Manitoba Hydro Building Unsafe

I recently wrote that restaurants inside the recently converted Marcello's at Manitoba Hydro should feel more secure than some of their old locations in downtown Winnipeg. I said the issue for Manitoba Hydro might be security outdoors. I was wrong. A knife attack inside the building overwhelmed security who are not equipped to deal with violence. I had thought the mere presence of security and a lot of people, 2000 when full staff are present, would be sufficient for safety. I was wrong. 

Businesses and residents of various places in the city, downtown in this case, are suffering from violence and theft. It isn't useful to downplay it since even very progressive voices, those who live downtown and support businesses there are finding it exasperating that their cars and personal safety are constantly under pressure. The Ashdown Market cited crime as a big issue of why they are shutting down this week. 

The police are responding to arson and bus assaults and they have made some progress. However, some of this has come after a number of convenience stores and restaurants have been burned to the ground. Former hotels have been burned to the ground so that there is no possibility they could be turned into transitional housing. The empty spaces left could be there decades.

The fact that higher levels of security are needed inside buildings with camera and security people in them is scary. It isn't an obstacle for those who don't fear consequences at any time. Calling the police is already too late for those who attack first and have the knife out. The Hydro case is all too common where a subject has a knife and a response can't nearly be fast enough. Or the security that is present is ill equipped for an actual attacker.

People can't feel they will be randomly assaulted any time they are out in the city. Make no mistake people are well aware of where assaults take place and are talking about it.  Manitoba Hydro has no choice to respond or employees and customer will not want to come downtown. In fact, some are questioning the move from Taylor. Others have said they should move the HQ right out of Winnipeg, some joking it should be right out of the province. 

Given the efforts to make the arena area even more a recreation hotspot and supporting existing and incoming business developments, it is in very much a priority to improve safety and security. This isn't just superficial appearances. If businesses and people can't feel they won't be burned down, assaulted or suffer constant threats, you might as well demolish everything downtown. Would be that be the solution. It simply would move the problems even more so across the city.

It would appear that new security will be present this week who can restrain and detain those set out to do harm. And it can't seem like a revolving door. It is staggering that the person arrested for burning down places was re-arrested for more crimes a day later. It just makes people feel there is no hope because there are no consequences for hurting people. It was a huge deal arresting a suspect in the arsons case and just as huge a failure when he was released to do it again. 

Looking at the Manitoba Hydro building by itself though is a distraction. Even if the inside is made safe, it doesn't necessarily mean a worker doesn't get attacked outside the doors. And it isn't limited to the Hydro building. The new Pan Am Clinic is coming to Portage Place and if people are attacked with knives in and around the building, they will hold all level of governments accountable.

Canada is going through a pretty profound addictions, homelessness and violence spike. Truly, overall crime might be down in the country but people won't feel like safe and secure when they hear of random attacks in schools and workplaces. It isn't alarmist if nurses grey list their workplaces. It is a cry for help for real problems. A detachment of police at Health Sciences Centre is probably only the beginning of a full safety audit. Health professionals are going to court to get Shared Health to comply with security measures in the workplace.

It certainly feels like an escalation where we worry about security inside the workplaces and schools. As the awful shooting in B.C. demonstrates, our sense of security hangs by a thread. The trauma of assault and violence doesn't just go away. Communities across Canada are hurting from fear of repeating offences against them. We can't feel unsafe in our homes, our schools and work as well.

It is now up to both public and private sectors to restore not just actual security but a sense of security as well. That could mean continuous assessment of safety which might mean keycode passes to various areas of schools and workplaces. It might mean security that involves more security capable of intervening and not seemingly observing your assault. Cameras are mostly responsive after something has happened. Certainly we need a surge of resources. This is not a time of a committee doing a report that will be available a few years from now. Nurse are already making decisions about where to work now. They won't wait years to protect them from being assaulted. They will leave en masse.

This has to be high priority and will likely be a multi-pronged approach. It is clear though that people are not being overwrought and decisions about where people will live and work are being made about experiences they are having. There really is no more time to waste.