Winnipeg | 2026 Civic election

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by esquire

What did homeless people do up until three years ago when bus shelters suddenly became fair game?

I don't think anything has changed in what they do, I think the number of people living rough has increased by a fair margin.

[Sheepish]

A good question. All the more relevant when there are people regularly sleeping on the benches and sidewalk outside Main Steet Project. This makes no sense!

[Ando]

Originally Posted by esquire

What did homeless people do up until three years ago when bus shelters suddenly became fair game?

There are more issues with poverty and addiction in particular since the pandemic, and a lot of people on the street don’t trust living in shelters. A lot of street people also suffer from mental illness. It’s not as simple as suggesting to them they move into a shelter.

[zalf]

Speaking of which, any word on that supportive housing that the Pollards have been building?

[michelleb]

Sexual assault is frequent in shelters. People who have been homeless have explained exactly why and how shelters are dangerous. The information is out there for anyone to find.

[blueandgoldguy]

well then i guess the question is why have the number of people living rough increased since COVID? Did many of these new homeless have jobs that were taken away by COVID? Something else? Have these sexual assaults increased in homeless shelters from the past or are people just less likely to put up with them compared to 3 years ago when the bus shelters weren't overrun?

[blueandgoldguy]

I heard clips of Bowman discussing the situation at the Forks with the recent stabbings. What a terrible leader he is - excuse after excuse. Good riddance that he will be gone after this fall.

The only good thing about him is that he was not completely corrupt like Sam Katz. That's the extent of it.

[thurmas]

Covid-19 made a lot of people in the gig economy lose jobs coupled with home and rent prices skyrocket in that time pushed a lot of people who were struggling to get by before covid-19 over the edge and into homelessness and drug addiction.

[ScrappyPeg]

RE: sudden increase/visibility of people occupying the bus shelters

Not sure if anyone is aware - but Main St Project provides emergency shelter to most of these folks and come morning, they drive them in the MSP van to various bus shacks across the city. My understanding is that MSP believes these folks don't feel safe doing drugs etc in the downtown area, so they are using the bus shacks as their safe zones. And yes, MSP then picks these same people up in the early evening to bring them back downtown. From what I have heard, MSP is of the opinion that this is a human rights issue.

[esquire]

^ So MSP effectively gets to determine the extent to which public transportation infrastructure is coopted for use in delivering unofficial social programs. Sure, why not.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by ScrappyPeg

RE: sudden increase/visibility of people occupying the bus shelters

Not sure if anyone is aware - but Main St Project provides emergency shelter to most of these folks and come morning, they drive them in the MSP van to various bus shacks across the city. My understanding is that MSP believes these folks don't feel safe doing drugs etc in the downtown area, so they are using the bus shacks as their safe zones. And yes, MSP then picks these same people up in the early evening to bring them back downtown. From what I have heard, MSP is of the opinion that this is a human rights issue.

Atleast the junkies feel safe law abiding citizens not so much

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ So MSP effectively gets to determine the extent to which public transportation infrastructure is coopted for use in delivering unofficial social programs. Sure, why not.

Well, our leadership (at every level) sure as hell isn't.

We need at least one safe consumption site where people will not get taken advantage of, where people can seek treatment, where people can be safe. We have people here in this forum complain about safety downtown constantly -- now imagine you suffered from addiction and had no where else to go.

Everyone deserves a safe space. Having a safe space to consume drugs will help alleviate the problem.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by ScrappyPeg

RE: sudden increase/visibility of people occupying the bus shelters

Not sure if anyone is aware - but Main St Project provides emergency shelter to most of these folks and come morning, they drive them in the MSP van to various bus shacks across the city. My understanding is that MSP believes these folks don't feel safe doing drugs etc in the downtown area, so they are using the bus shacks as their safe zones. And yes, MSP then picks these same people up in the early evening to bring them back downtown. From what I have heard, MSP is of the opinion that this is a human rights issue.

Do you have evidence of this? what is your source? If this is factual, we need to know.

[ScrappyPeg]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

Do you have evidence of this? what is your source? If this is factual, we need to know.

I'm not sure what evidence I could provide - like emails they have sent to me directly or the such, that I don't have.

But I have been working in the social services field for over 20 years. I have daily communication with people who are involved with MSP, Salvation Army, Siloam Mission and a multitude of other social programs.

It is a fact that MSP transports people to and from the bus shelters - I have witnessed it myself and it is pretty well known. If you asked the director of MSP I don't think he'd deny this.

edit: just as an aside - I also believe that all people deserve basic dignity in life including a safe place to live etc. I just don't happen to agree with MSP's approach - putting people on display in bus shelters, pitting people against each other, creating unsafe environments where they didn't exist before.

[thurmas]

Glen Murray getting the WFPS union endorsement today is huge for him that's an incredibly powerful endorsement.

[pspeid]

Yikes! Don't know if this is a good thing or not. Unions usually expect big pay-back at some point for endorsing a candidate. I hope Murray isn't on the hook for something the city can't afford (IF he gets elected, of course!)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-glen-murray-mayor-firefighters-1.6516877

[thurmas]

If Gillingham cannot get the police union endorsement i think he's finished

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by pspeid

Yikes! Don't know if this is a good thing or not. Unions usually expect big pay-back at some point for endorsing a candidate. I hope Murray isn't on the hook for something the city can't afford (IF he gets elected, of course!)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-glen-murray-mayor-firefighters-1.6516877

Sadly these 2 unions are so powerful they make or break elections here

[esquire]

Originally Posted by thurmas

Glen Murray getting the WFPS union endorsement today is huge for him that's an incredibly powerful endorsement.

Is it really? In the past, a WPA or UFFW endorsement would make me think twice about a candidate. And I'm not an anti-union guy either.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by esquire

Is it really? In the past, a WPA or UFFW endorsement would make me think twice about a candidate. And I'm not an anti-union guy either.

They mobilize their staff to vote quite well. To the non union member they can put people off a bit but seems not enough to change people's voting intentions