- Income supports. Make no mistake: Things like CPP, OAS, baby bonus checks and other supports can contribute to not losing your house, or child, or heath and keeps people safer and more secure. Prison is not the answer for poverty. Homelessness won't go away if homes are unaffordable. Crime won't go down if there is a permanent supply of dispossessed. 

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I have outlined a number of different ways the three levels of government can help with safety and bring crime down. Not all of them cost money. Many cost nothing except change of zoning, scheduling and reassigning staff. For councillors it might be answering your phones to be alerted to a back alley deteriorating in every way.

I'm not a politician, police officer, lawyer, healthcare provider or social worker. Those and others are tough jobs. They all have likely insight on what it is like out there. If anyone is listening. Journalists as well and the various media have an important role too but I'm no closer to knowing who to vote for in the city election. Candidates provide few details and media has not quite given me the profiles and policies to base a decision on. I have begun listening to podcasts but crave a website to compare and contrast.

I don't use any real social media except for business accounts. The pandemic, my parents suffering and passing away, a car collision where my car was written off and I was hurt, my own battle with being sick...twice in 2020 and having to go to hospital started off with a punch in the face leaving work. To add insult to injury, had to make a police reports of theft and fraud, bullet holes in the entrance to my place, break ins and so forth. I tried to stay in good spirits but I was scared to go out. 

In 2019, I was pretty fearless. Cautious but not worried. I was working very late nights at Jazz Fest, Country Fest, movie sets, galas all over downtown, through the city for one of businesses. All the while working my other business and assisting my parents in fixing and emptying their old home while helping them adjust to assisted living.

With all my businesses shut down, I got over my fear by walking the streets of the city. I love this town and posted pictures of my travels good and bad. I walked entire length of Portage Avenue. Both ways. All of Pembina. All of Main, every street of downtown. I needed it because my parents were in ICU with Covid 100 days with no visits. And I couldn't be scared.

Social media among friends is fine but has grown to be a fight in the larger world. It is a mistake to believe the majority of people on say, Twitter, represent the world view on any issue. Those on it can push a trend and can enjoy the engagement but I learned more walking in every part of Winnipeg to be fair. And as restrictions have lifted (I still wear my mask a lot and four times vaxxed), I am doing my part to get out there, stay positive, run a new business and serves thousands doing it. 

Ultimately, to make this city become safer and reduce crime we all defiantly have to inform people, create a community that looks out for each so we call live, work, get educated and seek recreation and not be scared.

In next and last part, I will describe what ordinary people can do to help make their community safer and reduce crime.