Check out the new Police Chief Clunis photo Op

Children and Youth Minister Kevin Chief announces support of $500,000 for the Sports Opportunity Fund, part of the province's five-point Strategy to Keep Kids Out of Crime. The announcement was at the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre

 

October 5, 2012

PROVINCE ANNOUNCES NEW SPORT OPPORTUNITIES FUND DESIGNED TO HELP KEEP KIDS OUT OF CRIME

– – –
Manitobans' Participation Instrumental in New Five-point Strategy: Chief

Community organizations in Manitoba will get sports equipment and vital facility upgrades as part of a new Strategy to Keep Kids Out of Crime, Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief announced today.  The minister said the strategy comes out of months of consultation in which he listened to people in communities, large and small, across Manitoba.
“Thousands of Manitobans from different backgrounds and all regions of the province came out to share their stories, concerns and ideas,” said Chief.  “Everywhere I visited I heard about the importance of providing positive options and opportunities to kids no matter where they live.  I am working with our community partners to keep focused on those priorities.”
As part of the five-point Strategy to Keep Kids Out of Crime, the province today launched a $500,000 Sport Opportunities Fund, which will give more young at-risk Manitobans the opportunity to get involved in sports and find healthy and positive after-school and weekend opportunities, Chief said.
The minister said community-based sport and recreation organizations will be able to apply for grants that will increase sporting opportunities for high-needs youth and communities with:

• up to $10,000 for permanent equipment such as volleyball standards, goal frames and athletic field line painters; and
• up to $2,500 for equipment with a shorter life span such as volleyballs, pucks and uniforms.

“We all share a responsibility to keep children and communities on the right track,” said Lawrence Mulhall, executive director of the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre.  “I am happy to have been part of the consultations that led to this new strategy.  I look forward to playing a role in making the future brighter for all our kids.”
Consultations leading up to the development of the strategy included public meetings in Winnipeg, Brandon, Dauphin, Morden, Norway House, Thompson and The Pas, and 18 stakeholder meetings with municipalities, First Nations leaders, law enforcement, faith groups and youth-serving organizations.

Chief said ideas and comments from the meetings resulted in five points that will be the focus of Manitoba’s Strategy to Help Keep Kids Out of Crime:
1. Strengthening the Early Years and Schools
Research shows that when children are given a strong start in early life by supporting positive parenting and early childhood education, communities can be safer by preventing crime for years to come.
2. Creating Youth Opportunities
Youth is a time of possibility. The strategy builds on the foundations of the early years of life and school by creating opportunities to help youth prepare for positive and productive futures.           
3. Supporting Recreation and Healthy Communities
After-school recreation programs offer promising approaches for crime prevention.  Along with other community activities, they provide structure, supervision and skill building to promote youth success outside of the classroom and in the community.
4. Promoting Mental Health, Preventing Substance Abuse
Families, caregivers, educators and service providers all have a role to play in ensuring the mental, spiritual and physical wellness of families and communities.
5.   Safer Streets:  More Beat Cops, Better Correctional Facilities, Tougher Laws
A stronger justice system, including an enhanced police presence on the streets, continued investments in correctional facilities and more robust consequences for those who commit serious crimes is crucial to keeping families and neighbourhoods safe.
“This strategy will enhance our efforts to prevent youth crime and youth victimization in rural Manitoba,” said Chief Supertintendent Scott Kolody, acting commanding officer for RCMP “D” Division.  “Providing kids with recreational opportunities encourages them to engage in positive activities.”
“Manitoba’s Strategy to Keep Kids Out of Crime will build on previous successes in the area of crime prevention,” Chief said.  “The province’s one-of-a-kind Turnabout Program provides consequences and supports for youth under the age of 12 who have come into contact with the law.  The Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy has reduced auto theft dramatically since its introduction in 2004 and Winnipeg’s rates of auto theft are now the 10th in Canada, down from highest in the nation.”
To learn more about Manitoba’s efforts on crime prevention and youth opportunities and to apply for to the Sports Opportunities Fund, visit www.gov.mb.ca/cyo.  For more information on the five-point plan, visit www.gov.mb.ca/kidsoutofcrime/.

