City report on Millennium Library safety calls for more security measures, staff

A city hall committee will vote this week on whether to allocate more than $1 million more this year to further bolster security at Winnipeg's downtown Millennium Library as well as enhance social support outreach there and at other city library branches — measures recommended in a report from administration.

The city's administration — including the city's manager of library services — are advocating for permanent measures including increasing the number of security guards and community safety hosts working at the downtown branch and hiring new temporary full-time staff to reopen a community social service space at its main entrance. 

The cost of these measures will require the city to approve spending an additional $2.4 million each year starting in 2024, but it's a necessary expense, the report to the community services committee notes. 

"The safety implications of not approving the recommendations of this report include ongoing and potentially escalated safety and security concerns for staff and public at Millennium Library, and at other libraries in the public library system," library services manager Karin Borland wrote. 

"If unsafe situations continue, it may create or influence the perception of an unsafe work environment, with negative consequences for recruitment and retention of employees, and further erode the public's level of trust in the City's ability to provide safe and welcoming community spaces," wrote Borland.

While a concern for many years now, safety at the downtown flagship branch took on heightened urgency after Tyree Cayer, 28, was stabbed to death there on Dec. 11.  A Winnipeg boy, 14, recently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Three other youths remain before the courts in connection to the slaying. 

Cayer's killing prompted the facility to close for six weeks while a safety audit was conducted. 

When it reopened in late January, a walk-through metal detector, security screeners and uniformed police were in place, which the City of Winnipeg said were temporary measures. 

If city council ultimately approves making permanent the new measures, the metal detector would stay at least until a redesign of the foyer takes place, the report said. Two uniformed city police officers currently stationed on the main floor working special-duty shifts would be replaced by hourly foot patrols by officers assigned to walk the downtown beat.

From Jan. 23 through June 30, the current interim security measures will have cost the community services department $540,000. More than half of that ($303,000) is to pay the police service for the special duty officers, statistics presented in the report show. Under the new proposal, the library wouldn't have to continue to pay the police service. 

Hiring new community service hosts would see their numbers climb to 10: five would be stationed downtown and five others to rotate between other library branches, the report said. 

Currently only the Millennium branch has security guards and safety hosts, who are trained in security, the report said. That needs to change as safety concerns exist throughout all 20 city libraries, it notes.

"Although the focus of library safety measures has been primarily on Millennium Library, all library branches have incidents, and safety in all library facilities continues to be a priority," wrote Borland. 

The report also notes the increased budget would include safety training for staff which would include training on de-escalation strategies. 

City-commissioned safety audit heavily redacted 

In a council-commissioned safety audit, security firm GardaWorld noted "vulnerabilities" at the branch are very high on a threat-risk assessment scale and security measures prior to Jan. 23 "were unable to stop a range of violent crimes and need to be re-evaluated to ensure an effective and safe work environment is maintained."

The firm's analysis of Millennium Library incident reports over five years showed nearly 500 acts of "inappropriate behaviour" and scores of acts separately categorized as threatening behaviour, assaults and harassment.

The report makes a large number of recommendations on a scale of "priority," "desirable" and "to be considered" but are redacted from view in the version provided to the public on the city's council information website. The research from GardaWorld informed the report from city administration, and is presented as supplementary information.

In its executive summary, the GardaWorld report notes a survey of Millennium Library suggested staff "are divided on their sense of safety at work and staff consultation" and that there's a lack of trust that after years of different security retools "that real action will result from this process." 

The survey responses are redacted from the report. 

Union wants province to deal with root causes

The president of the union representing library staff said Sunday he wished there'd been more consultation and more input from them in the administration's report to council about how best to move forward. 

CUPE Local 500 is getting legal advice on the city's actions when it comes to library safety to ensure it's providing a safe work environment, union president Gord Delbridge told CBC. 

Delbridge said it's unfair for the city to have to pay for the additional security from its libraries budget when so many of the issues resulting in safety concerns stem from problems that the provincial government should be dealing with under its jurisdiction. 

"A library budget is not going to fix our homelessness crisis, our meth crisis, our mental health crisis," Delbridge said. "If we want to fix these problems, we're not going to fix them through a library budget." 

Delbridge also expressed concern about not having access to the unredacted GardaWorld report and its recommendations. 

"We need to be transparent on these issues and we need to consult with one another on these issues," he said. 

Recommendations promising, committee chairperson says 

The chair of the community services committee, Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry), suggested he likes what he sees in the administration's recommendations. 

"It has promise for sure," he said in an interview Sunday. "I think it's really hitting where we need to be going." 

Orlikow conceded the city has many "pressure points" when it comes to new spending, but believes security at the library to increase safety, lower the number of problem events and increase attendance takes a front seat. 

"To me, safety is a priority," he said. "So it will be interesting to see how we [city council] are going to weigh this with all the other options that we have pressures on." 

Orlikow said he signed a non-disclosure agreement allowing him access to the unredacted GardaWorld safety audit report. 

"I can just tell people that many of those recommendations that were in the Garda report are what we're doing, we're following much of it." He said security issues led to the decision to redact the report uploaded for public consideration. 

The community services committee meets on Thursday morning at city hall.