Several unions have formed a coalition to demand government officials take action on safety in downtown Winnipeg.
The unions represent employees from all three levels of government, firefighters and paramedics, bus drivers, retail workers and community service workers, among others.
The coalition, which has dubbed itself Workers for Downtown Public Safety, has requested meetings with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham and Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
People walk downtown on Main Street in Winnipeg. A coalition of unions calling itself Workers for Downtown Public Safety has requested meetings with Winnipeg’s mayor and Manitoba’s justice minister.
Ahead of sitting for those meetings, the new coalition said it will publicly release a “comprehensive,” five-point plan for public safety.
The coalition said its downtown safety plan will include calling for mental-health and addictions supports to be expanded and enhancing protections and supports for employees faced with violence, harassment and unsafe working conditions.
The new group said it’s committed to a “balanced, solutions-focused approach” to public safety that would address immediate concerns and long-term root causes.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The group includes: Amalgamated Transit Union; Canadian Union of Public Employees; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union; Canada Employment & Immigration Union; Public Service Alliance of Canada; United Food and Commercial Workers; and United Firefighters of Winnipeg.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca