Manitoba’s premier on Thursday doubled down on his recent criticism of comments made by Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smith about violence in the city, but said that doesn’t mean he should step down.
“I want Manitoba families to feel safe going anywhere in our province. And we will once again work with our frontline police officers who do an incredible job day in and day out,” said Premier Heather Stefanson.
“That was my message the other day.”
Stefanson tweeted Tuesday that she was “very concerned by Smith’s comments” about recent criminal events. In a news release later that day, she said she had spoken with police union chief Mo Sabourin and “we both agreed that incidents cannot be the new normal in Winnipeg.”
Last Friday, after a string of stabbings and robberies in The Forks, Smith said violence was “not a new thing” and calls for service in that part of the city were consistent with past trends and relatively small in the overall picture of crime in Winnipeg .
“What I don’t want is to normalize these activities that are taking place in our province. What I want is to send a message to Manitobans that it’s safe to get out there,” Stefanson said Thursday, a day after police shot and killed a man who allegedly pointed a rifle at them in Winnipeg’s Osborne Village neighborhood.
Asked if she had concerns about his ability to lead the police service, Stephanson said “no, I’m concerned about the message that was sent as a result of his comments normalizing this type of activity, this activity of violence in Winnipeg.
“This is not the type of activity we will ever normalize.
Stefanson insists she is not trying to undermine Smith, impede the police department’s operations or try to influence any bargaining attempts by the union, which is hoping for more resources around the city.
“I don’t interfere in any of these areas. I think it inappropriate to interfere at all in any area of negotiation. But what’s appropriate is to say, and I’ve said it to our frontline health workers … we support you,” she said.
Stefanson, who was in British Columbia meeting with other premiers when Smith made her comments and she tweeted her response, said she has yet to meet the chief in person.
“We’re going to have a conversation at some point,” she said.
The provincial government will also soon release a homelessness strategy and try to address other community issues that are a major driver of crime.
“We talk about mental health and addictions and some of the support we provide in those areas,” Stefanson said. “These are all things we need to talk about to make sure that violent criminal activity doesn’t continue to happen.”
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