Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 20, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025 VOL 154 NO 59 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2025 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. 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INSIDE Arts and Life D1 Business B4 Classifieds B6 Comics D4 Diversions D5-6 Horoscope D2 Miss Lonelyhearts D2 Opinion A6-7 Sports C8 Television D2 Weather C8 COLUMNISTS: Allan Levine A7 Brent Bellamy B1 Aaron Epp B2 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada “It’s a really long association, and arguably one of a handful — or less than a handful — of buildings that help tell the story of the early Black com- munity (in Winnipeg),” Cassidy said. The landscape in North Point Doug- las has watched plenty of its history go up in flames in recent years. The former Vulcan Iron Works build- ing was gutted in July 2023, while Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed a couple of weeks ago. Charred rubble and empty lots have replaced parts of the city’s history. “The streetscape looks terrible,” Cassidy said, pointing to the stretch of Main Street north of the underpass near Higgins Avenue. “There’s more missing teeth in a not-very-nice smile to begin with.” If the buildings were located a few blocks south, Cassidy believes, they’d have been better preserved with his- torical designations from the city. Neither the torn-down former hotel nor its still-standing neighbour holds any historical status, although the Sutherland Hotel was on the city’s commemorative list. “It was only listed for commemora- tive sake, with no obligations for the building or to the owner,” Coun. Jason Schreyer, who chairs the city’s histor- ical buildings and resources commit- tee, said. The city does not have a notable bud- get for funding to assist with histori- cally designated buildings, with about $50,000 each year earmarked for such ventures. “So, the issue is also how can we help owners to do preventative mainte- nance,” Schreyer said. “This may be larger than one level of government.” The situation is a shame, Heritage Winnipeg executive director Cindy Tugwell said. She was surprised the Craig Block didn’t even make it on the city’s commemorative list. “It’s just really indicative of how many properties haven’t been recog- nized by the city,” she said. “When we talk about losing bricks and mortar, we talk about erasing history because there’s nothing really tangible to remember it by.” Tugwell said the city is failing its own history. “It’s a process and the city needs to become a lot more humble and start putting together committees with other bureaucrats and other stakehold- ers,” she said. Mayor Scott Gillingham, during an unrelated event at Carnegie Library on Friday, said he was sorry to see the Sutherland Hotel go up in flames. “One of the unique and beautiful things about Winnipeg is our histor- ic buildings, so any time we lose an historic building, frankly, no matter the shape it’s in, it’s a loss to the city of Winnipeg,” he said. Gillingham said he had a discussion with Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Chief Christian Schmidt and Winnipeg Police Service acting chief Art Stan- nard not long ago about fires plaguing the city’s vacant buildings, particular- ly in the Point Douglas area. He plans on bringing up the subject again. “We have to have a really serious conversation about the sheer number of fires and addressing the sheer num- ber of fires that are taking place in that part of the city,” Gillingham said. The mayor believes each vacant property represents potential residen- tial housing units, something the city needs more of. “Our vacancy rate remains below two per cent, which is a really tight market for people trying to find a place to live,” he said. scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca “One of the major troublemakers has home- less people in and out of there constantly,” said Connolly, who’s seen and overheard them being sexually exploited for drugs and money. “There’s syringes in the hallway and on the balcony,” a common area shared by residents. She shared photos of bloody needles and hu- man excrement left there. Walking through the stairwells, where she’s found people sleeping and doing drugs, there are signs of urine and fe- ces. Connolly stops at the laundry room, where she’s walked in on a couple smoking drugs while having sex. “I can’t have my grandchildren come over here,” the former Standard Aero worker said. She collects assistance and has few options other than to complain to anyone who will listen. Manitoba Housing staff members at the site, hired in the past year, have listened to their concerns but don’t appear to have the resources or ability to get at the root of the problem — tenants who can’t or won’t follow rules or obey the law, Connolly said. Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minis- ter Bernadette Smith said 77 Manitoba Housing workers were laid off by the former Progressive Conservative government. “These concerns were created because the supports weren’t in the building.” She said her government has “staffed up” and has new housing co-ordinators. “The safety of the residents in our housing is the No. 1 priority,” she said, pointing to added security cameras and the hiring of more mobile security officers. Instead of evicting problem tenants, the government is working with them to get the ser- vices they need to help change their behaviour, Smith said. “We can’t be putting people into homeless- ness,” the minister said. Moving people from encampments into social housing, which is scheduled to begin next month, will be done strategically, she said. “Not everyone in encampments have addic- tions or mental-health issues,” the minister said. They’ll be assessed and triaged for “all kinds of housing” with a navigation centre to help do that work. “We hear their concerns, which is why we’re putting in wraparound supports…We don’t want to create more issues for folks,” Smith said. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Clearing the camps THE Manitoba government’s plan to end chronic homelessness by 2031 focuses on an estimated 700 people who live in encampments. The strategy, which was unveiled last week, involves creating a new housing stream in the Manitoba Housing system that dedicates 20 per cent, or 2,500 Manitoba Housing units, to those people. It plans to take advantage of underused Manitoba Housing stock and provide rent subsidies to help households move out of Manitoba Housing and into private or non-profit units. The province has said 300 additional units will be added to the social housing supply. