Business owners in West Broadway say they decided to take matters into their own hands to curb rampant theft and hunger, because governments have focused on safety efforts downtown.
“Looking around the neighbourhood, there are some businesses that have had real trouble with some of our more vulnerable neighbours,” said Hildegard’s Bakery co-owner Drew Newsom, referring to incidents he’s witnessed outside of the McDonald’s and Tim Hortons outlets across the street in recent years. “We want to just sort of reduce the harm a little bit.”
Behind the counter at Hildegard’s on Portage Avenue and Maryland Street, a bowl of buttons waits for hungry or thirsty patrons. A button represents a free coffee, tea, or muffin to those who need it.
The bakery established the pre-pay program in 2019 for people who come in from the street. A toonie from one customer gets a button in the bowl for another.
One block over at the Shell gas station on Sherbrook Street, a “pending basket” is filled with pre-paid items for anyone who asks.
“We were having problems with theft a lot,” said employee Lavneet Kumar. “This way, we can give the homeless free drinks in the summer and it helps with sales.”
The advertisement of the basket at the store’s entrance has improved instances of theft and erratic behaviour in the C-store since it began two months ago, Kumar said.
“Instead of stealing, they can use the pending basket.”
While the initiatives are being done in good faith, the executive director of the West Broadway BIZ says the social ills faced by the core neighbourhood shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of business owners.
“We do see a lot of, I think, positive responses and attempts from businesses to support folks who are in need in the community,” Eric Strong said. “But I would also say that there is a need for governments to provide additional support to businesses that are in core areas, but sort of outside of what’s technically considered downtown.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Newsom saw the need for the program to grow exponentially. Now, the bakery deals with a host of other issues. It began restricting bathroom access due to people sleeping and using drugs in the single washroom. There are a few “awkward incidents” per week in which they have to ask people to leave because they are loitering or causing a disturbance.
“I don’t like it, but something was happening every single day,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Manitoba government announced nearly $1.5 million for a downtown safety action plan. The cash will pay for more staff for the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, more training for organizations that provide mental health and well-being services and the establishment of a sobering centre at the N’Dinawemak shelter near the Disraeli Freeway.
“We’ve got to work together.”–Tony Siwicki, Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association chair
Strong said the government’s response to social issues tends to focus on certain areas and isn’t equitable. So, owners come up with their own solutions on their own dime.
“People expressed to me that they want to help, they see these difficult situations playing out around them sometimes, and sometimes they impact their businesses, but they don’t really know where to turn,” he said.
On Thursday, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe spoke with the West Broadway BIZ about the issue.
“We appreciate the many organizations that are doing important community safety work in West Broadway, including those supported by Manitoba Justice. I look forward to meeting with the Biz in the near future to discuss how we can partner with them and others, such as the (downtown safety partnership), to ensure that families in West Broadway are safe,” a statement from his office said.
Tony Siwicki, chair of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said businesses pour money into addressing social problems, hurting the restaurant industry that is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the problems they are forced to cope with include instances when patrons leave decoy items on tables during instances of dine-and-dash and windows are broken during thefts. In response, they’ve had to place combination padlocks on bathrooms and limit bar tabs to credit cards only, Siwicki said.
“We’re still trying to get out of that (financial) hole, yet we’re still paying for all this stuff that’s a product of our own Criminal Code,” he said, adding without government help, the problem will persist.
“We’ve got to work together.”
Strong said while West Broadway is a “really fabulous community because people really care,” supports are needed for businesses, and soon.
“To keep them happy and thriving for people,” he said.
Newsom and Hildegard’s will continue to offer the button program, but call for a more comprehensive response in the neighbourhood at the same time.
“We have certain kinds of economic insecurity, but also together with hopefully better resources with the pandemic winding down it will improve,” he said.
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca
Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer
Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole.
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