Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 15, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba ARKELLS BLUE RODEO HEADSTONES TOM COCHRANE AND MORE! AUG 22-25 BURTBLOCKPARTY.CA AUGUST 22-25 outdoor concert series M ANITOBA is relaunching an electronic monitoring program for people accused of crimes who’ve been granted bail, while de- fence lawyers and Indigenous leaders raise concerns over how the ankle bracelets may roll out. The program will see certain indi- viduals out on bail monitored 24/7 with GPS-equipped ankle bracelets pending court proceedings. It was announced Wednesday by Justice Minister Matt Wiebe. A request for proposal was issued by the previous Progressive Conservative government last August before the NDP granted the contract in June. The decision comes amid an ongoing political and public outcry over people released on bail who continue to offend. Bail is granted by the courts under provisions of the federal Crim- inal Code and follows new policies announced by the NDP in February meant to address public concerns. “We’re looking at repeat offenders who are continuously breaching their bail conditions,” Wiebe told reporters. The minister said the province cur- rently has 100 of the bracelets avail- able, though that number may increase to 200. Judges will be able to impose electronic monitoring conditions on individuals they grant bail, at their discretion, beginning next Aug. 19. He said people accused of certain offences — including those involving firearms, aggravated sexual assaults and homicides — won’t be eligible for the program, if released on bail be- cause they’re already subject to robust monitoring in the community. People accused of domestic violence won’t be eligible, but that may change following consultations. Manitobans have made headlines in recent months after being charged with serious crimes while on bail. In May, a man out on bail for allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with a teen was charged with killing her at Chemawawin Cree Nation. SERVING MANITOBA SINCE 1872. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2024 WEATHER CLOUDY, SHOWERS. HIGH 24 — LOW 17 COMMUNITY REVIEW BRATHWAITE’S PHARMACY TURNS 120 Made bail? You might get a nifty ankle bracelet ERIK PINDERA Could have saved father’s life: daughter Province backs call for silver alert TYLER SEARLE A GRIEVING family’s call for silver alerts to be distributed on television, radio and wireless devices when vul- nerable seniors go missing is gaining the support of the provincial govern- ment. “I’m just hoping it’s going to hap- pen,” said Britt Moberg, whose elderly father Earl Moberg has not been seen since last December, when he wan- dered into northeast Winnipeg alone and disoriented from his late-stage dementia. “My dad’s story is, unfortunately, a clear example of how fatal this can be. It’s such an emergency…. Something needs to be done or certainly more people will die.” Moberg has been campaigning to have silver alerts added to the Alert Ready National Public Alerting Sys- tem since her father’s disappearance. She believes the 81-year-old man is now dead. Manitoba amended its Missing Persons Act in 2017 to allow police to release information about vulnerable adults if they go missing, paving the way for silver alerts. However, those alerts are currently only advisories, meaning they are not distributed to cellphones, a provincial spokesperson told the Free Press in an email. Instead, law enforcement agencies disseminate silver alerts through the media and online — in Earl Moberg’s case, the Winnipeg Police Service issued an alert the day after he was last seen. Moberg believes silver alerts should be activated quickly and be more wide- ly broadcast, including through mobile phones, similar to the amber alerts distributed by the national system when children go missing in suspected abductions. “I think that could have saved his life,” she said. “A lot of the time (miss- ing seniors) are found, but my dad wasn’t… Why not do more if we can?” 7-Elevens set to flee crime: councillor RAMPANT retail theft across Win- nipeg is threatening to take away the city’s longtime designation as the Slurpee Capital of the World, two city councillors say. Couns. Vivian Santos and Ross Eadie said Wednesday they learned 7-Eleven is considering shutting the doors at as many as 10 of its 21 Winnipeg conve- nience stores. Santos (Point Douglas) and Eadie (Mynarski) met with company repre- sentatives seeking help to combat a surge in theft in an effort to avoid the closures. Santos said many recent thefts took place in broad daylight, with some sus- pects filling entire shopping bags with products before walking out of stores without paying. “Packs of 10 people come in and they just raid the entire store,” she said. Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said theft concerns aren’t limited to 7-Eleven. “Crime is the No. 1 issue our mem- bers are facing,” Remillard said, add- ing that shoplifting was once viewed as a “victimless crime,” but that’s not the case. “You have employees, especially in instances of violent encounters, who are traumatized.” In addition to direct losses from theft, crime can trigger a drop in pay- ing customers’ visits, deepening the economic fallout, he said. Remillard urged governments to help deter crime through consequenc- es. “We need to… fix a system that has non-existent consequences for crimes against business. That is the biggest issue we hear from our members time and time again,” he said. Remillard said multiple small busi- nesses have reported seeing offenders return to steal again just “a couple days” after a previous theft. “If we don’t respond as a communi- ty… 7-Eleven’s story will be the start of a number of different stories with the same ending,” he added. The locations at risk of closure include 119 Salter St., 665 McPhillips St., 120 Keewatin St., 891 Arlington St., 1485 Inkster Blvd., 815 Ellice Ave., 456 Talbot Ave., 1184 Portage Ave., 1895 Wellington Ave. and 909 Lorette Ave., Santos said. The company did not respond to a Free Press request for comment Wednesday. The North End closures would heighten food insecurity for many residents, she said. “We rely on these… corner stores to provide the bread and milk,” she said. Mallory Amond, who regularly visits the 7-Eleven store at 119 Salter St., said theft is so common she’s not surprised to hear that it could close. JOYANNE PURSAGA As many as 10 may close as shoplifting out of control RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR… Joema Frith, left, and Colleen Furlan lead the cast of Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical in Rainbow Stage’s final outdoor production of the season. The show runs today through Sept. 11 and features homegrown direction and choreography. See story on C1. NDP resurrects Tory plan for monitoring certain suspects RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Judges will decide which suspects will wear the bracelets while awaiting trial. ● BAIL, CONTINUED ON A2 ● SILVER, CONTINUED ON A2 ● 7-ELEVEN, CONTINUED ON A2 ;