The police downtown are afraid to walk to their cars. If you had asked them where they wanted their new headquarters, they probably would have said Saskatoon. Two mayoral candidates are saying the chief should be fired. The union isn't happy. Many of the candidates in the race have been victims of crime since the beginning of the race. Not sure anyone can recall this happening in other civic races.
In the last day, women were being attacked on buses. And not just downtown. A U.S. study on traffic in 62 downtowns across North America found that Winnipeg was in the middle of the pack in terms of people back as of July. No city has fully returned to pre-pandemic activity in their central areas. Some have had better results such as New York because of the surge of tourism but many workers still have not returned to offices yet.
It is certain that if the same metrics were used in September as they were in July that numbers would be higher. The return of Red River College and University of Winnipeg students downtown has brought life to those areas. Many downtown offices returned to work fully or in hybrid form. Also of note is that many apartments that were under construction the entire length of the pandemic are coming on stream now including the tallest building in the city.
The Downtown Watch has given way to the Downtown Community Safety Partnership that has three teams out and does safety walks. While it is supposed to improve safety, there is simply not enough people to stop the property crime and violence. The DCSP is more about assisting vulnerable people through the 211 phone system. The awkwardly named agency could use a re-branding. The old Watch was recognizable uniform colour and their name. They also seemed to have more authority to deescalate. It seems the name Watch was too militant and the colour red too much like the RCMP. Sadly, the colouring now looks like Freedom Convoy marchers.
There is nothing inherently wrong with yellow/orange vests. The Bear Clan and others wear it well. But they are a truly a community patrol whereas Downtown Watch at one time were sworn peace officers. We do have Winnipeg Police Cadets who do take on downtown walks but the Police Service use them a whole lot of times for directing traffic. A move has been made but to put up CCTV video security downtown but since the initial announcement, nothing has been heard. Questions of who monitors it, where are they placed and who responds are still not known. Also, privacy and how long video is stored for is also unknown.
The Free Press has featured their vacant house team of police, fire, inspector and contractors going from vacant house to house. Good journalism. Good stats. During my walks I pointed out some really good neighbourhood work being hurt by vacant houses/buildings being boarded up and broken into and set afire. I was very concerned that fate awaited Downtown Bay. Unlike the Bay which now has some money and momentum behind it, some of the vacant houses are deteriorating so fast and burning so much, they don't have a chance to be sold and rehabilitated. Some of those houses are in places like Wellington Crescent which has gotten demolition after the third break in.. While the city officials are working better together, city council and the province are slow. If an apartment has been vacant years, seize it. If it burns, knock it down. And charge the landlord who might just want to collect insurance on it. And where possible, rehabilitate. Several hundred homes being broken into because they have been vacant and occupied or being used for crime activities is gutting neighbourhoods. Not all houses seem to get as fast a solution as Wellington Crescent has gotten. Not fast enough for the vacant two story on College that was set on fire the other night.
A debate among mayor candidates turned into angry accusations, among them on who is to blame for violence, specifically domestic violence. A candidate should be looking to propose solutions rather than blaming. Unless his solution is for police to profile certain races, genders, socio-economic groups with perpetual scrutiny. Either way, whatever point the candidate was making has drawn attention and probably not in a way to get things done in city hall. Or get elected.
The most recent Probe poll has Glen Murray so far ahead that it seems insurmountable except when it is compared to undecided. There are likely too many conservative candidates running. Too many progressives and too many liberals. Our electoral system could stand either or run off elections of one that Alaska just used which was the ranked ballot system. Any changes though have to go through the province. And the province seems unwilling to change anything about the Winnipeg Act.
We have seen a few promises dependent on changes to the Winnipeg Act. It seems unlikely the present government is keen to change them. And the next possible government hasn't raised it either. The thing is the city had double the amount of MLAs than City Councillors. The MLAs should care as the provincial election is coming and it will depend on those city ridings. Too many MLAs from all parties need to be asked questions specific to how well the city responds to issues and what their solutions are.
Police have made some impressive arrests lately. One suspect is charged with 69 break-ins, a shoplifting ring has been arrested at Polo Park and a spree of car jacking suspects taken in. But we are overwhelmed and addictions and crime and grinding us down. Perhaps if some of the worst offenders are taken off the streets as we saw in 2014, the long rising crime rates will come down.
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