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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
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Downtown Community Safety Partnership executive director Greg Burnett in the group\u2019s command centre which allows them to view live security footage from several downtown businesses and respond to situations faster.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The fluctuating nature of the oil and gas industry has created a large transient population in Edmonton\u2019s downtown. The city has a program that works with organizations and businesses to develop safety strategies, but Benner said it isn\u2019t as effective as the Winnipeg model.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg\u2019s safety partnership was established in 2020 through funding from the province, city, Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, and True North Sports + Entertainment.<\/p>\n
Foot and mobile patrols monitor the downtown core 24\/7 and provide information about resources to the homeless and vulnerable people as well as visitors to downtown. They check in on businesses and walk with people to their workplace or vehicle if they feel unsafe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to bring everyone together to ask \u2018how do we work together to create a safer Edmonton?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Benner said private-sector involvement is the key to Winnipeg\u2019s success. The lack of co-operation between organizations has hindered getting a program such as the DCSP off the ground in Edmonton.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always assume that government is the one that starts it. What I\u2019ve seen is it\u2019s honestly the private sector. People have to come together and put that pressure on governments to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone shows interest, but everyone\u2019s waiting for someone to pick up the torch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benner said having foot patrols monitor the downtown would significantly improve the area, which has yet to recover from the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of people still not back in the office which makes it feel less safe because there\u2019s not enough eyeballs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Anecdotally, Burnett said the patrols have had a net-positive effect on the use of Winnipeg\u2019s emergency services because they present an alternative to calling fire and paramedic crews. The patrols have contributed to the feeling of a safer downtown, which has helped people return to the core post-pandemic, he said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Burnett says the fact other cities are looking at the DCSP model is a reflection of the philosophy behind the organization.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Micayla Hayes was in Winnipeg in January to do consulting work when she met Burnett. She was so impressed she went back to Victoria, where she is the chair of the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board, and talked up the program.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just so impressed by the model and thought about how it could be scaled up and replicated elsewhere,\u201d she said Wednesday.<\/p>\n Victoria, too, is grappling with issues related to addictions and homelessness that came into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just so impressed by the model and thought about how it could be scaled up and replicated elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n While no formal conversations about replicating the DCSP model to the B.C. city are underway, Hayes continues to meet with Burnett.<\/p>\n In 2025, the City of Victoria adopted a community safety and well-being plan. As part of the plan development, staff looked at emerging and best practices in cities across Canada, including Winnipeg, city spokesperson Colleen Mycroft said in an email.<\/p>\n Victoria\u2019s model is similar to Winnipeg\u2019s, but not identical, Mycroft said.<\/p>\n It includes a safe walk program, safety programs and business incentives, programs to help individuals navigate housing options, relocation transportation programs for youth under 30 and Indigenous adults, well-being checks during extreme weather and an on-demand crisis response program.<\/p>\n Hayes said she admires the DCSP model because it marries a policing operational deployment model with community engagement.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many wonderful not-for-profits that are working in communities all over the country to support vulnerable people, but they might not have that effective deployment model,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that\u2019s what really sets (DCSP) apart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Burnett said the fact other cities are looking at the DCSP model is a reflection of the philosophy behind the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really a community-based program and allowing people to go out there and and use their skills in different ways,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we have something that\u2019s gonna help them and improve them, then it\u2019s great. We\u2019re just happy to help.\u201d<\/p>\n nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Nicole Buffie Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College\u2019s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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