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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘You can't force people into housing'
Tents, tarps, and makeshift shelters line the beaten path along the Assiniboine River near Balmoral Street in West Broadway — a community hidden in plain sight. At first glance, the scene could be mistaken for a Manitoba summer festival: there are colourful tents, birds chirping overhead, and geese with their goslings feeding nearby. The natural beauty of the river view masks the harsh truth. The mattresses, shopping carts, broken glass, empty naloxone kits and food wrappers break the illusion. This isn't a weekend retreat. This is home. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS A large encampment along the banks of the Assiniboine River at the end of Spence Street at Balmoral Street. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS A large encampment along the embankment of the Assiniboine River at the end of Spence Street off of Balmoral Street. Reporter: Scott Billeck 250528 - Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Curtis, a 44-year-old who is originally from Saskatchewan, wears a black Red River College nursing program zip-up hoodie. He has been without a home for the past six or seven years. He says he'd move into permanent housing 'today, if I could.' But walking away from his camp family — and the freedom of life outside of society — isn't easy. 'It's abandonment,' he said. 'I'd feel like I'm leaving them behind.' That feeling runs deep for Curtis, who says he knows the pain of separation. The father of four hasn't seen his children since his own father died four or five years ago. 'Living in the white society is really tough being a native — an Indian, a savage, a scrub,' he says. 'That's what we've been called for hundreds of years, and for hundreds of years more, it will be the same.' He questions why there's homelessness in a country such as Canada, and how people can go about their business. 'The most richest city in Canada — Vancouver — they have a whole street full of homeless people. How is that possible?' he said. 'How does the richest city allow a whole street to be homeless?' He also offers insight into why many people stay outside, pointing to friends evicted from government-supported housing for breaking strict rules — including having visitors. 'It's hard to abide by the rules of a situated house,' Curtis said. 'We're free. There's freedom (living unsheltered) right here.' For many in Winnipeg's encampments, the path to housing is far from straightforward. Trauma, addiction and complex life circumstances often stand in the way of simply finding a bed. Curtis says he was supposed to start a job on Monday, but he didn't show up. 'I hadn't really slept for two to three weeks… because of my drug of choice,' he said, holding a cloudy glass pipe in his hand. 'Choices and consequences,' he says, repeating those three words often. Mentioning the NDP government's two-year, $20-million Your Way Home strategy earns mixed reviews among the unsheltered. Some seem eager for the province to accelerate its pace, while others remain skeptical it will change anything. 'There's a huge trust issue,' says another woman. 'Trust is a big thing. Technically, I think everybody wants housing, but there's peace of mind. It boils down to rules and regulations.' 'Domestication,' says another man, who refuses to elaborate out of anger. Main Street Project declined to comment, instead pointing the Free Press to its public educational material that explains why some people avoid shelters. 'People may experience barriers to accessing shelters or choose not to go,' the 18-page document says. 'Barriers may include shelters being at capacity; having restrictions on pets, belongings or alcohol; separating couples; or requiring detailed intake criteria or processes. It also notes that people avoid shelters due to past experiences of violence, crowding, stigma, and safety concerns. Al Wiebe, who was homeless for 29 months and later became an advocate, says the reasons are many. 'They have to feel respected, and they don't right now,' he says. 'There needed to be more consultation. And the rhetoric about shutting down encampments, people's homes… there's never going to not be encampments,' says the man who recently received the King's Coronation Medal for community service. Wiebe says encampment communities keep people alive. 'You can't force people into housing; they will leave housing,' Wiebe says, adding that soon the province will likely learn the approach is flawed. A few blocks west of the riverside, a small encampment is tucked into a park, partially hidden by bushes. A woman says she's been on a housing waiting list for years, struggled with obtaining proper ID and related delays forced her to survive outside. 'I hate living like this,' she says, adding she's been on the streets for the past three years. Premier Wab Kinew said during question period Wednesday, not far from where the woman lives, that it could take six to seven years to repair the damage he accused the former PC government of causing. Kinew added that MSP has housed 37 of the 40 people who have left encampments to date. The province has said it wants to move about 700 people from encampments into housing. The woman says she's grateful for organizations such as MSP and people in West Broadway who bring food, water, and supplies — even tarps to keep out the elements. MSP's outreach services, as outlined in its material, include essential items and relationship-building efforts. 