West End Continues to Suffer Drugs and Crime

The police surge in the center of the city seems to have the unintended consequences which is driving the problem into the West End. Businesses and residents have indicated that there is has been greatly increased drug use and criminal activity in their area. News stories seem to confirm the activity. And even those just passing through will notice the influx of people and drug activity plainly visible.

In the days after the July long weekend the numbers have really increased for those out on the streets. Drugs are ever present as are the needles and other sharp material. The vulnerability of businesses, churches, schools and cars is palpable. A door locked does not represent safety. Walking to your home, car, place of worship, restaurant could be perilous despite how short the distance. 

Some business people indicated they were adding security features or patrolling themselves but almost all were crying for sustained police presence. As of June, we have increased police numbers in keeping with our increased population but we are still below the national ratio for police. Those running for council or mayor could make a case more police on the street. Those asking for defunding of police could be asked how they would handle the problems the city is facing now. Perhaps they have better answers. Living a socialist life doesn't always end addictions and mental health issues as demonstrated by the Soviet Union or present day China where reports say young are using mind numbing drugs. And the toxicity of the drugs now make it seem impossible that even with food and shelter security, some people are not going to have the mental health or addictions control to to avoid self harm and harming others.

It is no wonder why the West End is begging for some relief. To support using drugs every day requires money and that means anything that is not cemented to the ground is taken and sold. A vacant house will be stripped down and a fire set to stay warm resulting in another tooth knocked out on the street. Whatever sympathies people have can't stand the constant pressure of fear and loss. As it gets colder, we could see an acceleration and loss of life seems inevitable and, in fact, is already happening. A more aggressive stance for criminal behaviour comes with that. There is zero tolerance for violence or, at least, should be. Chronic repeat offenders have to be dealt with. Just as repeated drug and alcohol driver who won't control their actions, they have to serve time because even loss of license or car sometimes doesn't work.

The numerous councillors and MLAs still holidaying is galling. Do something and stop saying a long term plan is being debated. You don't have that amount of time. If something happens in a school, you won't have anywhere to hide. And it will. Kids navigating the bodies, needles and possible assault will be hard to ignore. School starts soon. We can't let this get worse.

Rudy's Downtown Closes

The Manitoba Hydro building has faced security issues over the past year. People have not been secure in the building and outside the building. Rudy's with a patio basically needs a police officer right there on the street. Anyone walking up, on the patio or in the restaurant itself could be subject to problems. Food deliveries, employees arriving early or late now worry about random assaults. This isn't just rhetoric but actual facts on the ground.

Sympathetic as people are, we have have a drug and homeless problem that is accelerating and as evening get cold, the fires start. More arson, more trees cut down and more possibilities of people getting hurt and dying. Where are the councillors and MLAs? No where. Even the more progressive Reddit Winnipeg is becoming alarmed but the rapid increase. Not too many solutions being offered except more progressive councillors getting elected. 

That is an October thing. The problem worsens by the day. And when school starts along with school daycares, it will be harder to ignore school intrusions and unsafe disposal of needles and other things. If it sounds apocalyptic, it is because it is.

If a restaurant like Rudy's can survive in the largest government corporation HQ close to the entertainment district. Does it get so bad that Hydro tells workers to work from home or just outright say they are moving? I don't think that will happen but with transit schedules awful and buses unsafe, who wants to be stabbed, bitten or abandoned at a stop? One again, look at reaction on Facebook and Reddit and commentary on media. People are worried about security and not just downtown.

Rudy's could have closed because of changing habits but the fact that they expressed concern in January that security was not good should bring a chill to local and provincial government. Many councillors are seeking the exit. Lots of their assistants are running. It is still too early to tell what their policies are. As for ones currently running, by September we might be in full failure downtown.

For every good story and there are many in the city, we are seeing a literal collapse of addiction, homelessness and violence. Businesses and communities are begging for it to be stopped. Even with treatment centers, safe injection sites, soup kitchens and overnight beds, there are people who won't accept those. Moreover, some of the treatment centers can't treat the complex needs of some. It often ends with police for violent incidents.

The police are apparently being more visible but the people who are being managed just move to other areas. The West End is being for a permanent police presence. What will it take? Will it take encampments at City Hall or the Legislature grounds to do a full court press? Certainly the loss of businesses doesn't seem to have an affect. Clearly telling voters sense the elected officials are too afraid to address what everyone is seeing out there.

Perhaps another restaurant opens where Rudy's is. But will Hydro just begin to lock itself up and give up on commercial space due to danger? This is not a good situation at all.

Canad Inns to Sell Properties in Downtown Winnipeg

Perhaps it was inevitable after the death of Leo Ledohowski in 2025. Not every one of his family member lives in Winnipeg. The disposition of the various hotels and properties has already begun. Recently, the Tavern United in the pumphouse beside the Canada Life Arena was closed. The speculation though was that the lease had expired and the Jets owner had a use in mind for the property.  The name coming up was Moxie's as being an interested in the space. I thought perhaps Tavern could go in Canad Inns own property at Somerset but it appears the family had other plans.

The Manitoba Metis have already announced early they might be interested in the hotel at the very least. However, the Ledohowski's have said that is only available as a package with the other properties. It is possible the MMF could take all the properties of partner up with someone. Perhaps, the Jets might be interested in the Met building for its concert business and Jets/Moose game events. Certainly the Jets organization don't want empty buildings beside them after all the years of trying to build up surrounding area.

Some on Facebook are proposing a treatment and addictions housing center. That is probably premature for a hotel that still is viable but probably in need of an update just as several in the downtown have been getting or are getting now. As for the largely empty Somerset building, it sits right across from the arena and has a skywalk through it. I expect there is a use for the building, especially the ground floor which one house a Dollar Tree. Sitting directly across from one of the main entrances to the arena, it is possible it could be a good place for some restaurant or bar. The Somerset used to have Woolworth based there and the upper floors offices. It is possible someone might have a use for it. The Aveda building next door is a great example of someone finding a new use for a fine building.

The former Northstar Inn (now Radisson) with its parkade might be an attractive option for someone wanting a hotel. However, the price to upgrade will be the millions. The Fairmont is presently going through a $120 million rebuild. The Charterhouse rebuild to Best Western Plus Downtown was $30 million. The Sutton Place Hotel and Suites is likely up in two years. No timetable or price another hotel on Broadway. Add to this the impending sale of The Fort Garry. The final touches are the skywalks funded by city and province for Sutton Place are being made. The Radisson and adjacent buildings already have skywalks.

So many projects come on stream late this year and into the next two years. Changes of ownership should not be unexpected. It was locals families that transformed the Fort Garry and the Metropolitan. Hopefully, it will be local to take them to the next level.

The Winnipeg Police will be initiating a crackdown on open drug use. However, this time it will run into November and they will be accompanied by workers equipped to help people will assistance. Too many residents, businesses and even support services are overwhelmed by overdoses on such a scale and people in doorways and encampments and not being able to ensure personal safety and property security.

The longer a building has no users, the greater the chance it will burn in this environment. It appears that the hotel and the Met are not shuttering but a new owner dedicated to their revitalization would be most welcome. Meanwhile, the city and province could do a lot to make sure that people feel they can come downtown and not regret it because of safety and security reasons.

July Weekend of Crime and More

It was a pretty awful weekend by any metric. A man in a wheelchair stabbed randomly in the afternoon in a courtyard on Powers Street Friday. In Crescentwood by Kelvin High School, a man smashed windows at the school and various homes at 6:30 AM. He threatened people and stole items. Some time on Friday, someone cut all 15 tipi poles in half for an indigenous celebration on Kenaston. And the list goes on of drug arrest, high speed chases and other assorted stabbings and violence. 

This isn't cherry picking. And heaven's knows what the police and fire reports will be Monday. Multiple neighbourhoods and businesses are begging for a surge of police resources. At the same time activists are begging them to back off. They really can't went people are being stabbed, threatened or businesses and schools attacked. 

It doesn't help when Reddit anonymous posters complain about the patriarchy and corporate ownership when stores are being ransacked. They even complained when unionized government liquor stores used security screening even after violent assaults. To be fair, even posters at Reddit are getting a little exasperated at the threats to safety with comments on the rampant arson, store chaos and literal open use of drugs and people dying in the streets every day. 

Once again, this is happening everywhere with toxic drugs everywhere in Canada and beyond. No one wants to blame to victims but who exactly are the victims here? And how are you helping if they are released so quickly after offending. Clearly, some resume immediately what they are doing. The lawlessness is exhausting even the most sympathetic to addictions and poverty. 

Some transitional housing groups are now refusing housing to those who have not even begun some process of weaning off drugs. The worry is that it will end in arson, violence and hurt those being taken care of. At some point, for many, a violent encounter probably means being remanded and awaiting trial. That is too late after damage is done but it might be the only time to get people off the lethal drugs they are on. The problem is the endless supply of people into this cycle.

Add in racist instant of attacks on indigenous people and high speed street racing and you have a weekend of chaos. The police have their hands full. Still, neighbourhoods are begging for a police presence to enforce some form of lawful behaviour. Those living in areas seem to think that all that is being done is reviving people and giving them clean needles and save places to get high. Many of the people are too high and unsafe for shelters and the constant need to find money to feed the addiction means businesses and individuals are targets. It is a vicious cycle.

With an election this fall imminent, it seems we will likely have police called in more. However, Gillingham is looking for a non police and fire-paramedic response to this. How this is done remains unknown. It probably involves existing services but how they become involved in a mental health or drug crisis that doesn't require any police or fire is the big question. It might be some sort of triage in the 911 calls. At the moment, we are short 107 paramedics so maybe he can address that first. If there are police shortages, I have not heard the latest number.  Shortages in front line workers before and election is a recipe for questions on re-election for mayor and council alike.

Something has to be done before it gets even worse.

Osborne Village Suffering

There are many good things happening in Osborne. New buildings, new restaurants and new housing. However, the drug toxicity has been profound and some of the social agencies are now causing friction among their neighbours. Daycares and businesses are dodging needles and human waste. Belligerent and drugged people are in doorways and everything from employees to customers risk and encounter that is more than just unpleasant but dangerous.

Despite a lot of sympathy and understanding, the level of tolerance for increasing levels of encampment within the streets is waning. Safety feels like it is being compromised. The social agencies can't simply fob this off and say any type of diversion, enforcement or security presence undermines their efforts. They are literally not responding to requests to do something.

More money is coming to assist those in need, more housing and support workers are coming and more recovery addictions centers are opening. The police are even making major trafficking arrests but the scope is so great that progress looks glacial. And if hard drugs are off the street, it means people with addictions seek other things including hand sanitizer. Street patrols seems to be in endless cycle of reviving of people who would surely die. Multiple times. It is soul destroying for those going through it and for front line workers. But it is also exhausting for those living beside it.

Many of those people will not complain, won't make a fuss or even inform others. They will simply stop shopping, close businesses, stop providing services and move. They will abandon the area lest anyone say they are intolerant, paranoid or cruel. If people feel unsafe, experience security and sanitation issues or feel their place of business, services or home is in the line of fire, they will start streaming out.

At the moment, people in Osborne are begging for help and often having their calls unanswered, This is an election year and that dog won't hunt. It will be too difficult when schools and daycares start pushing the issue of needles and dangers of aggressive behaviour within their areas. The first child to get an infection from stepping on a needle or teacher harmed trying to defend heir students will result in an explosion of calls to action.

There are double the amount of MLAs in Winnipeg than Councillors. Most of the them are NDP. Osborne is the premiers riding. It is unlikely that he will able to pass the buck too much longer if the crisis grows even greater. There is a growing desperation about dealing with this even as parts the area are trying to revive. The drug problem is out of control. Activists telling the public that police, security and other hurt their efforts seem willing to have daycares and school bare the costs of someone getting wounded or worse. Or watching a neighbourhood whither and die and go down in arson.

Anti-Semitism in Manitoba

A lot of focus has happened with Prime Minister Mark Carney speech on anti-Semitism in Toronto. It is notable that the government felt it necessary, even essential to indicate that the people of Canada need to do everything to combat anti-Semitism. Depending on who you talked to after, it was a very productive speech or it was an utter failure. Those that say Carney anti Semite or heads an anti Semite government and nothing will be better till the right party is in place should be taken with a grain of salt.

The latter opinion comes from the American owned National Post that runs more opinion pieces on anti-Semitism than the Jerusalem Post. That isn't an exaggeration. The newspaper seems to run pieces on the federal government and anti-Semitism every day. The Conservative titled newspaper is outrageously focused on the Liberal party and often ignores provincial and municipal issues, including hate crimes that fall as much on other levels of government than the Feds.

To that end, let's focus on the hate crime report from the Winnipeg Police Service for 2025. One interesting note: This story was published in the Jerusalem Post as well. The report stated that hate crimes have gone up 154% since 2019. In 2025 there were 112 incidents versus 44 incidents there year before. Race and ethnicity accounted for 49 incidents with black people accounting for 13 reports.

In terms of religious hate crime. there were 37 incidents with 32 incidents that were against Jewish people. Some critics say there are so many unreported claims. This may well be true but government and police can only do much when incidents are not reported. All we can do is encourage people to report and to try to ensure their safety. If people fear to report because because they will be killed, the police have to investigate deeper. If swastikas are all over the place, it might be important to figure out if you have a cowed population living in fear.

To be fair, despite Winnipeg's large increase in hate crime since 2019, it doesn't even come close to other provinces in total numbers or per capita. One incident is too many but we are in no way close to other places in the country. Still, we need to dig down at Jewish hate here. There has always been an undercurrent in the far left and far right. For some on the left is not accepting Israel's existence and that Jewish people are to blame wherever they are.  For some on the right, it is that Jewish people are part of world cabal that plans to take over the world and control things.

Zionism is the crux here for many. Most Jewish people who live in Canada are not citizens of Israel, can vote in Israel or are even involved in day to day things that happen in Israel. What the majority of Jewish people do support is the right of Israel to exist. Supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah cheering the murder and rape of Israelis on the streets of Canada is both hatred and terrorism. It should be dealt with.

Israel has a right to exist and those who push a "river to the sea" are preaching death to Jews. Driving Jews into the sea basically shows all that some people care about is killing. And if you are in Winnipeg and gather at Kenaston and Grant just to harass Jewish people at a synagogue with death threats, you are preaching hatred. Trying to appoint collective guilt to Jewish people living in Canada about Israel by protesting outside their places of worship, business and homes is not freedom of speech. 

In 1982, the Israel occupation in Lebanon was the last time we saw such a rise of anti-Semitism in Canada. We are kind of back in that time again. If Canadians wish to protest, which is their right, they can do embassies, consulates, various government offices and the like. The moment you go to someone's home, place of worship or business should be dealt with every time. Harassment online doesn't get a free pass either.

Israel is a democracy. They do change their policies and have exchanged land for peace. The Sinai Peninsula is evidence of that. If a Winnipegger wants to lobby for that, do so. But advocating for death should earn you a time in court. This applies to all hate crimes. Criticizing Israel's government policy on Gaza, West Bank and Lebanon is fair game. Even Trump does that. Spray painting a synagogue is not.

In terms of what Carney can do, there have been legislative changes to help police track and make arrests like those for anti-Semitism. However, even Conservatives are wary of such warrantless searches. I guess it depends on whose ox you gore. Still, the federal government needs to show zero tolerance for hate violence and work to prevent that.

As for those who disagree with Israeli actions, do to the Legislature or City Hall. Push for sanctions or divestment. Go to constituency offices and protest. Those are your rights. Protest at universities. But cross the line with violence, harassment of worship places or business and pay the price. Threaten hate and violence online and prepare for legal consequences. No more free rides for bad behaviour.

For those Winnipeggers who socially engage without nonsense, good on you. Report stuff when you see it. Let's not have this end up with terrorism and gunfire. We're better than that. 

Two More 7-Elevens Immediately Close in Winnipeg, Four or Five on the Bubble 2026

Two More 7-Elevens have closed immediately and have been emptied out and boarded up. The locations are Notre Dame and Arlington and Keeewatin and Logan. The rumour is all 7-Elevens east of the Red River are next and at least two others could go as well. The security and thefts have gotten so bad that the company felt they had no choice but to close. It pretty much mean everything in the northern part of the city is closed.

The news gets worse. It appears some Dolloramas, Shoppers and other pharmacy and grocery stores are hanging on by their finger nails in those same areas. By the end of 2026, it is possible that every convenience store, grocery, pharmacy and gas station in certain areas could be closed. The issue is spreading from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

After suggesting there would be an uptick in 7-Elevens for the city, the company is abandoning certain areas because it is a struggle every day. Some councillors are suggesting it is because 7-Eleven prices are too high. They are convenience stores, not Walmart. However, no store no matter the low price, can withstand removal of products from their shelves at this scale and the level of violence that can often happen.

The city and the province have a real problem on their hands. If the burnt out and empty buildings are not making it clear, the lack of banks, grocery stores, convenience stores and other businesses makes it plain to see. And the problem just extends down every major road as those looking places where they can take things with seemingly no consequence.

A lot of sympathy can be given for people who are suffering. That won't stop the problem now. Addiction is so prevalent now that what is in stores is used as currency. As any family who has tried to support a family member with addiction, it can be impossible at times for them to take whatever they can in the house to support that need. If no family can sustain that indefinitely, neither can a business.

Tom Broadbeck at the Free Press says businesses might have to control who comes into stores like the liquor stores do. Already drastic security measures such as rolling door and window covers are in place like Beirut. This doesn't help if your place is set on fire. While the police have caught many arsonists, protection rackets and repeat offenders, it hasn't been enough to stop what may be the worst of summer. The huge drug bust by police might see addicted people act more desperately. Still, the trafficking of Mexican cartel and bikers gangs can't continue to bring worse and worse drugs into Manitoba. It seems shortsighted to let them continue just because addicted people will seek out other stimulants.

It is unclear if a safe injection center or a sobering centre with a 72 hour hold will work or help the way the government thinks it might. Most charities are struggling right now to keep up. Some might criticize that they are religious and they screw it up. Still, they the ones who donate. Some are saying we need a collectivist society where housing, food and transport are all free. That may well be helpful. But will all those things overcome addiction? So many people who have homes with supports still reject them in favour of substances. It is heartbreaking.

This is a crisis at this point. The election is in the fall. Crime will be an issue. The loss of stores, housing, safety will be issues. And yet no prominent left or right of center candidate are stepping forward so far and no councillor will ever give up their seat because they have to resign from council to run. Talk is cheap. We have a lot of people who seem to want to bypass other elected areas straight to mayor. There are some who have sought other offices but turning up every four years just for mayor seems to happen often. Unless your name was the late Nick Ternette who was an urban activist all his life, it seems a vanity project.

The campaign is likely to be about crime. Mayor Gillingham will be on the defensive if an entire area of the city collapses from businesses fleeing. Blaming the businesses is going to not stop them from closing.

Osborne Village 2026

There is always a lamenting for the great old days of an area. Osborne Village has been called Canada's greatest neighbourhoods pre-pandemic. Honestly, the entire area has gone in cycles of ups and downs. I'm sure someone would say the best era was when it was the Osborne Barracks and housing was free...for the soldiers. And it was mostly horses. For some the 1980s and 90s with various clubs and Papa Georgie's open till 4 AM. Plus rents from $400 to $600 a month. If you back into the 1970s, rooming houses were $100 or less.

The days of rooming houses and fraternity houses are over. With many of the houses way over a 100 years old, they simply either had to be upgraded and demolished. Much of the older housing stock has to face this. Even Wellington Crescent houses have to be constantly cared for of they fall apart.

In Osborne there are still two and three story houses. Some are owned by one family but others are now condos inside houses. This was the story of the 1980s as house after house made way for something new. Oddly, density went down in part of the neighbourhood but that is true of many areas like River Heights and Wolseley. Fewer kids under the roof of a mom and dad. Still, in the highrise areas, the density is still high by Canadian standards.

There are good bones in Osborne. Grocery, pharmacy and some restaurants are resilient. Nearly 300 units of housing built since 2020 have helped. Regular police and support foot patrols have been helpful. The city still is coping with massive drug use, encampments and theft. It could get very bad again this summer. It seems no matter how fast supportive housing takes in new people, more are on the street. This might be the year to see if all of Canada can turn things around.

There is also lots of housing all over the city going up. The rule of thumb still applies that the housing built now becomes the affordable housing of 20 years from now. However, there does seem to be a focus on geared to income housing and affordable that is slowly starting to materialize including in the Osborne area. 

We have had an enormous growth in population but did nothing to improve housing starts or twenty years prior to 2020. In fact, we dragged our feet even when the obvious benefits were plain to see. It is still painful to get approvals for a lot of space even when consultations drag out years. And any vacant place now faces arson for even short periods where no one is there. One after the other 7-Elevens are closing all over the city. We need to get a handle on this city-wide problem.

But, as mentioned, Osborne as good bones. It doesn't have to look for things that other neighbourhoods don't to make them walkable. River Heights doesn't have a large grocer that is easily a walk away. The larger density and various commercial space makes for more opportunities in Osborne. The connectivity is both a strength and a weakness. More people are coming through Osborne than live there. It can be traffic chaos. There are frequent suggestions to divert it elsewhere but it is like putting a finger in a dike. The problem materializes elsewhere.

If a neighbourhood becomes too popular, people want to come and will ask: Where do I park or how do I drive there? If neighbourhood becomes too unpopular it can whither on the vine. What is the perfect mix? Somehow, you try to make sure people leave their cars and walk more in a neighbourhood. Osborne lost 24 businesses last year and it is just starting to recover. Each business that fills a gap creates foot traffic. Every empty part of the street is a difficult gap for people to commit to, especially if they are accosted for money or abused simply for being each step.

There is safety in crowds. Perhaps this is the moment where the tide is turning. Still, it will probably feel like sliding backwards from time to time with desperate addictions problems. The big police arrests of Hell's Angels drugs might make for a supply problem on streets where some resort to ever more aggressive moves to make money and more toxic options for getting high. The province is kicking in millions for street patrols downtown. It might have to be extended elsewhere. It might not be enough even at that.