- 30 -

Manitoba gets tougher on crime

Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan regarding the status of The Manitoba Integrated Warrant Apprehension Unit. (from left to right: WPS Det. Sgt. John O’Donovan; WPS Chief Keith McCaskill; Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson, RCMP; Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz; WPS Cst. Jason Michalyshen)

December 12, 2011

MANITOBA INTEGRATED WARRANT UNIT ACTIVE

The Manitoba Integrated Warrant Apprehension Unit is making progress in providing focused police resources to get offenders off the streets.
To date, the recently formed unit has been responsible for arresting 150 wanted criminals and has cleared more than 223 warrants from the system.  The unit follows up on arrest warrants issued throughout the province in both RCMP and Winnipeg Police Service jurisdictions.
“The unit uses all of the investigative techniques at their disposal to bring offenders back before the courts,” said Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill.  “This is a unified response to a serious problem.  Offenders need to know that turning themselves in is the best option when police services across Manitoba are communicating and working together to bring them to justice.”
“The RCMP is pleased to be a partner in the integrated warrant unit, where our proactive efforts in holding these offenders accountable are paying off already,” said Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson, commanding officer of RCMP "D" Division.
“The province supports the work of this new unit in tracking down and catching offenders with outstanding warrants,” said Justice Minister Andrew Swan.  “Their work gives families peace of mind, helps keep our communities safer and puts criminals behind bars where they belong.”
The unit has six police officers:  three from the RCMP and three from the Winnipeg Police Service, funded by the province.  The WPS provides operational and administrative supervision of the unit under Division 51, and it is housed in the Public Safety Building.  It operates three teams, each comprised of one RCMP and one WPS member.  A WPS patrol sergeant is the unit supervisor.
The unit is an additional operational police component that brings offenders back before the judiciary.  Since September, the unit has focused on those who have committed offences against other people and have been:

• identified as responsible for a violent crime but not yet arrested due to the fact that he/she is eluding investigators,
• arrested but failed to attend subsequent court appearances, or
• on bail with court-imposed conditions and breached those conditions.

The integrated unit was formed following consultations that took place between the province and the partner police agencies, the WPS and the RCMP, over the spring and summer.

- 30 -

The provincial government is distributing this news release on behalf of the Winnipeg Police Service, RCMP and Government of Manitoba.

Air Canada moves to protect its staff from violence

Air Canada is not taking chances with the safety of its staff. According to reports by CBC Winnipeg, the airline will no longer place its overnight staff in the downtown hotelsbecause of the rash of criminal activities occurring in the downtown recently.  Will this keep the staff from hitting the road once they arrive in Winnipeg? How much fun is that being stuck in the airport area. Anyway, perhaps when businesses start to feel the pinch, something will be done to stop crime in the City.   The City needs to do more to attract a larger crowd down town. The more people are visible the less criminal activity there will be. This is a proven fact. Perhaps an incentive to move people in the down town area could be a lower tax base. Subsidized parking, more publicly sponsored events in the malls, the library and other public spaces.
   We have to start thinking outside the box. Putting criminals in jail won't do the trick. For every ne we lock up there are 10 more to take their place. We  need a more proactive, creative approach.
    When there is a game in town the downtown is packed with people. This shows that people are not afraid of being in the downtown, there are just no incentive for them to leave the burbs to come down town just to drink coffee.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/10/01/air-canada-winnipeg-security.html

MANITOBA FINANCE SEIZES 240,000 CONTRABAND CIGARETTES

February 4, 2011

 

Manitoba Finance reports, as the result of an investigation into tobacco smuggling, the Manitoba Finance Special Investigations Unit recently seized 240,000 contraband cigarettes contained in unmarked plastic bags, each holding a carton equivalent of 200 cigarettes.  In addition, cash of just over $11,000 was seized.
The investigation led to a search warrant being obtained and executed at a self-storage unit in the city of Winnipeg on Feb. 1.  Winnipeg Police Service East District general patrol uniformed members assisted at the search scene which was also attended by the RCMP Customs and Excise Unit.   
Two adult males, one from Portage La Prairie and the other from Oakville were arrested and subsequently released on Tobacco Tax Act charges of possession of the cigarettes.  They are to appear in court on March 24.
The two individuals face charges under the Manitoba Tobacco Tax Act and the Excise Act (2001).  The potential Manitoba tobacco taxes avoided would be $49,000.  If convicted, the two would face fines of up to $5,000, imprisonment for as long as three months or both.  A tax penalty of $147,600 could also be assessed.  Additional penalties could apply under the Excise Act (2001). 
If anyone has information on contraband tobacco, they are urged to contact their local police department, the Manitoba Finance Special Investigations Unit at 204-945-1137 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

- 30 -

Manitoba Government gets tougher on Crime

June 17, 2010
LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS SPRING SITTING AFTER FOCUSING ON CRIME FIGHTING, HEALTH CARE, JOB CREATION, ENVIRONMENT

– – –

More Officers, Prosecutors and Jail Space, New Police Helicopter, Tougher Laws, More Preventive Measures Help Increase Safety in Manitoba Neighbourhoods: Blaikie





The province continued to unveil its tough-on-crime agenda in the fourth session of the 39th legislature, giving crime fighters more tools to do their jobs effectively, increasing accountability of those who break the law and introducing measures to keep youth out of gangs, government house leader Bill Blaikie said today.



“We launched this session with Budget 2010, which introduced a five-year plan to create jobs and grow the economy while at the same time continued to invest in front-line services in health care, education and training, supports for families and policing,” Blaikie said today.



All parties agreed the house will resume sitting on Nov. 16.



Blaikie said among the important anti-crime initiatives launched during the spring sitting were:

· providing funding for 10 new police officers for the Winnipeg Police Service;

· providing funding for a new Winnipeg city police helicopter including three additional officers for the Aerial Support Unit;

· providing funding to help the city hire 30 police cadets this year, increasing to 50 cadets in 2011-12;

· eliminating the need for justice officials to repeatedly prove gangs are criminal organizations in cases involving prostitution and drug houses and making it easier to seize property that is the proceeds of crime;

· giving justice officials the ability to take court action when businesses are used as fronts for organized crime;

· expanding The Pas Correctional Centre to add 40 new minimum- to low-medium security spaces, bringing capacity to 122 inmates;

· adding 64 spaces to the Milner Ridge Correctional Centre, bringing the total ideal capacity to 364 inmates:

· helping incarcerated youth get back on track with increased funding to support academic programming in youth correctional facilities;

· increasing fines for underage drinking and for those who contribute to underage drinking; and

· launching the second phase of the Stop Sex With Kids Campaign to mobilize Manitobans to do their part to protect children.



Among the economic initiatives launched this sitting were:

· enhancing and extending by 10 years a significant power purchase agreement worth close to $3 billion between Manitoba Hydro and Xcel Energy of Minneapolis;

· partnering with the Government of Canada to assist producers in the northern Interlake region who were adversely affected by excess moisture conditions in 2008 and 2009 with more than $2.5 million under the AgriRecovery program;

· signing a co-operation agreement between CentrePort Canada and Cuntan Bonded Port Zone in Chongqing, China, which will help Manitoba continue to build its trading relationship with China and further enhance the province’s strategic position along the Asia-Pacific Gateway;

· supplying bridge financing to help build a new publicly funded stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the University of Manitoba;

· strengthening Manitoba’s workforce with apprenticeships by investing $2 million to create more than 600 apprenticeship seats and promoting skill development and expanding tax credits that make it easier for businesses to hire students;

· launching the Premier’s Advisory Council on Education, Poverty and Citizenship with a mandate to find the best ways to ensure more Manitobans complete education and training that leads to jobs and economic opportunity for themselves and their families;

· investing up to $19 million more for eight new child-care centres, 650 more spaces, the phasing in of a centralized online child-care wait list and a child-care workers pension plan for a stronger workforce;

· committing $950 million this year to fighting poverty and promoting opportunities for low-income Manitobans including more than 30 new initiatives and program enhancements with a focus on affordable housing and getting Manitobans off welfare and into good jobs;

· launching a new three-year program that will provide up to $20 million to spur further downtown residential development and provide the option of affordable urban lifestyles to more Winnipeggers;

· investing almost $60 million to create 400 additional social-housing units as part of the Manitoba government’s commitment to create 1,500 units in the province during the next five years; and

· investing $47 million to kick off the first major construction phase of Project Domino, a capital redevelopment project that begins with the construction of a 360-room residence for students at the University of Manitoba.



Among the important health initiatives during this sitting were:

· Transitioning the practical nursing program at Assiniboine Community College to a diploma from a certificate in recognition of their higher skills.

· Hiring 498 more nurses this year compared with last year, which is the province’s largest-recorded annual increase. The number of practising Manitoba nurses has climbed every year since 2000, to 16,624 in 2009 from 14,092 in 2000, a net increase of 2,532.

· Purchasing a $3.7-million air-ambulance jet and investing an additional $6 million in aviation and medical modifications to the plane, to provide life-saving support and transportation to Manitobans when they need it most.

· Investing more than $1.7 million in suicide-prevention initiatives as part of an $8-million commitment to reducing youth suicides.

· Making it mandatory to report suspected or potential physical, sexual, mental, emotional or financial abuse of a patient in a geriatric day hospital, an emergency department or an urgent-care centre of a health facility.

· Improving patient access rights and privacy standards by helping Manitobans understand how to access their personal health information and how it is shared with others, creating a stronger culture of patient care and safety in the health-care system.

· Outfitting all ambulances in the province with automated vehicle location (AVL) units, a $550,000 investment to improve central dispatching, support timely patient care and ensure the safe operation and maintenance of these vehicles.



Among the initiatives that will help families and individuals are:

· a five-year strategy called Let’s Make a Better Deal that includes new protections when buying homes, cars or doing repairs and renovations on a home; and

· pension rules with improved security, flexibility and greater transparency to give Manitobans one of the strongest pension systems in Canada.



Among the initiatives that will benefit the environment are:

· committing $10 million for a fund to protect more than 40,000 square kilometres of boreal forest on the east side of Lake Winnipeg through the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Fund Act;

· beginning construction of a 138-megawatt wind farm near St. Joseph following the successful negotiation of a 27-year power purchase agreement between Manitoba Hydro and Pattern Energy;

· supporting a pilot project in Brandon that would see curb-side organic waste pickup for composting instead of sending it to a landfill; and

· taking the first steps to planting more than two million tree seedlings this summer as part of the 2010 Trees For Tomorrow program.



Other important initiatives included:

· securing the future of the historic and culturally important Upper Fort Garry site through the Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Act and investing $2.5 million to help acquire the land;

· investing $3.12 million for a one-year service maintenance agreement with Greyhound to ensure passenger bus service remains active in Manitoba until a long-term solution is found;

· ensuring that Manitoba continues to offer some of the most affordable, accessible and high-quality post-secondary education in the country by introducing a new student grant, improving Manitoba’s bursaries and providing earlier access to the province’s tuition rebate program, putting an extra estimated $7.5 million back into students’ pockets annually; and

· introducing legislation to recognize Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuktitut, Michif, Ojibway and Oji-Cree as the Aboriginal languages of Manitoba in the first step toward preserving and promoting the province’s proud Indigenous language heritage for the benefit of future generations.





- 30 -

November 27, 2008

NEW RULES FOR REPORTING GUNSHOT AND STAB WOUNDS TO TAKE EFFECT DEC. 1– – –
Legislation Resolves Uncertainty for Health-care Professionals: Chomiak


New legislation that makes it mandatory for health-care facilities to report all gunshot wounds and certain stab wounds to police will take effect Dec. 1, Attorney General Dave Chomiak announced today.

“This act helps health-care professionals balance the need for public safety and the need to maintain patient confidentiality,” Chomiak said. “It clarifies who should report, who they should call, what they need to share and when they need to do it.”

The Gunshot and Stab Wounds Mandatory Reporting Act requires health-care facilities to notify police when they treat a patient with a gunshot wound or who appears to have been stabbed by someone else.

Health-care professionals would treat the patients’ wounds first. The facility would report the wounds as soon as possible without interfering with treatment. The act does not apply to intentional or accidental self-inflicted stab wounds.

“Informing police about gunshot and stab wounds quickly can prevent further violence, injuries and deaths,” Chomiak said. “This addresses public safety concerns by letting police make the best use of those critical first few hours in an investigation.”

Manitoba’s existing Personal Health Information Act allows some information to be disclosed to prevent or lessen a serious and immediate threat to the health or safety of an individual or the public. The new legislation adds clarity for health-care professionals.

Information provided to the police under the new legislation will be limited to the fact that an individual with a wound is being treated, their name if it is known and the name and location of the treatment facility. No other medical information would be shared.