'Each element is crucial in building meaningful relationships with people who have been repeatedly disappointed, and who have experienced so much systemic harm and oppression,' the document reads. 'Something as simple as offering food and coffee to someone experiencing homelessness lays the groundwork for building critical trust.' Last week, MSP came under fire when its outreach staff were recorded dragging tents and belongings to the riverbank in Point Douglas, another of the city's encampment hot spots. MSP declined to comment, referring only to a letter it sent in response to the Point Douglas residents committee, which was outraged by staff behaviour. 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. On Monday, Housing Minister Bernadette Smith directed MSP — one of the key players in the province's Your Way Home strategy — and other service organizations not to move people into encampments. 'Going forward, it's from encampment to housing. The Your Way Home strategy outlines that pretty clearly,' she said. Back at the riverbank, some residents acknowledged they had received tents from shelters — though they didn't name them. 'I'm grateful,' one person says. 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fished for community compensation
Gerald McKay was a respected fisherman, volunteer and politician in a town which lost its namesake due to hydro development. When Gerald, who died on April 13, was born in Grand Rapids 70 years ago there were rapids on the Saskatchewan River, which empties into the north basin of Lake Winnipeg. When he was five, those rapids disappeared after construction crews came to the town and to Misipawistik Cree Nation, located 400 kilometres north of Winnipeg, to begin building the only dam on the river and a road connecting the community to the rest of the province for the first time. Advertisement Why this ad? Gerald told CBC in 2018 that the development cost the people of Misipawistik their native language. He said residents were also discriminated against and some started walked together in pairs for safety. 'Within a few months there were several thousand people here and so we became a minority in our own community here and English was the dominant language,' he told CBC. 'When we started school, we had to learn English … we couldn't go anywhere out of sight and there were bad people there. There were flashers. I heard those ladies talking about the flashers and the peeping Toms.' Gerald was one of many who, for decades, pressed the utility to invest in the community from which it received revenue. 'We have high unemployment here,' he said. 'There's a lot of problems, a lot of poverty, and so we're sitting here with this big dam that's killed our fishing.' Later, Gerald was part of a community delegation that successfully negotiated a reconciliation agreement with Manitoba Hydro. Gerald moved to Cranberry Portage at 14 years old for school and later worked in a mine in Thompson, an experience that persuaded him to go back to school. He graduated with a certificate in business administration at Red River College. Gerald returned to Grand Rapids, where he became a commercial fisherman like his dad and grandfather. He also became a member of the Grand Rapids Fishermen's Co-op, helped many people with their income tax, supervised community work crews and — something his family says he was proudest of — contributed to the development of the Pelican Landing gas bar and restaurant on Highway 6. Gerald also served as a councillor with the town of Grand Rapids and a band councillor with Misipawistik. And, as a longtime fan of the Winnipeg Jets and a long-time reader of the Free Press , his family says nothing would make him happier 'than to see, from high above, wherever he may be, a front page story this June announcing our Jets as the winners of the Stanley Cup!' Gerald was predeceased by his parents and two sisters and he is survived by five sisters and two brothers. Read more about Gerald. How They Lived Loni Bettcher was a child when she lost her parents. Loni, who was 95 when she died, was being raised by relatives in Poland when the Second World War broke out. We don't know what happened to Loni during those years, but in 1951 at only 22, she decided to move to Canada by herself to build a future here. She later reunited with her childhood friend and neighbour. They were married for 30 years. Read more about Loni. Ed Maddock volunteered with many organizations in Morden. Ed, who was 99 when he died on April 9, volunteered with the Lions Club, the local curling club, the Anglican Church, Boy Scouts, fire department and beach committee. For all that he did, he was honoured as Morden's Citizen of Distinction in 1990. Read more about Ed. John Collins was an educator who died on March 28 at 83 years old. He first worked at the Irish Sugar Company, in its public relations