Osborne will only be reclaimed one building at a time, one street at a time. I think video security and sadly, facial recognition, will be used to crackdown on those who abuse people and target stores over and over. If there are no consequences, the bad acts will continue. Osborne Village will probably never have as old and cheap housing as once before. The dream of $400 may only be achievable through geared to income supports and mixed developments. 

 There is sadness about the closure of the Osborne Village Inn and the end of music and meeting halls. Not to mention the loss of a beer vendor. However, the apartment that went up is likely to bring new life to a large space. The first commercial tenants on the first floor could breath life on the street. It could be transformative. Some of the larger spaces owned by previous long term owners have been sub-divided. The days of very large restaurants is over. Likewise, shops don't need as big a space.

We should be seeing if this summer things start to change back to a time when the neighbourhood was getting recognition from across Canada.

How Bad A Summer Will It Be?

More and more businesses are saying problems along Portage and into Wolseley are exploding. Rampant drug use, aggressive behaviour and fires set are out of control. The Free Press interviewed people about the new security rebate from the province and emerged with a scary story of how fast things are deteriorating. 

How bad is it? It is so bad that the block around north Portage by Sherbrook narrowly avoided being burned down. There are a number of businesses there begging for help from the government. They are not reactionary types with a hate for low income people. They are desperate not not be hurt through violence. They don't want their customers to be driven away. And they don't want to clean up people using their doorways as washrooms, sleeping stalls or spots to launch attacks.

These are not corporate tycoons. They are small businesses and ordinary people. Some have opened convenience stores and no one should feel they might subject to assault, fire or outright neglect. Blaming the people who are trying to make sure the area is not without bakeries, restaurants and stores is so unfair.

There are so many NDP MLAs and cabinet ministers in Winnipeg. Double the amount of councillors. They seem to be content fighting in the Legislature. Wab Kinew and Obby Khan just call each other names in Question Period. The NDP government is saying they are doing something but one building after another burns down. The NDP MLAs are invisible.

This is an election year in Winnipeg. They councillors and mayor could be vulnerable to defeat but the voter turnout is very low. No sitting mayor has been defeated since the 1950s. Very rarely does a sitting councillor get defeated. Unless a new system like ballot selection is chosen, there may be no fix for the same people in office. Ditto the MLAs who are just not visible.

This is not to say that some areas of improvement are helpful. The downtown safety patrols that are in part funded by True North are being trusted enough to get people on the path to some care routine. The spike in HIV and other diseases is an indication of some of the accelerated breakdown in health, especially in preventable diseases. Drug addiction, mental health are running rampant. Hepatitis A is running out of control. This suggests a complete failure in care. People are only being revived by paramedics just to suffer treatable diseases the rest of their lives.

It is clear that some on the streets have no impulse control and even placing them in homes is not enough support for the toxicity of the drugs. In fact, seniors who have had drug addiction folks placed in their buildings are saying they are under siege. Where are the wraparound supports? What we've been hearing is support staff won't go in buildings because it is too dangerous. This is outrageous. 

Every citizen will have the misfortune to use a hospital for their own use or family and friends in the next years and one by one, they are all being listed as unsafe by the very nurses who have to work there. This is considered acceptable? The amount of assaults on staff inside and outside hospitals is at critical levels.

Gordon Bell High School is in the middle of meth and fentanyl overdoses in the middle of the day as student walk through discarded needles. Security guards specializing in hard reduction are planned for next school term but the problem grows every day until then.

The fire department is reporting ever rising cases of places being brought down by arson. The city can barely keep up with vacant buildings and demolished buildings. A building that is closes could face arson only days after being boarded up. Fire services can be out multiple times a night. Paramedics are out at even great rates.

As far as Transit goes, the new route system sometimes leaves people feeling vulnerable during transfers. Many shelters might be filled with needles and occupied permanently. Inside the buses, the drivers want to shut off from the passengers. This may help the drivers while the passengers don't have any protections. 

An interesting story about San Francisco Democratic mayor Daniel Lurie appeared in the the Washington Post in the past days. He has done been cited even by Donald Trump about his crime fighting in the city. Using both public and private partnerships, he has made progress in the city that went through a terrible downtown following Covid and crime that seemed to have little regard for enforcement. Using technology and backfilling shortages of police has helped as well as various strategies to help people from falling into harmful behaviour.

So the question remains, how bad could it get for Winnipeg and Manitoba? While we may not have police shortages in Winnipeg, the RCMP is short very many officers. This does not help in terms of drug and human trafficking or episodes of school violence where response time is terrible. It seems unbelievable we have rising unemployment with a shortage of thousands of RCMP. Why are these positions unfilled?

Things have been moving so quickly that something terrible is going to happen and then it will be all reactive. It is hard to say what that might be. Homicide, arson, encampments along Portage Avenue, major city parks, multiple deaths from Hep A, overdoses and deaths? I don't know but things are moving painfully slow and the government and opposition seem only interested in calling each other names in the Legislature. City Hall seems overwhelmed and more focused on road construction and trying to get the Feds to pay for their sewer.

The election is in November and the situation with crime and drugs isn't going to go away. If it is a horrific summer, it will surely goad various governments to act. Finger pointing won't cut it although we are likely to see a lot of it. Winnipeg will need to surge all out. Simply swapping out needles and testing drugs won't cut it if violence and property crime escalate beyond the pale. If even the support workers fear going to work, you have already lost the battle.

Summer is when a lot of politicians in Manitoba like to take time off but it is unlikely that they will be able to escape scrutiny. Last years the province was on fire and there was no break. This year the drug and crime issue will do the same. There will be no hiding from it.

The Re-Newed Expansion of 7-Eleven in Winnipeg

 

Southland Corporation in Dallas had been operating stores since 1927 but by 1946 had re-branded as 7-Eleven to reflect their general operating hours. It began to franchise in the 1960s to various countries such as Canada. The first store in Canada would be in Calgary with others that quickly followed. Unbeknownst to many, 7-Eleven has been Japanese owned since 1991.

The history of 7-Eleven in Winnipeg goes back to 1969. The first location in Charleswood was before the municipality even joined the city in 1972. The first 7-Eleven locations were built in Alberta and only a few months later Winnipeg's was built on Dale Avenue as part of the Westdale Shopping Mall. By 1979, there were over 40 stores across the city. Initially, they were operating from 7 am to 11 pm but a number of stores operated 24 hours a day except Christmas and a few other holidays over the years where they closed all day or were of reduced hours.

Robberies were awful at any store that operated 24 hours. This included Domo gas stations, Mac's and 7-Eleven. Some stores reduced hours because Winnipeg was near the worst in Canada for this. The police wanted the stores closed at night but conveniences stores pushed back. The company responded in 1976 with some of the security measures that everyone today is familiar with. The 6000 stores across North America now had limited amounts of cash at night. By 1980, the timed safes were in place. The first lottery tickets were sold in 1971 in stores, a first for Canada.

It may be hard for people to remember but Slurpees were behind the counter and poured by employees from 1969 to late 1980s. It was very limited in flavours in that Coke and Sprite were the only consistent drinks. Hoagies first appeared in the 1980s. And Slurpees in Canada were different than the U.S. in that they were more icy while in the U.S., they were more syrupy.

Sometimes it was 7-Eleven that led innovations and sometimes it was different regions and stores adapted to the areas. Microwaves introduced at stores in the very late 1970s and 1980s made it possible to have heat and eat items. Burgers, hotdogs and hoagies were popular in Canada. In Japan around the same time it was rice balls (o-nigiri) or simmered foods (o-den). In the U.S. it was hotdogs and burgers. I would think that chicken has really taken over at 7-Eleven over the last several years.

