The installation of taller guardrails on the upper floors at the Millennium Library is expected to begin in a few weeks, the city said Thursday.
The new safety measure was prompted by a suicide last summer; a 40-year-old man jumped over the library’s fourth-floor railing and died on Aug. 6. Two weeks later, access to the top level was closed after another person threatened suicide but was stopped by security.
The floor was reopened to the public in September, following the installation of temporary fencing. In January, the city announced the guard rails would be replaced in hopes of preventing further incidents.
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The Millennium library’s fourth floor was reopened to the public in September, following the installation of temporary fencing.
A news release issued Thursday said the city had awarded a contract to install permanent barriers made from aluminum and both tempered and laminated glass on the second, third and fourth floors beginning this spring.
“Millennium Library is an important community hub, and it is crucial that everyone who walks through the doors feels safe and welcome,” Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas), chair of the standing policy committee on community services, said in the release.
“These upgraded guardrails are an investment that will improve safety throughout the building and support a library where people can continue to gather, learn, and explore.”
The second- and third-floor barriers will be 2.1 metres (seven feet) tall. The guardrails on the fourth level will be 2.4 metres (eight feet) tall.
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There will be updates on possible library closures related to installation in the coming weeks. The project will cost about $1.4 million and was included in the city’s 2026 budget.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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