Arson in Winnipeg

Fires have ravaged Point Douglas. Accident or arson? There are so many lately that we often don't hear if they are or aren't. Police and fire departments say so many of them though have been arson. And in some cases it has been part of a homicide. Whatever the cause, there are too many. 

A recent one in Point Douglas saw an evacuation of a three block area that was probably toxic to anyone near it. A full city block where Vulcan Ironworks once stood was destroyed and will have to demolished. It remains to be seen who pays for it and who clears it. There are sites around the city that debris remains with fences around. Those seem to last a long time.

Several law and order initiatives have been announced but in the 1990s it took the arson task force some time to make a dent in the arsons. Finding out who was setting fires and getting them off the street requires work. It turned out a few people set the bulk of fires and there was a big decline once they were sentenced. 

Presently, it doesn't look like Winnipeg is any where close to seeing a decline. The fire department goes repeatedly to some addresses until they burn all the way down or are ordered demolished. A pattern of breaking into places, stealing stuff and then setting a fire has been happening. 

In recent years it hasn't just been abandoned buildings burned down. A few apartments have burned down with people in them. Some turned out to be arsons, others are still under investigation. We just don't hear follow-up but given the difficulty in finding affordable housing, it isn't great. We still haven't heard what caused a fire on Pembina Highway to a student tower under construction. It certainly held up important housing for the campus by one than a year.

With the election coming in October, it would be useful to show the initiative to stop the fires. If the fires are mostly arson, it is discouraging to know that in most cases, no one is caught. People have been dying and more could be in jeopardy. The burning of a church to the ground in an arson is alarming to say the least.

No matter who wins the next election, the new government will have to step as the issue should be as much of a concern to MLA as city councillors. This is not one to punt off as totally the responsibility of the municipalities.  The courts, social services and funding are in the province's court. For Winnipeg it is a crisis that grows each week. It has to stop.