Bail reform needed to curb 'repeat prolific offenders' in Portage la Prairie: Mayor

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 8:07 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The politician of Portage la Prairie and the proprietor of a section boutique are calling for changes to bail betterment laws aft a repetition thief stole from the store yet again connected Tuesday afternoon. 

Janna Braaksma, proprietor of 3's Company Boutique connected Saskatchewan Avenue, said she and different section concern owners woody with repetition shoplifters regularly, but Tuesday's incidental was "the straw that broke the camel's back."

"She walked successful the door, she went to precisely the marque [of jeans] that she wanted and it happened successful 40 seconds and she was retired the door," Braaksma said, adding the pistillate had already been banned from the store. 

Braaksma said she instantly called assemblage information officers erstwhile the pistillate came in but it each happened truthful accelerated that the pistillate was retired the doorway earlier the telephone telephone was adjacent answered. 

Security camera footage of the incident, which happened astir 2:30 p.m., was posted by Braaksma to her store's Facebook page. It garnered tens of thousands of views and hundreds of shares, she said. 

"When it comes to repetition offenders and repetition radical successful our store doing these thefts …it's getting beyond frustrating," she said.

An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News a 45-year-old pistillate was arrested connected Wednesday successful transportation to the theft. Charges are pending.

Mayor Sharilyn Knox has loudly been calling for changes to Canada's bail strategy alongside Manitoba MLAs since January, erstwhile a pistillate was killed successful a three-vehicle collision adjacent the metropolis by an alleged drunk operator who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. 

In March, Manitoba MLAs unanimously passed a question to bolster bail enforcement and ace down connected radical who interruption merchandise conditions. 

That question follows a five-point program to woody with repetition offenders, introduced by the state past year. That program includes much wealth for Crown attorneys, constabulary and instrumentality enforcement agencies and assemblage enactment programs. 

Knox said determination aren't galore "prolific repetition offenders" successful the community, but a tiny fig of radical are doing a large woody of harm. 

Crime successful the metropolis has improved since assemblage information officers started patrolling the streets, she said, adding the metropolis is expanding the fig of officers from 4 to seven. 

"We're not conscionable going to beryllium backmost and fto this happen. We're going to support advocating for change, successful not lone our assemblage but successful our state and crossed the country," Knox said. 

She has worked intimately with the provincial authorities to advocator for bail betterment and she was pleased to perceive Prime Minister Mark Carney interaction connected the contented erstwhile municipal leaders met with him for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities league successful Ottawa earlier this month. 

"People crossed this state privation alteration and they privation to consciousness harmless successful their communities and they privation to cognize that our governments and our systems are moving to heighten that, not to continually combat against it," she said. 

Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe, in a connection to CBC News, said the authorities is "committed to getting pugnacious connected transgression and the causes of crime."

He said the province's five-point bail program and a instrumentality to the ankle bracelet monitoring programme volition assistance ace down connected repetition offenders. 

"I person spoken to Mayor Knox and we volition proceed moving successful concern to impulse the national authorities to marque meaningful changes to the bail system," Wiebe said. 

CBC News reached retired to the national Department of Justice for remark connected Wednesday but did not person a effect earlier publication. 

Knox said constabulary successful her assemblage are doing a large job but she worries that without further bail betterment they will stay connected a "hamster wheel" that keeps seeing the aforesaid radical arrested implicit and implicit again. 

Braaksma said the existent bail strategy is akin to a "catch-and-release" with constricted consequences. She besides wants to spot changes. 

"It is everyplace and we request our justness strategy to backmost this," she said.