A Safer Downtown for Winnipeg Families - Gord Steeves for Mayor

Last week I was the first candidate to layout a comprehensive downtown safety strategy of this campaign. As part of my plan to rebuild Winnipeg, I emphasized the importance of safety downtown by targeting chronic issues including individuals are frequently in violation of the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act.

The vast, vast majority of the people who live, work and patronize downtown make it a neighbourhood we’d all like to see flourish. Regrettably a very small minority of these folks cause issues that make downtown feel unsafe. When elected mayor we’ll enforce an ‘intervene early’ strategy intended to make downtown safe and help folks in need get the help they need.

Specifics of my strategy include:

• Creating a high-priority area map and direct the Winnipeg Police Service to saturate downtown P1 areas

• Establishing a downtown Winnipeg Police Service office on Portage Avenue

• Dispatching more WPS officers and cadets on during peak IPDA (Intoxicated Persons Detention Act) violations

• Directing WPS to report establishments to MB Liquor and Lotteries who aresuspected of over-serving

• Reporting all individuals charged under IPDA to the Province of Manitoba

This plan is similar to the Community Mobilization model currently implemented by the Prince Albert Saskatchewan Police Service.
Making downtown safe for everyone is a key pillar of my plan to rebuild Winnipeg. I believe we can do this making the neighbourhood an exciting place to live and visit and by giving folks the help they need to lead healthier lives.