Winnipeg mayor calls attack near encampment ‘not acceptable’

Winnipeg’s mayor is asking for patience from the public after a child was assaulted with a water bottle near a homeless encampment. CTV’s Taylor Brock reports.

Winnipeg’s mayor called the recent attack of a child near a homelessness encampment “not acceptable.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Mayor Scott Gillingham said it’s because of incidents like this that the City of Winnipeg adopted a motion to prohibit encampments near playgrounds, schools and bus shelters.

The mayor noted they are in the “in between stages” with the motion, saying the CAO is currently training bylaw officers to put the strategy in place. He added enforcement of the motion is expected to begin in November.

“We can’t accept having encampments in playgrounds and near parks where kids are playing, so that’s why we brought in the rules,” he said.

CTV News previously reported a group of kids was playing in a park near the encampment in the Centennial neighbourhood on Oct. 8.

Police allege that when the group walked by the encampment, a man threw a water bottle at one of the kids and chased him down the street while screaming. The group ran to safety, and a suspect was charged with assault with a weapon.

Gillingham said he wants to ensure that parents have confidence sending their kids to play at playgrounds.

“Part of the motion that we made was to try to find that balance between understanding that there’s not enough housing available. People right now may need to stay in some tents overnight,” he said.

“But on the other hand, we’re not going to let encampments be set up anywhere across the city anymore.”

Gillingham said the motion is not a solution to homelessness, adding that the overall goal is to get people into housing with wraparound supports.

- With files from CTV’s Glenn Pismenny and Charles Lefebvre