Safety groups to improve coordination, says Winnipeg mayor
Winnipeg's mayor is promising to improve inner-city safety by improving communication and coordination among the numerous safety groups already working in the area.
Mayor Scott Gillingham called the Safe Winnipeg Initiative a 'blanket of safety' for Winnipeg's West End and Downtown. He toured some West End businesses Monday afternoon with Winnipeg Police Board Chair Markus Chambers, Daniel McIntyre Coun. Cindy Gilroy, Winnipeg West End BIZ Executive Director Joe Kornelsen, and other City of Winnipeg representatives.
Angela Hyland has owned and operated Flowers in Bloom on Ellice Avenue for the past 10 years. She told Global News she's arrived at work to find graffiti scrawled on her storefront and has had to install shatterproof windows and a pricey surveillance camera system. Some potential thieves have climbed the brick wall into the shop's backyard. Even so, Hyland acknowledges that her business hasn't been targeted as often as many others in the area.
Story continues below advertisement
'They can't make any money off of flowers,' she said.
Still, she welcomes the idea of more efficient street patrols, from the Winnipeg Police Service or other agencies – for her and her neighbouring businesses' sakes.
'I want Ellice to become more vibrant,' she said.
Mayor Gillingham said the initiative will see the Winnipeg Police Service's downtown foot patrols, the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, the City of Winnipeg's Community Safety Team, and the West End and Downtown BIZ's foot patrols sharing communication to make the best use of their resources and skills.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'We want to make sure that we roll out a formal plan to make sure we are identifying the gaps and the overlaps in public safety,' Gillingham told reporters after the tour.
'Rather than have the overlap and the gaps, let's do a better job of coordinating all this so our downtown is safer, the businesses get the help they need, residents get the help they need, and the people that are struggling get the help they need as well.'
For Cobra Collectibles owner Mike Paille, that help can't come soon enough. Paille has 65 cameras inside and outside his Sargent Avenue shop, but it still doesn't deter thieves. Paille told Gillingham he's seen some perpetrators wave at the cameras before targeting his business.
Story continues below advertisement
'I really think working together is the only way we are going to stop the problem, because individually, nothing's really getting done,' Paille said.
He gave Gillingham a file folder full of his concerns and accounts of incidents that he and other area businesses have experienced. He hopes it can inform the city's crime strategy.
'Here's everything we deal with as a business. Go through it and you can understand what we understand,' he said.
Still, some businesses are skeptical of the plan. Subodh Vatsyayan and his family run Bread N Biryani, an Indian restaurant at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Maryland Street. The restaurant was not part of Gillingham's tour.
'We do not want to be collecting these,' Vatsyayan told Global News, holding five cards from Winnipeg police, each given to him by an officer responding to incidences of theft or violence.
View image in full screen
Subodh Vatsyayan of Bread N Biryani on Ellice Avenue holds cards, each one given to him by Winnipeg police officers following an incidence of violence or theft at his restaurant. Iris Dyck/Global News
Vatsyayan showed Global News surveillance footage of a man entering the restaurant, picking up a chair and throwing it into the dining room before quickly running outside. He said break-ins to customers' and their own vehicles in their parking lot are common. He's delaying repairing a window cracked by a violent guest as claiming the damage through his insurance would raise his premium.
Story continues below advertisement
Vatsyayan says he sees some of the same offenders back on the street, saying 'there is no use' in better coordination without tougher penalties for retail crimes.
'No one wants to come here in the evening, they order online,' he said.
