Winnipeg’s drug crisis is putting staff and students at schools in danger, says the head of the city’s largest division, who is calling on all levels of government to start taking concrete action.
“We’ve had principals who have had to resuscitate people on playgrounds.… We have kids stepping over people,” Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson told CBC Manitoba Information Radio host Marcy Markusa on Wednesday.
“That’s hugely problematic for a million reasons. One is that we have vulnerable people who, you know, who have lost their dignity, but also, it does at times present safety issues for our kids and our staff.”
Henderson didn’t identify any particular area as problematic.
“It’s pervasive throughout the city and the whole division. It doesn’t matter the neighbourhood,” he said.
But he did say Gordon Bell High School in the West Broadway area is adding two safety hosts from Zoongizi Ode to its staff to help people in the immediate community. The non-profit organization’s safety hosts also work inside the Millennium Library downtown.
Coun. Cindy Gilroy has suggested temporarily removing bus shelters where open drug use is taking place. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)
The school also has a partnership with the West End BIZ, which has community patrols that regularly visit the school property.
Gordon Bell was highlighted by city Coun. Cindy Gilroy in an Information Radio interview on Tuesday about the rise in drugs and vandalism along Portage Avenue downtown and in the West End.
“Many of these children have to walk by the open drug use or violence that is occurring, so it’s definitely a huge concern in the community, not only for businesses but also for many residents,” said Gilroy, whose Daniel McIntyre ward includes a significant portion of the West End.
“I’m also having issues along Sargent Avenue, really close to Burnell [Street]. So there’s a lot of businesses that are really impacted, a lot of people that are just on the streets, they’re in the corridors of people’s buildings using [drugs] openly, selling, purchasing drugs.”
Gilroy has suggested bus shelters, where much of the drug use occurs, be removed.
“It is a temporary measure that could help the congregation [of people] in an around that area, especially around Gordon Bell High School. If people are not using the bus shelters for what they’re supposed to be used for, there’s no reason to have them, right?” she said.
“As fast as we move people on out of those shelters, they’re just moving right back in. The city cannot even keep up with the demand that we’re seeing on that [Portage and Maryland] corner. So something to help with the businesses and the school’s concern would just be temporarily removing them until we come up with other solutions.”
Henderson said while he appreciates Gilroy is proposing ideas, that one is more of a Band-Aid.
“Getting rid of bus shelters is not the solution when we’re dealing with the fact that we have organized crime and drug dealers on corners selling drugs to people who are really vulnerable,” he said.
Drug dealers are a “pervasive” problem in he commercial parking lot across Maryland from Gordon Bell, he said.
“We got to get rid of the drugs and we have to get rid of the gangs and we have to get rid of the the drug dealers. This is a wicked problem. This is the worst I’ve seen it.”
A downtown Winnipeg bus shelter is filled with trash in this file photo. (Darren Bernhardt/CBC)
Henderson, who said he lives in the Gordon Bell neighbourhood, is frustrated by what he calls a lack of action by both the municipal and provincial governments.
He said the City of Winnipeg applauds itself for its low municipal taxes while “we see the city crumbling” and services are offloaded to school divisions, which have no choice but to address the concerns themselves, raise education taxes and lean on organizations like Bear Clan, Zoongizi Ode and “countless others” to support the community.
“I think that’s irresponsible. The impact of methamphetamine and fentanyl has just obliterated the city,” Henderson said.
“There are beautiful things happening all the time, magical things happening in the city of Winnipeg. I love this city. It’s my city. But until we’re really wanting to tackle [organized crime and drugs] … I don’t know what else we can do other than just simply putting Band-Aids on.
“We need people at the table who are really looking at solutions.”