Community helpers at Portage Place are working to provide safety at dying mall
Josh Nepinak uses a word in Anishinaabemowin to describe downtown Winnipeg's dying Portage Place mall: Ishkoniganing, meaning reserve or the land that's left over.
Nepinak is leading a new community-led response to increase safety in the mall.
Portage Place Community Helpers — a paid, six-person team — is the result of a partnership between new mall owners True North Real Estate Development, Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) and a community-based organization known as O.P.K. (Ogijita Pimatisiwin Kinamatawin).
"They're walking beacons, they're community helpers, and we have let the people here know that if you are in distress or know somebody who's in distress, come to our guys with the O.P.K. badge, the green vest and the DCSP hat," Nepinak said about his youthful team.
Nepinak says that many of the regulars coming to Portage Place mall are seeking shelter, resources and connection.
He says "making sure that our relatives who are outside in the elements are able to have those necessities of life" is what concerns him most.
Similar to a greeter at Walmart, the helpers are there to make sure everyone who visits the mall feels safe, even as concerns over safety grow in the downtown area.
"The most common interaction we have is just looking someone in the eye and nodding at them as you walk past – just make sure they feel acknowledged," said team member Jack Ducak.
Ducak says the the clock tower at the centre of the mall and the food court areas are the areas with the greatest activity.
"Whenever something happens in the bathroom — like, there's a lot of overdoses in there — we bring them to the food court," he said.
The team hit the ground running on Dec. 16, 2024, their first day on the job.
Someone had experienced an overdose and was in need of immediate intervention. The team, equipped with naloxone kits and given the necessary training, was able to respond and ultimately save a life.
"These guys know what they're doing," Nepinak said of the team who are also trained in non-violent crisis intervention, CPR and first aid.
Nepinak, a member of Lake St. Martin First Nation who grew up in Winnipeg, has been volunteering as a helper in the area since June 2024, when he started a weekly walk along Portage Avenue to Vaughan Street and behind the mall on the promenade.
These weekly walks, supported by mostly youth volunteers, took on a life of its own and led to the creation of a non-profit founded by Nepinak called Wiigiishiin Giiwiigeenahn. It translates from Anishinaabemowin to "help me, help you," the mindset that Nepinak says he carries in his heart every day.
Nepinak says helping people is the most "decolonial" thing he can do.
"The act of helping is what Indigenous peoples have done for each other for so many years," he said.
The positive reception of Wiigiishiin Giiwiigeenahn in the area surrounding Portage Place caught the attention of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, which in the past has joined the weekly walks with the volunteers.
When True North formally acquired the mall in December 2024, the multi-billion-dollar corporation acknowledged that there had to be a relationship with the people who use the mall, according to Sean Kavanagh, a spokesperson for True North and a director of the board for DCSP.
The community safety initiative started a few weeks after they took ownership of the sprawling mall that spans three city blocks.
"It was important that the relationship be centred on cultural understanding, lived experience, sympathy and listening," Kavanagh said, adding feedback since the initiative began is has been extremely positive. "I see it in action all the time," he said.
Nepinak and Kavanagh have been working together, in conjunction with DCSP, to ensure emergency services are only called in when absolutely necessary. The mall helpers use walkie talkies to link up with mall security and DCSP patrols to co-ordinate their work.
"It's my honour to be around these young people as they try and help our community members," Kavanagh said.
Nepinak remembers a time when Portage Place was vibrant, with memories of field trips to the IMAX theatre and throwing a coin in the fountain. He is hopeful that the redevelopment of the land will benefit all who use the space.
