A group of West End businesses is looking for ways to curb retail crime and drug use in the Sargent Avenue area. On Monday, the Sargent Business Community held its second annual Retail Crime Prevention Conference with the goal of creating a safe environment for small businesses in the community. Michael Paille, the organization’s executive director, said the event helps to bring together a variety of voices to share insights and enhance security. “Working together is the only way we’re going to fix the problem,” he said in an interview at the event. “We’re not pointing fingers. My whole thing is, ‘Do not blame somebody for something.’ We need to work together on these.” The conference, which took place at the X-Cues’ Event Centre, included talks from Winnipeg Police Chief Gene Bowers and Justice Minister Matt Wiebe, panel discussions from local stakeholders, and access to resources and support services. Paille, who is also a business owner, said the event is about finding solutions beyond just calling the police. He suggested these solutions begin with taking “baby steps.” “Let’s start at the bottom and fix little problems, and then we can work our way up to bigger problems,” he said. “Then we can start tackling them. But individually we can’t tackle them. We need to do it as a unified force.”