department, before deciding to be a teacher. He taught at Nigeria's Teacher Training College before being forced to leave when the Biafra War began. John moved to Canada where he taught at schools in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including as the head of the English department at Russell's Major Pratt School, before being hired by the Manitoba Teacher's Society as a staff officer, working there for 23 years. He also wrote book reviews for the Free Press and was on the boards of Prairie Fire Magazine and Prairie Theatre Exchange. Read more about John. Ian Lancashire was an English professor. Ian, who was 82 when he died on April 3, graduated from the University of Manitoba before getting his MA and PhD at the University of Toronto. He stayed to teach in Ontario and specialized in Tudor drama and theatre history. He wrote Dramatic Texts and Records of Britain: A Chronological Topography to 1558 , which is still cited by experts today, and helped found Records of Early English Drama. And, with the help of collaborators in Computer Science and Medicine, he was able to analyze the works of Agatha Christie to determine when she first got dementia and its progressive worsening — a research project which suggested vocabulary studies could be used to help diagnose the disease and received worldwide attention. Read more about Ian. A Life's Story Zyta Zepp made feeding the homeless and others who needed assistance her legacy. The Polish-born Zyta, who died last May, worked in the community kitchen at 1JustCity at Crossways in Common for years. 'Despite her sometimes gruff exterior, Zyta (Zepp) had a real soft heart,' says Commons' Lynda Trono. (Supplied) 'I'm a pretty good cook, but I never had the ability that she had to turn out something original, delicious and nutritious day after day,' said her husband Jim. 'In line, they'd ask what's in the soup and she didn't list the ingredients. Either she didn't remember or she didn't know the word.' Read more about Zyta's life here. Until next time, I hope you continue to write your own life's story.
CBC
18-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
Parents, caregivers will benefit as new child-care spaces open at hospitals, schools: minister
More than 700 new child-care spaces for children up to age six will soon be available at health-care facilities, schools and post-secondary institutions in Manitoba. The new openings are meant to make life easier for parents and caregivers in the health-care and education sector, Jenna Sudds, federal families, children and social development minister, said during a news conference at St. Boniface Hospital. "When nurses and other essential workers can't access reliable child care, it not only affects their ability to stay in the work force, but it also puts a strain on the services that we all rely on," Sudds said on Tuesday. "Solving child-care challenges doesn't just help families, it helps all of us. It helps keep our hospitals staffed, businesses running and communities thriving." The provincial and federal governments have partnered to open 324 child-care spaces at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, St. Boniface Hospital and Riverview Health Centre. These daycare centres will have extended hours to support employees doing shift work, said Tracy Schmidt, Manitoba's education and early childhood learning minister. The governments committed to creating 256 infant and pre-school spaces within six school divisions, and a combined 128 child-care spaces at the Red River College Polytechnic Notre Dame campus and University College of the North's Thompson campus, Schmidt said. "We know that access to child care promotes equity by providing opportunities for more parents and caregivers to achieve their education and employment goals while their children are able to reap the benefits of quality early learning environments," she said. While the St. Boniface Hospital is considered a "home away from home" for upwards of 4,000 staff, having on-site child care will make the facility feel more like home for parents and caregivers employed there, president and CEO Nicole Aminot said. "Our staff deserve this. They will value it. They will make good use of it and we couldn't be prouder to be able to offer this to the people who work so hard spending their days looking after their fellow citizens in their time of need here in our community," Aminot said. Accessible and affordable child care is important for families and supports a better work life balance, according to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara. Improving access to child care is something the provincial government has heard health-care workers need during its listening tour over the past 16 months, Asagwara said. The opportunity for children to be around people who work in the health-care profession might also inspire them to join the frontlines, Asagwara said. The provincial and federal governments will spend $5.8 million for a tuition reimbursement program that provides early childhood education students with up to $5,000. The governments are also funding programming to train 30 Indigenous students to work in child care at the Urban Circle Training Centre in Winnipeg.