"I'm just very thankful and very fortunate that I've been able to be entrusted to take a lead on this, to take part in something so important to the people who've utilized this leftover land."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
01-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Downtown partnership bolsters efforts to help vulnerable women in Winnipeg
A new support team, launched under the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, is set to deliver culturally appropriate support to Indigenous women. The unit, unveiled at DCSP headquarters at 260 Hargrave St. on Thursday, is backed by $350,000 in provincial funding earmarked to combat violence against Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and gender-diverse Manitobans. The funding will pay for a 12-person staff and the purchase of a vehicle for the unit. Funding is expected to be renewed annually as part of the $20-million Mino'Ayaawag Ikwewag strategy. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Executive director Greg Burnett said the demand for DCSP's services is growing. The organization responds to roughly 250 to 300 calls weekly, and logged more than 10,000 calls last year. The support team will meet an 'overwhelming' need, says DCSP executive director Greg Burnett. Creation of the group was a direct response to community calls for a specialized approach to protecting women in downtown Winnipeg. 'We get calls every day within the community, from the community itself to external partners who really want to engage with this team and really give better and more appropriate care for Indigenous women,' he said. DCSP provides 24/7 assistance to vulnerable and at-risk individuals, along with prevention and outreach programs focusing on long-term solutions. For now, the women's support unit will be on the streets during the daytime, Monday and Friday. Its members will be trained in non-violent and crisis intervention, and advanced first-aid, including the ability to administer Naloxone. Burnett noted the demand for DCSP's services is growing. The organization responds to roughly 250 to 300 calls weekly, and logged more than 10,000 calls last year. He said the increase stems from DCSP's community-based, preventative approach to safety, which reduces the reliance on emergency services. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the unit will be connected to front-line agencies. 'It (has) alleviated some of those demands on emergency services,' Burnett said, pointing at the results of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which reported in 2020 that nearly half of 911 calls in Winnipeg were non-urgent. '(This unit) can help with that,' he said. Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the unit will be connected to front-line agencies, including Ikwe Widdjiitiwin, an Indigenous crisis centre; the North End Women's Centre; and the North Point Douglas Women's Centre. 'It's a network of social service delivery organizations who are on the front lines of supporting women who are in crisis, or supporting women who are in need,' Fontaine said. 'There's a fundamental connection between the work (the unit) is going to be doing, and is doing, on the streets, and those front-line services.' C.J. Spence, a member of the unit who has more than two decades of social service experience, said the team understands and has the experience crucial to the job. 'I hope to share my stories with (the women we meet on the street),' she said. 'Me being Aboriginal, it's familiar when I'm talking to another Aboriginal woman about what she is going through, what she is dealing with. Maybe she will have a feeling from me that I've been through the same thing. 'A real good rapport is really important.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS 'A real good rapport is really important,' said team member CJ Spence. Fontaine echoed that comment. 'I can't stress enough the intrinsic trust there is when one of our women, most marginalized and vulnerable, need support, and now she's going to be able to look at these amazing Indigenous women and intrinsically trust them… That goes an incredibly long way.' Scott BilleckReporter Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott. Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
09-04-2025
- CBC
High Park and South Humber Park to carry out traditional, prescribed burns in April
The City of Toronto will conduct traditional and prescribed burns in High Park and South Humber Park later this month, continuing an Indigenous practice that protects rare black oak savannah ecosystems. Prescribed burns have been used across North America to restore and maintain fire-dependent ecosystems where naturally occurring fires provide renewal. Toronto has carried out the burns for over two decades. "The traditional and prescribed burns are deliberately set and carefully controlled fires that burn low to the ground to consume dried leaves, twigs, and grass stems," the city said in a news release on Wednesday. The burns are dependent on weather conditions, so the date will be selected 24 to 48 hours in advance, the city says. The city says both burns will be conducted on the same day. The High Park burn will begin in the late morning, followed by South Humber Park in the afternoon. On the day of the burn, High Park will be closed to vehicles and access will be limited to park users. South Humber Park will also restrict access on the day of the burn. People should expect temporary closures of trails near active burn sites in both locations. The city says notices will be placed at park entrances and in the surrounding community to advise the public of when the burn will take place. The city advises people with asthma and those who are highly sensitive to poison ivy to limit their exposure to the smoke by staying inside and keeping windows closed on the day of the burn. "Under ideal weather conditions, smoke from the burns will not affect surrounding neighbourhoods. However, it is possible that some smoke will reach residential areas near the parks," said the city. The burn, which the city says is done in collaboration with the Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle, has been named Biinaakzigewok Anishnaabeg, which means "the responsibility for a cleansing fire by all Native Peoples" in Anishinaabemowin.