In 1991, the family that owned majority shares of 7-Eleven tried to take the company private and was overwhelmed with debt. Even selling some divisions was not enough to bail them out. In Canada, we probably didn't know they were even in trouble. The Japanese franchise was probably surprised how tenuous the parent company was in Dallas. Because of the strength of the Japanese yen, they were able to take majority ownership of the company and several years later made it a full subsidiary.

Most Canadians still don't know that the ownership change happened. Nor was there any sense of who directed how operations were to be run in Winnipeg or Canada, for that matter. There does seem to be a general manager in Winnipeg for the corporate stores although there is a distribution center on Bentall. This begs the question of who makes decisions for the stores on say, what newspapers should be carried or what local food needs to be on the shelves. One example, in 1979, after the Winnipeg Arena was expanded for the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, tickets were sold to games for a discount.  The Charleswood location became a prime spot to grab these tickets. In 2025/2026. 7-Eleven came on board as a Jets sponsor and a Slurpee machine now resides at the Canada Life Centre and store ads appear on the broadcasts. In the past, only the Dallas Stars got that ad support for a hockey team. Not surprising since that is where the company was founded and still operates the U.S. base.

In the most recent year, 7-Eleven Canada has tied to evolve a small restaurant style area that serve alcohol. In Winnipeg, it is only one location on Ness and that location isn't even open 24 hours. In Ontario, they have far more testing this out. And it is a test. It might not work. Sometimes 7/Eleven chases a trend as it did with renting videos back in the 1980s. It took some years but the convenience store retreated from sales when big players like Blockbuster, Jumbo and Rogers took over.

Convenience stores like 7-Eleven have always had coffee but even those use to be poured by store clerks at one time. Then small coffee stations were set up with coffees rotated by clerks. Now the machinery and choices for coffee are a lot more varied.  It is uncertain how many people get coffee at 7-Eleven in Winnipeg compared to competitors. To be sure Winnipeg is very much a Slurpee city unlike any other in the world. It isn't just corporate kiss-up when 7-Eleven says Winnipeg is the Slurpee capital of the world. It is a phenomenon unlike any other place on the planet. In some stores there are a dozen or more choices. In a Japanese 7-Eleven they are likely two machines and they aren't going to be Coke and Sprite.

Magazines are no longer in stores in Canada. They used to be positioned in their own row and newspapers were right beside the store. Some 7-Elevens in Winnipeg used to have Toronto Stars, USA Today and every national paper along side the local Free Press and Sun in abundance. Newspapers are now exiled to the corner.

Pay phones were once inside, then moved outside and now gone altogether. Banks vie for space for ATMs inside 7-Eleven. Lottery stations are now right beside the door. The formerly clerk supplied food is now self serve and deliveries have exploded in every 7-Eleven.

Canada's Circle K attempted to take over 7-Eleven worldwide last year and failed in part to the difficulty it is for international companies to take over Japanese ones. Some were saying Japan might be invoke national security reasons since convenience stores are so depended on in Japan. Oddly enough, 7-Eleven continues to acquire stores in the U.S. but that same courtesy does not extend the other way.

Regardless, it appears both companies are cutting marginal stores and ones subject to safety issues. Winnipeg has seen around 10 stores cut in recent years and management has said some of it is because of crime. In fact, they put a number on how much product was being removed from stores and it was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is unsustainable and while corporate critics might not have had any sympathy, this level of theft was also taking down mom and stores and leaving the area barren of any grocery or convenience stores. 

According to Mayor Gillingham in his State of the City address, 7-Eleven has spoke to him about an expansion of the company in Winnipeg. After the closure of the aforementioned locations, it is curious what the company has in mind. We can take our clues from some information released back in February as well as world reports on 7-Eleven. In terms of the former, 7-Eleven has indicated they are open to franchising opportunities. This is interesting because they are very much a corporate store company. In Australia, the company took over the entire Australian franchise as part of corporate takeover. In Canada, they appear to to looking at side by side operations.

So what does that mean? It means that we could more of a saturation of stores in certain parts of the city. For example, Portage Avenue has two stores along the entire run from Portage and Main to Headingley. In Tokyo, that would be unheard of. The company would try and place stores along major transit hubs and shopping areas. Suffice to say that places like Charleswood and St. James with only four stores seem a little light in terms of presence. 

There is no getting around the shoplifting issue in Winnipeg and around North America, for that matter. 7-Eleven is at the forefront if security for convenience stores in the world so expect even more efforts to reduce theft and identify those who are responsible. It will be positioning any new stores to have the best chance of success but also security. Given how many university students are off Pembina Highway, it is a missed opportunity that 7-Eleven has no stores aside from the one. This seems a perfect opportunity for franchises. And let's not even talk about how underserved the east side of the Red River is. 

An opportunity for franchisors to do really do well with a company that is iconic in Winnipeg is good. In some cases, some areas are crying out for any kind of convenience store. There are literally none and certainly not 24 hours. There could be opportunities as well for stores inside malls, airport and sports facilities. 

This doesn't have to be all bad for existing convenience stores. There have been several that have opened up and they are finding niches that 7-Eleven can't fill such as being on the ground floor of apartments, offices and the like where they would rely on foot traffic more than car traffic. These stores also cater to niche areas such as ethnic foods to sell or to serve. 7-Eleven may be a lot of things but not a seller of ethnic foods or big on foot traffic. Even St. James has seen at least three convenience stores that fit the ethnic label open in the last 12 months.

From the government side things, the province has to keep pushing on secret property agreements that protect companies such as Safeway/Sobeys having any competitors set up near them. This sounds like it might apply to just big stores but any agreements of exclusivity need to be known and hoarding properties is anti-competitive and should be dealt with federally by the Competition Bureau and by the provinces to make sure these secret agreements see the light and are handled by the municipal board. As far as the city goes, they need to ensure security for 24 hour stores and that may entail more police visits, safety audits and sharing of information. A lot of trouble is sometimes organized or the same people.

Some might not find an expansion of 7-Eleven exciting but if the attempt is to make the stores as essential as they are in Japan, that mean offering food and service at prices that are compelling. For example, the egg salad sandwich in Japan sells for 200-300 yen. That is about $2.50 Canadian. The egg sandwich in Winnipeg is $5.00. We need to keep competition up in Winnipeg because those type of prices for 7-Eleven are typical for a number of products in Japan.

They key to vitality in many cities is the diversity of options for those who live in it. Think of the bodegas of New York or the bakery shops on Paris. Price competition competition comes from a multitude of suppliers. If we ever want to have $2.50 egg sandwiches, a Japanese-style surge of stores will help.

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.

Gen Z Leaving Winnipeg

Gen Z is often considered to be people born between 1997 and 2018. Everything they do as of late is drawing attention. It is a generation that is changing alcohol consumption, shopping and education because they don't do what previous generations do. To that end, each generation does their own thing. In some cases, like the Baby Boom generation, the generation is so large that it crashes through each decade like a bulldozer. Sometimes they are so small, like Generation X, they are not mentioned at all.

So if a place like Winnipeg can draw students (along with the province), how do we lose them? Jobs, wages and opportunities are a big factor. Perhaps the biggest. We can't compete with mountains and weather. 

One of the things that attract Gen Z to Manitoba has been post secondary education. From Brandon to Winnipeg and through the province there fairly decent post secondary schools. 

Gen Z in Manitoba is leaving in substantial numbers and questions are being asked as they always are about why people are leaving. The simple truth is that continued job and education opportunities await further afield. It is very competitive in that area and always has been. Alberta today probably has over 200,000 people originally from Manitoba who have re-located there.

CBC Manitoba had a panel January 13 of Gen Z students. Most of them said they are not leaving per se but did explain the rationale for those that do. In terms of higher education, sometimes Masters and Doctoral programs are elsewhere. Research money is elsewhere. To its credit, the University of Manitoba had a successful year this year in recruiting Canadians to the campus and the increase in research money has been among the highest in Canada.

The University of Winnipeg has had a decades long program of building student housing. So has Canadian Mennonite University. The University of Manitoba has lagged while private builders have begun to take on the job. However, affordable housing means units need to be built all the time with no 10 or 20 year gaps as we have seen.

One of the things the CBC panel mentioned over and over was transit. It is easy for those who have cars to dismiss those who take the bus. Young people are too young to drive or too poor to drive. The penalties and costs of campus parking has been a decades long agony for students and faculty. However, the priority on housing has been painfully slow even with so much land available.

So riding buses that require multiple transfers or require long walks or waits is looked on unfavourably. Trips to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and elsewhere make the difference clearer when young people take trains and subways. If you don't have a car for any number of reasons, you long for good transport and affordable cost. Some would just like bike paths that connect them to parts of the city or walkable trails.

Young people, when not in school, are looking for those first employment opportunities and wage growth that help pay for rent and future home ownership. Manitoba has been known for low pay and the excuse has been lower cost of living. But it also comes with slow advancement. For those who advance in companies such as banks, insurance companies and government the promotion sometimes means a move to places like Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa. This, in and of itself, doesn't always represent a problem. While some who go away never return except as visitors, some return for a variety of reasons.

In the 1980s during the recession, Winnipeg and the province lost massive population as big employers shut down. Many people had no choice to leave as they had no job. And tens of thousands didn't come back. Calgary and Edmonton surpassed us in population. As did Ottawa. And almost Hamilton and Quebec City. The decline has ebbed since but most of Winnipeg's growth has come from immigration and birthrate and not transfers from other provinces.

Gen Z is more mobile and while there are good reasons for them to stay such as family, higher education and family, the lower wages, lack of advancement and general fewer amenities in recreation and transportation to name a few. Various interviews reinforce Gen Z observations.

As mentioned, Winnipeg can't change its climate or geography and create oceans and mountains. However, it can make sure that it corrects its missteps on buses. Buses that drive back busy stops of students, buses that are never on time, buses that don't work with student schedules, bus shelters that are broken, unsafe, bus travel that can result in violence. And as far as fast or convenient, it pales to many other places.

Up until the last few decades there were deeply affordable housing in Winnipeg. Osborne Village was known for where many people started in their first rentals. There were a few areas around town like that. While there are some less costly areas to live, the rent has gone up and the availability gone down. Since 2005, new buildings don't have any rent control for 20 years and there is a $13,500 tax credit per unit. Not surprisingly, there is apartment building going up all over the city. 

However, it takes 20 years of consistent building where you start to see deeply affordable housing at sufficient capacities. Keep in mind though that even when rent was affordable, we lost young people to other provinces because of job opportunities, wages and perceived exciting city life. Still, a commitment to affordable housing often draws back people who live elsewhere for a while and wish to get more bang for the buck. Winnipeg and the province can't take a hiatus from building as they did for nearly 20 years.

In the U.S., Gen Z is re-populating mid size cities like Raleigh and Madison. Perfect climate and geography have been less important that being able to walk places, shop locally and have things to do. In Winnipeg, The Fringe Festival and Nuite Blanche are exactly what that population likes to see. Food truck weekend, bike event and the like are high on their lists.

For work, they want flexible workplaces, clear directives and commitments with opportunities for growth. The generation is prepared to come and stay in places like Winnipeg. This is not a case of big cities and nothing else will do. The generation will respond to an authentic and dedicated appeal to them.

What they won't respond to is a city they can't travel in, afford in housing or prepared to cut them the moment there is a business rationalization to maximize profit at their expense. They are looking at communities and at their present ages, they can't see it in long commutes to suburbs.

There are things that Winnipeg is doing to appeal to Generation Z. Some of them are here already but patience in improving wages, opportunities and transportation might be too slow to keep them here initially.

Abolish Photo Radar in Manitoba?

A protest movement in Toronto has had photo radar stands being cut down in the middle of the night over and over. The Ford government has always leaned on populist moves and have vowed to ban photo radar. Some municipalities are steaming mad as they use this money to fund policing. 

In Manitoba, only Winnipeg is allowed photo radar in selected areas. Other municipalities in the province have lobbied for it years and you can see why. In Winnipeg it generates between $12-$13 million a year and after expenses for new technology, around $8-$9 million. The province actually takes in more than they city. The company that operates the machinery makes $25 million or about $5 million a year.

The police love the program because it is passive income. The city and the province loves it as it is a money machine. Private industry loves it as they get paid for running it. The only ones who hate it are people who drive and get caught by cameras all over the place in construction or school zones or select other areas around traffic cameras or calming areas. The police don't even have to lift a finger for the program. They just get money.

To be clear, tickets are issued for speeding or going through red traffic lights. Critics say this quantifiably different than if a police officer issued a ticket for speeding through a school zone. For one, those tickets don't come with fines but demerits which takes years of save driving to get back. Enough demerits or severity of the incident could result in loss of license. Other charges might result. With photo radar, it is just a picture and a fine. 

It is part of a growing surveillance society. In some places like Dubai, China and Britain there are cameras everywhere. Many of them are owned by private entities. When combined with AI and facial recognition, it is possible to track people all day long. If the police talk to anyone and a camera records it, that record is kept forever. These are innocent people according to the law. China uses the system to rank people on their reliability.

This should be kept in mind when when thinking of the the growing use of bodycam video from officers. All the people who might be at a Santa Claus parade might be videoed and their images stored forever and sorted by AI for tracking. The rules on all this are hazy.

For photo radar, it is likely it spreads to the rest of the province. The amount of money coming in is too tempting. And while violations are being recorded, the sheer volume of information that AI can sort through and track is staggering.

The NDP in Manitoba now have the reins but could we see the provincial PCs adopt a view to end photo radar. If Doug Ford gains political capital for ending the program, it is highly likely we'll see other political leaders latch on to the idea as a way to boost numbers. To be sure it has caught on in the media about this passive-aggressive monitoring system hoovers in money. The Globe and Mail's columnist Andrew Coyne wrote about it recently.

The police hate traffic enforcement. In the past when chiefs in Winnipeg have asked patrols to issue at least two ticks a shift, the force reacts negatively. And while the service has a traffic enforcement division, most officers would likely argue they don't have time in their day to ticket parking in front of fire hydrants or in handicapped spaces. 

It isn't a stretch to think that photo radar could be expanded to any place in the province as a source of revenue for the province and the city. And if that works, why set up in on streets to ticket cars elsewhere for other offences? The frustration among some people in Ontario has led to the cutting down of photo radar stands.

So far we have seen the level of fury as we have in Ontario come to Manitoba. In recent days though fury has been directed at photo radar, bike lanes and parking. It is a slippery slope if Doug Ford moves to intervene in all those areas, is not possible that areas like toll booths, the demerit system and even car licensing and registration come into question. However, when an investigative reporter in Toronto reported that photo radar could result in a ticket for 1 kilometer over the speed limit, the result was outrage.

Lots of eyes are on the issue here in Manitoba. Cities and municipalities are desperate for this money. And while the argument is this is about the law, the one kilometer over the speed limit sounds like it is more about the money. If Ford finds electoral success from banning photo radar, can it be too long before we see a political party make it an issues here too.

