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Winnipeg Free Press
13-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Downtown safety patrols stepped up for summer
The Downtown Community Safety Partnership is expanding its outreach patrols this summer to better protect and police residents and visitors, including thousands of wildfire evacuees who've sought refuge in Winnipeg. Starting Tuesday, there will be more crisis and outreach workers and service navigators working on streets and in parks in the core. The DCSP summer action plan will run for 16 weeks, up from a 12-week pilot in 2024. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Greg Burnett, executive director of Downtown Community Safety Partnership Executive director Greg Burnett said 84 per cent of the people that his crews helped last year received what they needed 'right away.' 'Together, we reduced calls to 911 by 220,' said Burnett, who oversees the collective founded in 2020 to provide non-emergency response, outreach and intervention services. 'But this has to be more than statistics and data. It's about helping people where they're at and meeting needs, proactively.' The Manitoba government has earmarked $500,000 for the initiative that is focused on prevention, detection and intervention of all kinds. The office of Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham is contributing an additional $50,000. The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ has also pitched in with a $25,000 commitment. Burnett said the funding will support DCSP, which has a team of about 75 people, and be shared with Bear Clan Patrol, OPK (Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatwin) and others who do similar work in the community. He, along with representatives from all three financial backers, made the announcement at The Forks on Friday, one week after a random assault took place on the grounds. Shortly after 11 p.m. on June 6, an attacker — who remained at large Friday — beat a stranger until he was unconscious and stole an item from the 30-year-old victim before fleeing. The unprovoked assault took place outside, between the main market building and the Johnston Terminal, the Winnipeg Police Service said earlier this week. WPS has put a call out for tips to locate the male suspect who is described as Indigenous and between 25 to 35 years old, with a medium to heavy build and tattoos on both arms. Speaking to reporters about the summer safety plan, the mayor said he had just referred a case to outreach staff that involved an individual he believed could benefit from their assistance. Gillingham said he saw a man on a downtown sidewalk who appeared to be in distress, although he was conscious and talking, upon arriving to work Friday. The situation did not warrant police or paramedic intervention, he said, noting on-site security advised him they would call DCSP on his behalf. 'It's these kind of partnerships, playing out in real time, that make sure individuals within our city, who are struggling, are getting the help that they need,' Gillingham told a news conference. Emergency responders, community-serving organizations and front-line patrols are carrying out the multi-pronged plan that will be in place from June to October. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The partners are focused on three areas: criminal detection and prevention; community safety and engagement; and supports for people with mental health and addiction challenges. 'Our mission is clear — to create a welcoming and safe and vibrant downtown where everyone feels supported. Summer is short in Manitoba and we all want to make the most of it,' Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said Friday. The 2025 plan builds off the success of the rollout that took place last summer, Wiebe said. A dozen new WPS constables have started working in the downtown area since graduating last week. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie 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
01-05-2025
- Health
- 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.
