Slow down, Winnipeg

The reduced-speed neighbourhood pilot project began on the weekend, which requires drivers to slow down to 30 or 40 km/h in select neighbourhoods. The project aims to determine if reduced residential speed limits will impact how fast people drive and residents’ overall quality of life. Winnipeggers can share their perspectives on the project in early 2024.

Officers on Winnipeg buses

The City of Winnipeg plans to hire 24 transit security officers in an attempt to address violence and safety concerns on public transit. The City has budgeted approximately $5 million for the project, which would include officers stationed on the 11, 15, 16, 18 and 47 bus routes. Mayor Scott Gillingham says his goal is to have a transit security team in place by the end of 2023.

Rally against police brutality

Wednesday, March 15 is the International Day Against Police Brutality. That day, Winnipeg Police Cause Harm, an organization advocating to defund and abolish the Winnipeg Police Service, will host a rally and march from 5 to 6 p.m. outside the Millennium Library. This rally will discuss reallocating WPS funds to community-led alternatives and public amenities. Attendees are required to wear masks and socially distance.

Emergency-room staffing crisis

On Feb. 28, a patient died in the Health Sciences Centre emergency room after arriving by ambulance and waiting about an hour to be seen. The ER enacted “over-capacity protocols” to accommodate an influx of patients. In a tweet, the Manitoba Nurses Union stated that about 40 patients had been in the ER, waiting for more than 12 hours, and many nurses had already been working overtime. A critical investigation is pending.

Team Manitoba brings home hardware

Prince Edward Island hosted the Canada Winter Games from Feb. 18 to March 5. Team Manitoba took home a total of 19 medals: six gold, six silver and seven bronze, with major successes in long-track speed skating, archery and figure skating. Two gold medallists in archery, Chyler Sanders and Ryder Wilson, were selected as co-flag bearers for the closing ceremony.

Planting native wildflower seeds

Winnipeg Wildflower Project is giving away free packets of native wildflower seeds on a first-come, first-served basis at libraries across the city. The organization works toward prairie restoration and providing habitats for pollinators and wildlife. Planting wildflower seeds also helps maintain healthy soil, reduce erosion, conserve water during cases of drought, filtrate levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from devastating lakes and rivers and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Published in Volume 77, Number 21 of The Uniter (March 9, 2023)