How to Make Health Sciences Centre Safer

I have written about Health Sciences Centre a few times. It is the oldest and largest hospital in Winnipeg covering 39 acres and 800 medical beds. In 2023, an announcement of a $1.5 billion upgrade was made. All of this will mean nothing if the hospital can't recruit nurses who don't feel protected inside and outside the property. This is happening all over North America. Here in Manitoba, the violence is in a lot of hospitals but HSC and Dauphin get mentioned the most. Five sexual assaults in one day on staff and visitors should have brought a full court press. It didn't.

Nurses are voting with their feet. Sadly, patients don't have that option. While some people have sympathy for those who are in need for mental health, hunger, injuries and addictions, it does not mean tolerance for rape and murder. It doesn't mean rampant assault, arson and theft are something we just have to accept because these are crimes from people trying to survive.

The nurses "grey-listing" of the hospital is not some racist response from some colonialists on stolen land who target poor people for being poor. These are public servants providing service to everyone who are risking their personal safety. As for all the other people coming to the area for service, they shouldn't have to fear for their personal safety and property at every step of the way inside and out of the the building.

There IS security at HSC and there seems to be police in the building regularly. However, Five assaults in several minutes is just over the top. And there is violence and thefts non-stop. The parkades, the tunnels, the waiting areas, the streets nearby, the wards and the public areas are all potential attack spots. The provincial government has to stop looking dumbfounded at what to do.

To combat the violence, every entrance has to have screening for weapons and controlled access to the building. No more unmonitored entrances. There has to be better lighting on the outside, foot patrols, video cameras and panic alarms. The staff need swipe cards for tunnels and staff areas. There shouldn't be anyone without ID lanyards with their pictures on it. Even this may not be enough. It could come down to having to register to enter the hospital. Either ID or sign in of some sort. There will be complaints about this but is the Manitoba Legislature any different? You cannot drive onto the grounds without being vetted by security. You can't enter the building without another layer of security and cameras and panic buttons are in every office.

The hospital cannot continue to function like this. Or any hospital for that matter. The law for assaults on medical, emergency and allied health workers has to make it clear that there are consequences. Releasing people who assault people on the front lines results in many not wanting to take those jobs. The legal response has to be firm or people vote with their feet. And they are. Moreover, the provincial government can't slough this off as a local hospital issue or a city issue.

There are some pundits blaming the government for lack of police or attention to security. They need to check their own lack of response when they had power or those they supported had power. This is an issue that has grown worse. And much like how the government eventually had to respond to liquor store robberies, the province has to protect the hospitals and quickly. It took some time until they protected the liquor stores. It was only when staff were brazenly assaulted and it was captured on video that the government moved with haste.

Given the amount of staff at HSC, it makes sense they have an alert call that goes out to all staff when an emergency happens. They are already keyed to alerts such as heart attacks, why not for intruder, sexual assault or shelter in place? The attack on the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta this week should put the issue in sharp focus. A police officer died protecting the public.

While much can be done inside the buildings to ensure safety, it is probably better to think of the entire HSC as one campus. The federal virology laboratory just down the street takes security seriously. The entire facility is fenced in. No one from the street is wandering in. The Microbiology lab is a level 4 containment facility with no patients but even their parking lot if fenced in. The biggest security threat there has been espionage when two Chinese spies were escorted out by the RCMP.

Could HSC be fenced in? The answer is yes. Every street into the campus could have checks for both vehicles and pedestrians. A bigger conversation about what entrances to close and a safety audit has to be conducted. There is just far too many ways for people to enter the hospital area with ill intentions. 

There are examples of road closures already at HSC. Bannatyne is not continuous through the campus as McDermot is. It begs the question about whether McDermot might be next to close and serve for hospital as well as University of Manitoba use. Even if the roads are not built over, controlled access to the campus can happen at every road and sidewalk. These are drastic measures but HSC is a massive complex with too many entrances and unique security concerns. 

Making HSC a fort like the virology lab is not really possible given how many people in and out each day. It also likely that those outside any fencing would still face trouble from assault, robbery and other crime as they made their way in and out of the hospital or had business in the area. The police have to be part of the process of making things safer in the area. Safe walks, cameras and the like will only go far and won't even cut it with gang activity, organized car theft or intent to harm.

A lot of work has to be done. Hopefully, the government is still not on vacation. This issue is not on holiday. Haste is required.

 

Crime in Manitoba

It isn't just in Winnipeg that crime has taken a new turn. Armed gangs at farms have got rural folk scared. By it's very definition it is organized crime and based on the weapons they are carrying would be a threat to any who encountered them. Meanwhile in the city, murder continues to take place sometimes two times in a day. The police have been quick to make arrests in some of those which is good. The murder suspects are remanded.

Winnipeg continues to have to deal with arson. Vacant properties take too long to find new purpose and sometimes end up burned down. The wreckage takes forever to clear and then the empty lot stays that way for decades as no one wants to risk putting something up. This is what is happening to north Main where large tracts are knocked down.

A nascent national housing strategy of house building has begun. It is early stages but we have seen more houses, townhouses, duplexes and apartments go up all over. A change to student visas has seen major drops of temporary students nation-wide. The lack of housing support post secondary intuitions provided and the wide open work that was allowed for students made this inevitable. 

It is possible we may see changes to the student visa applications that put more onus on colleges providing for or arranging for housing as well as restricted work schedules for students. Some schools like University of Winnipeg have been great at building new housing. The University of Manitoba has been terrible. As it is, the shortage of affordable housing has meant more people on the street.

More than 30 years of homelessness, an increase in the potency of addictive drugs and cost of living going up has been a deadly combination. This combination of things and a whole lot more have contributed to thefts from stores not seen before, behaviour that is belligerent and sometimes violent and often with no seeming consequences. A lot of it is driven by drugs which proliferate more today than any jurisdiction seems to be able to get a handle on.

Winnipeg Police said in 2024 that they need 78 more officers. The service has asked for this while buying a new helicopter, artificial intelligence and robot dogs. The 1,300 officers generally make more than 100,000 and retirements for full pensions start shortly after 50 years old. The budget for Winnipeg Police is the largest line item with over $300 million a year in the city budget. 

Police themselves say better security comes from not just having 78 more police on the streets. It requires more social and law reform, better housing, prison changes and social assistance which hasn't changed in years. Pierre Poilievre has introduced three strikes you are out with 10 years in prison as an election policy. That is one solution. It isn't the only one. Certainly violent offenders cannot keep offending. And repeat offenders need to know their freedom is at stake for petty crime that never stops. But three strikes ended up with prisons bursting at the seams in the states and costing a lot of money.

As for rural police, the provincial NDP have assigned money for more tactical officers, more communications officers and more civilians to the the tune of millions. The PCs have called it as a distraction when the RCMP is so short of constables. It is important to remember they were short under the Stefanson government as well. This is a problem that needs fixing and it will probably take all parties working on it.

The violence happening in hospitals is unacceptable. Nurses, doctors and patients are all in far too much danger. And it isn't just the case of downtown hospitals. There is security at hospitals but clearly more needs to be done. Scanning stations, cameras, patrols and safety audits to ensure there are places that are not security issues.

If people continue to have cars and homes broken into, houses burned down, witness theft from stores every leaves parts of the city defeated and prepared to leave if no action is taken. It isn't normal carrying knives everywhere and using them all the time. Or guns. Those are choices people make. 

Addictions centers are still too few and too long to wait for. Overdoses are frequent due to the strength of the drugs and the many things that end up being mixed in there. Too many places are drug houses or drug distribution centers. Encampments crop up because the people there are sometimes too high and violent to spend night in a shelter. 

