Summer safety plan gets $500K to help marginalized people, increase safety for all in downtown Winnipeg

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 2:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A half-million-dollar effort to amended information successful downtown Winnipeg launches adjacent week, based connected a akin 1 implemented past summer.

"This volition beryllium a agreed effort from June to October this year, that's being led by the state of Manitoba arsenic good arsenic the City of Winnipeg successful concern with exigency services, with assemblage organizations and with front-line teams," Minister of Justice Matt Wiebe said astatine a quality league Friday astatine The Forks.

"Our ngo is clear: to make a welcoming and harmless and vibrant downtown wherever everyone feels supported."

The 16-week downtown information summertime enactment program volition motorboat June 17 and will involve intelligence wellness and addictions supports, successful summation to moving to code crime, the state said successful a quality release.

It volition beryllium led by the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, which is getting $500,000 from the province, on with $50,000 from the City of Winnipeg and $25,000 from the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone.

"This is simply a reflection that we judge successful DCSP and the important enactment that they're doing," said Premier Wab Kinew, who lauded the enactment done by police, firefighters and paramedics successful the city.

Having "that 4th furniture of response" from the downtown information partnership "to assistance code situations earlier they escalate … is precisely the benignant of progressive argumentation that we request to support radical safe," said Kinew.

The DCSP — created by the provincial and municipal governments, Winnipeg Police Service, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, Downtown BIZ and True North Sports and Entertainment as a aviator task successful 2019 and made imperishable a twelvemonth later — does 24/7 ft patrols downtown.

It helps guarantee that certain responses that impact constabulary are also tailored for different situations, similar erstwhile idiosyncratic is successful distress from intelligence wellness issues oregon addictions, Kinew said.

"They merit to beryllium safe, too," helium said.

Wiebe said the information concern offers a co-ordinated effect that addresses the wide health, well-being and information of the downtown community.

"It's astir transportation and collaboration," helium said.

Lennard Taylor, a manner decorator who owns a workplace successful the Exchange District, says having patrols downtown has been adjuvant to not lone deter retail theft, but besides to connection assistance to visitors astir the area, making it feel much welcoming. 

"It's bully to person much patrols. It's bully to person much interaction," helium said. "It's benignant of similar having a affable neighbour determination to springiness you a helping hand."

'People person got to consciousness safe': mayor

DCSP enforcement manager Greg Burnett said the information patrol helped hundreds of radical past year, the immense bulk of whom got what they needed "right astatine that moment" without a request to telephone different exigency responders.

That helped easiness the strain on 911 by diverting 220 imaginable calls, and fto constabulary and fire-paramedics absorption connected different matters, helium said.

"It's astir helping radical wherever they're astatine and gathering needs proactively," said Burnett.

Last year, the summertime information program wasn't unveiled until the 2nd week of July. This time, with galore components already successful place, it's easier to get rolling, helium said.

"We privation to beryllium retired determination helping radical arsenic champion arsenic we can, arsenic soon arsenic we can."

The DCSP volition administer funds to different assemblage groups that enactment with vulnerable, marginalized radical successful the downtown, specified arsenic the Bear Clan Patrol, Wiigiishin Giiwiigeenahn, and Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatawin.

"Downtown is buzzing" with caller developments, festivals and sporting events, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said, besides noting that in a fewer weeks, street-level crossing at Portage and Main volition reopen to pedestrians for the archetypal clip since 1979.

"But to support that momentum going, radical person got to consciousness safe," helium said.

Kinew echoed that, saying it's each astir information done antithetic measures.

"This is astir making definite that idiosyncratic who's going done a outcry for assistance tin get the enactment that they need, erstwhile they request it," but also "making definite that idiosyncratic who needs to beryllium held accountable due to the fact that they're doing thing atrocious successful the assemblage is going to beryllium held accountable," helium said.

"If we tin marque this concern unneurotic and besides marque definite those large events we person this summertime are going to beryllium that overmuch much successful, each the better."