The head of the city’s largest union is vowing to fight to ensure a metal detector stays put at Millennium Library and community safety officers begin helping to patrol the facility.
Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500, said those changes should follow the recent settlement of a workplace safety grievance at the flagship library, which emerged in the wake of a fatal stabbing on its main floor in 2022.
“There (are) various components of the memorandum of agreement that we settled on. And that’s that they maintain metal detectors being in place, that they’ll commit to implementing community safety officers,” said Delbridge.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
A metal detection gate was installed in the Millennium Library for its reopening in January, 2023 after it closed due to a fatal stabbing on Dec. 11, 2022.
The union leader said the wording commits city officials to recommend that metal detectors remain in place “pending further city council consideration in the library lobby redesign process.”
A report on potential changes to improve sight lines and otherwise enhance security at Millennium’s lobby isn’t expected until October, but Delbridge stressed he believes the two security changes are on the way.
He also expects the city to add some community safety officers at the library, though the timeline and number aren’t clear. That security presence would be similar to the safety officers that patrol Winnipeg Transit buses, who have the power to arrest and detain people, said Delbridge.
He said the grievance settlement was reached in July.
By deadline Wednesday, the city did not respond to questions about the grievance or confirm any details of a settlement.
Karin Borland, the city’s manager of library services, said she had no information to indicate that a final decision was made on metal detectors and declined to comment on the grievance itself.
“I don’t think that they can point to anything that says metal detector gates have been installed permanently… We’ve certainly put in reports that the metal detector gates will stay in place until council has further opportunity to consider either making it permanent, improving it or putting something else in,” said Borland.
A metal detection gate was in place when the city reopened Millennium on Jan. 23, 2023. The branch had been closed since a fatal stabbing on its main floor on Dec. 11, 2022.
CUPE filed its safety grievance in the wake of the tragedy, alleging staff it represents at the library feared going to work amid growing violence.
The detectors have since been a controversial fixture at the facility, with some advocates deeming them a barrier that keeps some people from using the library.
Delbridge insists the devices are needed to keep staff safe.
“I think it’s really unfortunate that we live in a society… where having metal detectors has become a necessity,” he said.
He made the comments amid a city report that finds a steady stream of security concerns continues at Winnipeg’s public libraries, especially the Millennium branch at 251 Donald St.
The number of library safety and security incidents rose 13 per cent for all libraries and 10 per cent for Millennium library, between the periods of October 2022 to June 2023 and October 2023 and June 2024.
However, the percentage of incidents per library visit actually declined during the same period. For all libraries, an incident occurred during about .0785 per cent of visits during the first nine-month stretch, which fell to .0778 per cent.
The security risks are clearly linked to social issues that plague downtown and beyond, according to council’s chairwoman of community services.
“Poverty, homelessness and crime continue to plague our city. We’re seeing that still happening in the last couple of months, not only just within our libraries but also in our (other) public spaces,” said Coun. Vivian Santos.
The Point Douglas councillor said she expects improvements will be made as council and the provincial government pursue investments in housing and social supports.
In the meantime, she said there is some indication that library security measures are helping.
“We are seeing a small decline in the number of incidents per visit. So it is slightly making a difference,” she said.
In July 2023, city council approved multiple library security enhancements, which funded five more security guards (adding to an existing five) at Millennium. The changes also added nine community safety hosts for all libraries (adding to an existing one), as well as two additional community safety hosts and 4.2 full-time staff devoted to its Community Connections Space. Community safety hosts are trained in trauma-related crisis work and can help connect vulnerable people with resources.
The report credits community safety hosts for regularly reducing the severity of library incidents.
Borland said the safety challenges at local libraries are directly linked to social concerns that affect many public spaces, which the security measures can’t cure but can respond to.
“Issues around chronic poverty, homelessness, untreated addictions, all of that is not going to be addressed by these specific investments in our safety measures. What the investments do enable us to do is respond in a better way when incidents happen,” she said.
The number of visitors to city libraries rose 16 per cent over the study period, which also affects incident numbers, said Borland.
Meanwhile, the report notes hours were reduced at Millennium’s Community Connections space due to two vacant staff positions, roughly from June till August. New staff allowed the space to resume opening hours that match the library’s this week, said Borland.
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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