The plan to address one encampment after another is a good one if it gets people into housing, assigns a case worker to them and results if a site clean up and frequent follow-up that an encampment doesn't keep popping up. None of this works with backsliding. So much difficulty begins when there is not consistent transition work. If the goal is to reduce police involvement, it means zero tolerance for violence. 

The provincial government is looking to set up a safe injection site but it could be that those going to the site are vulnerable to violence or prone to violence. The issue of what happens to the areas where a site is set up suggests that schools, daycares should not be in proximity. Those same rules apply to cannabis and liquor stores as well. There is already a mobile unit that is in Winnipeg. One wonders if trying to place a site in a place in a city as widespread as Winnipeg is useful or safe.

There won't be one perfect approach to crime in Manitoba. Some of it will be to continue support for community services and school for young people so that they have safe places and good influences. Some of the good news is that cigarette smoking is way down, alcohol consumption down and this reflected in fewer bars as people just don't drink as much and smoking is fairly restricted in where it can be done and where product can be purchased. 

In past crime spikes, they were dealt with by identifying the most most brazen such as multiple arsons, violent offenses or repeat offenses by getting them off the streets. They were remanded and dealt with by the courts. Rehabilitation is possible but only with good supports and that means parole, probation, transition housing, drug and alcohol monitoring and job training and placement. It makes no sense to discharge someone who has no supports and is in a strange city. It is a recipe for disaster as we have seen.

And lastly, Stony Mountain is the oldest federal penitentiary in Canada and one where inmates die at all too frequent rate. It is very likely in need of replacing. Headingley Correctional is also a very old prison that has had it's share of unrest. If rehabilitation is to take place, it can't be without supports, addictions programs and not solitary confinement for days on end.

The way to beat crime is to raise the level of self sufficiency in society. In the past that was a very large middle income for the greatest amount of people. If there are extreme poverty levels, it crushes many people's commitment to the social order. No amount of police can control millions without jobs, homes and food. It is something to keep in mind on forming policy on crime. It isn't just crime. It is about well being.

 

Winnipeg Unicity Shooting 2024

The above is the final moments of a video posted Sunday, November 24 at Unicity of a suspect in a stabbing of a Winnipeg Police officer. The officer survived and was hospitalized but the suspect was shot multiple times. Audio has officers shouting for suspect to drop what is in their hand.

The acting police chief asked public not to judge based on the videos that were shot outside the Walmart at Unicity. Fair enough. There is likely video at Walmart inside and out as well. The Independent Investigation Unit has been called in for officer involved shooting. 

The deceased has not been named yet. It is likely we hear who they are soon but also if there has been past involvement with police. It can be a painfully slow process and sometimes very little information is given out. The information we might get initially is usually family who are feeling the loss and bewildered how it came to this.

There won't be a lot of sympathy in some quarters to the death of someone who may have been responsible for store shoplifting and an attack on police. Some will declare more of this is necessary. Still, keep in mind police don't want to be shooting people every day. Most want their job to be about deescalating things and not having to face people with weapons aimed at hurting them.

The province already as this week another police shooting in Norway House where an armed youth was killed by RCMP. It is under investigation as well. The community there is brokenhearted. Even when stun guns are used, the community has responded that they feel other methods would be better. It was a bad week with another homicide just days earlier. The Cree of the area are hurting.

There is a group of people who wish to eliminate the police or redirect their spending elsewhere. To be sure, there has to more done on mental health, addictions and poverty that can contribute to issues involving crime and violence. It is often a slow process and many do not want any of those three things in their neighbourhood. But even police say they cannot fight poverty, mental health or addictions. That is, unless we want a prison system that has hundreds of thousands in it.

As for those wanting police eliminated or defunded, I have not heard too many alternatives for many of the areas law enforcement works in. However, like the medical system, there is room for evolution. In medicine, doctors no longer need to be writing some prescriptions that pharmacists can write. Testing of blood and other samples are done offsite. Vaccines have been revolutionized in that they are available everywhere and tracked centrally. They don't have to be given by doctors which can save time in outbreaks.

Police were at Unicity as part of the retail theft initiative. Some police are at shops as part of voluntary overtime to deter crime while others are there as part of teams intended to stop shoplifting/violence and take people into custody. The police briefing noted that there were undercover officers present Sunday night. It entirely likely undercover officers did not have Taser or other less lethal weapons. Neither officer had bodycam video which is being introduced as a tool in Manitoba but not presently being used in Winnipeg.

There have been several police involved shootings in Winnipeg over the last few years. Many are still under investigation. It is a difficult time for Winnipeg but this is happening all over Canada. A lot of people have been feeling very sad and often scared that things have gotten this bad. Many things will have to change over the next while to turn things around.

The Winter Fire Season

Imagine an encampment going up on the riverbank by the Human Rights Museum. It is a possible that one is already there. Or more. Do you think the city, the province or Feds would accept that?  It was a lovely weekend but last year this time we had snow. And all along the river and elsewhere in Winnipeg we have encampments that seem more spread out and numerous this year. Reports are made regularly about tents, shelters and all sorts of items brought to various areas. None of those things can help people get warm unless there is fire.

It is getting colder despite these gorgeous days. And the reports of encampment fires grow and and a sense of desperation in the outdoor communities grows. It is the winter fire season. It happens every year and every year there are fatalities. The social agencies seem to fight about getting people moved to safer housing while others support keeping encampments as they are. There are now fires every other day.

There was a considerable amount of housing approved and building is taking place all over the city. It will take considerable effort here and all through North America to turn the ship around. Poverty, addictions, mental health and homelessness are all connected. The government is reducing immigration and work visas which may or may not help with housing. Even when immigration was lower, there were issues in all of the above noted concerns. 

It isn't just encampments on fire that are a concern. Any unoccupied property is vulnerable to fire. This can include construction sites. They likely are not warm enough in the coldest of winter and invariably a fire might be set. Arsons are still a very large problem whatever the reason they are set. Some properties are seen to by fire services a few times until there is no choice but to demolish.

Social agencies still don't seem to be on the same page about encampments. The goal has to be about finding places for people to live so they don't end up dead from cold or fire. Problems of sanitation, disease and safety in general are also hugely concerning. For most in the city is the fear of crime from those who live in encampments and don't receive social assistance since they don't have an address.

The Los Angeles Times has a report this week on the aggressive housing strategy for homeless that has made a huge difference in the South Bay area of Redondo Beach. The city, one of 56 in Los Angeles County, has made huge strides in functionally ending homelessness in the region. Using housing navigators and a judge, they have helped get those in need into tiny homes and single room occupancy with the supports that come with it. 

To be fair, Redondo Beach is 68,000 people and they had 105 homeless people in 2017. However, their strategy is sound. In Winnipeg tiny homes have been built with supports. However, there doesn't seem to be a court strategy which has been fairly effective in Los Angeles.  Having a case worker and identifying people by name has been extremely helpful in coming up with solutions.

California can get cool and wet in winter but they don't seem to have the fire problems Winnipeg does. The LA Times does mention that they do see a migration of people to where it is warmer and account for it in their record keeping. 

The housing strategy could change because the Conservatives are saying if they get in, they will end the housing accelerator program that the Liberal government has in place now. It is unclear how their GST cut for new housing and rentals will help make places available for low income. By contract, the accelerator fund has gotten shovels in the ground this year and has Conservative MPs lobbying for their areas to get it.

Some city councillors are realizing how dangerous the situation is until encampments are reduced. It will be a rough fire season as each day gets colder this fall.