Gillingham did not give a timeline as to when the initiative will be fully implemented.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Charges stayed in sextortion case against Winnipeg man
Prosecutors have stayed charges against a Winnipeg man accused of blackmailing men and boys in several provinces in a so-called 'sextortion' scheme after the alleged victims said they couldn't bring themselves to testify. Tongun Justin Tongun, who was 21 when he was charged by Winnipeg police with 10 counts of extortion in 2023, was accused of soliciting images from males on the internet, then threatening to post them online unless the victims sent him money. All 10 counts against Tongun were stayed in May, court records show. 'In preparation for this matter, the Crown contacted a number of victims,' a provincial government spokesman wrote in an email. 'After reviewing the matter and taking into consideration the impact to the victims, their unwillingness to relive the experience by testifying, the Crown determined not to proceed but did seek restitution for all the victims as per their wishes.' The Winnipeg Police Service began investigating Tongun after a man in his 20s came forward with allegations of extortion in February 2023. The victim told investigators he had shared intimate photos with someone online who pretended to be a young woman, before the person demanded cash and threatened to release the pictures. The victim transferred the scammer money, police said at the time. City sex crimes detectives charged Tongun with four counts of extortion that February after locating three more victims in Winnipeg, before later finding another six victims across Canada and filing more charges in June 2023. Police and cybersafety experts call the scams 'sextortion.' The scam typically involves a suspect threatening to distribute intimate or sexual images of a victim after they've gained their trust through 'sexually charged' conversations online, typically through social-media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, officials have said. The suspect will usually demand payment. Victims are often male teenagers or young adults who believe they are communicating with a woman. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Help sought to identify suspect who beat man at The Forks
Winnipeg police are warning the public about a man who beat a stranger until he was unconscious at The Forks late Friday. The attack, around 11:15 p.m., took place in the outdoor sitting area between the main market building and the Johnston Terminal. Witnesses told police the attacker approached a 30-year-old man and hit him. He knocked him unconscious and stole an item from him. SUPPLIED Police are searching for a man who randomly attacked a stranger at The Forks on June 6. 'Everything points to it being a random assault,' said Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Stephen Spencer. The suspect ran toward the river walk, where he threw the stolen item at a woman who was walking a dog. 'It's certainly a unique incident,' said Spencer. He could not reveal what item was stolen. The suspect was last seen near Bonnycastle Park, at Assiniboine Avenue and Garry Street. The victim was taken to hospital in stable condition and was later released. 'This is a shocking attack no one wants to see,' said Adam Dooley, spokesman for The Forks. 'We're very happy to hear his condition has stabilized and he's been released from hospital.' Dooley said Forks security guards had quickly arrived to give the victim first aid and call police. 'Our security are always doing patrols, so we found the victim of the attack immediately and were able to provide some first aid and comfort,' said Dooley. The site has security guards on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, along with a network of surveillance cameras, said Dooley. He said officials at The Forks are confident in the security team and systems they have in place. 'We work very hard to make The Forks a safe and welcoming place and thankfully, incidences like this are very rare,' said Dooley. 'We're constantly upgrading and adapting to make sure we're doing the very best we possibly can to genuinely keep the site safe (and) make sure everyone feels safe as well.' He said he hopes members of the public can help police apprehend the suspect. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. 'The more we as a community can pull together to stand against this kind of violence, the better it will be for everyone,' said Dooley. The attacker is described as Indigenous, 25 to 35 years old, with a medium to heavy build and tattoos on both arms. Police released an image of the man, who was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, a black New York Yankees baseball cap and black shoes. Major crimes investigators want to speak with the woman who was walking the dog. They can be reached at 204-986-6219, or witnesses can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Man beaten unconscious in random attack at The Forks
Police are searching for a man who attacked a stranger at The Forks Market and continued the random assault even after the victim was unconscious. The incident happened at about 11:15 p.m. Friday. Witnesses told police the attacker kept assaulting the 30-year-old man after knocking him to the ground, stole an item from him and then threw it at a woman walking a dog near the river walk. The man was taken to hospital in stable condition. The suspect was last seen in the area of Bonnycastle Park, near Assiniboine Avenue and Garry Street. The attacker is described as Indigenous, 25 to 35 years old, with a medium to heavy build and tattoos on both arms. The Winnipeg Police Service released an image of the man, who was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, a black New York Yankees baseball cap and black shoes. Investigators are asking the woman who was walking the dog to contact them. Police asked anyone with information about the case to contact the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online. SUPPLIED