CBC
17-02-2025
- CBC
Community helpers at Portage Place are working to provide safety at dying mall
Josh Nepinak uses a word in Anishinaabemowin to describe downtown Winnipeg's dying Portage Place mall: Ishkoniganing, meaning reserve or the land that's left over. Nepinak is leading a new community-led response to increase safety in the mall. Portage Place Community Helpers — a paid, six-person team — is the result of a partnership between new mall owners True North Real Estate Development, Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) and a community-based organization known as O.P.K. (Ogijita Pimatisiwin Kinamatawin). "They're walking beacons, they're community helpers, and we have let the people here know that if you are in distress or know somebody who's in distress, come to our guys with the O.P.K. badge, the green vest and the DCSP hat," Nepinak said about his youthful team. Nepinak says that many of the regulars coming to Portage Place mall are seeking shelter, resources and connection. He says "making sure that our relatives who are outside in the elements are able to have those necessities of life" is what concerns him most. Similar to a greeter at Walmart, the helpers are there to make sure everyone who visits the mall feels safe, even as concerns over safety grow in the downtown area. "The most common interaction we have is just looking someone in the eye and nodding at them as you walk past – just make sure they feel acknowledged," said team member Jack Ducak. Ducak says the the clock tower at the centre of the mall and the food court areas are the areas with the greatest activity. "Whenever something happens in the bathroom — like, there's a lot of overdoses in there — we bring them to the food court," he said. The team hit the ground running on Dec. 16, 2024, their first day on the job. Someone had experienced an overdose and was in need of immediate intervention. The team, equipped with naloxone kits and given the necessary training, was able to respond and ultimately save a life. "These guys know what they're doing," Nepinak said of the team who are also trained in non-violent crisis intervention, CPR and first aid. Nepinak, a member of Lake St. Martin First Nation who grew up in Winnipeg, has been volunteering as a helper in the area since June 2024, when he started a weekly walk along Portage Avenue to Vaughan Street and behind the mall on the promenade. These weekly walks, supported by mostly youth volunteers, took on a life of its own and led to the creation of a non-profit founded by Nepinak called Wiigiishiin Giiwiigeenahn. It translates from Anishinaabemowin to "help me, help you," the mindset that Nepinak says he carries in his heart every day. Nepinak says helping people is the most "decolonial" thing he can do. "The act of helping is what Indigenous peoples have done for each other for so many years," he said. The positive reception of Wiigiishiin Giiwiigeenahn in the area surrounding Portage Place caught the attention of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, which in the past has joined the weekly walks with the volunteers. When True North formally acquired the mall in December 2024, the multi-billion-dollar corporation acknowledged that there had to be a relationship with the people who use the mall, according to Sean Kavanagh, a spokesperson for True North and a director of the board for DCSP. The community safety initiative started a few weeks after they took ownership of the sprawling mall that spans three city blocks. "It was important that the relationship be centred on cultural understanding, lived experience, sympathy and listening," Kavanagh said, adding feedback since the initiative began is has been extremely positive. "I see it in action all the time," he said. Nepinak and Kavanagh have been working together, in conjunction with DCSP, to ensure emergency services are only called in when absolutely necessary. The mall helpers use walkie talkies to link up with mall security and DCSP patrols to co-ordinate their work. "It's my honour to be around these young people as they try and help our community members," Kavanagh said. Nepinak remembers a time when Portage Place was vibrant, with memories of field trips to the IMAX theatre and throwing a coin in the fountain. He is hopeful that the redevelopment of the land will benefit all who use the space. "I'm just very thankful and very fortunate that I've been able to be entrusted to take a lead on this, to take part in something so important to the people who've utilized this leftover land."