- 30 -

October 30, 2008

ELECTRONIC MONITORING MID-PROJECT RESULTS RELEASED BY MANITOBA JUSTICE


Manitoba Justice reports results for the first half of Manitoba’s youth electronic monitoring pilot project are now available. The one-year project is designed to assess the effectiveness of using GPS technology to continually supervise very high-risk young auto thieves while they are in the community.

Up to 20 offenders can be tracked at a time and a total of 41 cases have been referred to the project since it began on April 5. Most of the youth referred to the project are still in custody and won’t be fitted with monitors until their sentences reach the point where they must be released into the community.

Twenty-two youth have been fitted with the devices since the project began. Responses have varied from resistant to compliant. Some youth have indicated the device has helped them to comply with their conditions. Others have had significant challenges, particularly with charging the devices for the correct length of time. Staff helped youth to keep the devices working properly, using reminders and cautions when needed, and no one has had to return to custody for failing to charge a device.

Of the 22 youth fitted with the device:
· Nine remain on active electronic monitoring supervision in the community.
· Six have successfully completed their terms without incident.
· One youth on the device was rearrested for auto theft. The device helped to establish where he was in relation to the crime.
· Seven youth removed their devices. One remains at large, while the other six were rearrested.
· One youth attempted to remove the device but was unsuccessful. That youth was arrested and charged.
· One youth breached probation conditions by violating curfew. Staff found the monitoring helpful in locating him and monitoring his return home.

Six cases that did not meet the project criteria were rejected and three exceptional cases that did not meet the criteria have been included.

Some youth being monitored as part of the project have also been charged for violating conditions that they not be in contact with certain other people, although that was not a direct result of using the electronic monitoring technology.

Issues around the way the technology is performing continue to be of some concern and efforts to resolve technological issues with both the software and hardware continue. The equipment has been upgraded to address intermittent location failures which are instances where the tracking system temporarily loses contact with the bracelets. Troubleshooting at the monitoring firm has helped to avoid unnecessary emergency responses by corrections staff and the police in these instances.

Evaluation of the technology will continue, with more youth being added in the coming months. The project will continue to assess the implications, challenges and potential of electronic monitoring for auto theft youth.

- 30 -

Winnipeg’s got talent

Move over Canadian Idol and Want to be a Rockstar , CBC AM radio came out with its own brand of reality radio with it’s Winnipeg got talent. Anyone who believes he or she has talent were invited to audition and it started this morning. One of the contestants was a Canadian Idol finalist Jeremy. Each week one contestant will be eliminated. The grand prize is not too shabby - $1000 in gift certificates to concerts and stuff like that. I’m sure most contestants would have preferred cold hard cash. Makes for aaight morning show..

Atacking Crime
Winnipeg Police Chief Jack Ewatxski gets tougher on crime. Before the end of this month he promises to introduce and online program that will allow ordinary citizens to track crime across the city and to also keep a watch on how police are responding to these crimes. This is awesome power for the consumer to get involved in something that affects all of us so much.
The system is modeled after CompuStat adopted by several US Cities. It will highlight neighbourhood hotspots and deliver weekly crimestats/updates..

Dream Girls a Smash Hit
SilverCity Cinema is the only cinema in Winnipeg that is showing Dreamgirls. I went to see it last weekend and I was blown away, by Jennifer Hudson’s performance. The girl was awesome, terrific, goosebump thrilling good. Eddie Murphy was great too but Jennifer Hudson took the cake. I don’t know if it is because she had the better part or that she has improved so darn much. I hope good things come to her after this. She has proved that she could sing. Some say she is this generation’s Aretha Franklin and I would agree. Overall the storyline of the movie is not completely new. There has been other movies before that examined the cut throat nature of the music industry and the way African Americans were treated. For me, it was the singing that made this stand out and the glam stuff. This is a 4 out of 5 star movie. Go check it out.

Global Eyes Magazine
The December Edition of the Global Eyes Magazine is out. Winnipeg’s only magazine that covers African Canadian issues. Pick up this free publication at Winnipeg Centennial Library. Lots of good stuff in it.
Improvisational Writing
This happens at the Centennial Library first Thursdays every month. I just learned about this free event and checked it out last Thursday. I had a good time. It's writing on the spot using props as a focal point. It is amazing to see what one can come up with in a short time. The exercise was fun, time went by quickly and I got to hear some exciting reading. This is a great way to overcome writer's block. Just pick an item and start writing about it and see what happens.
Take care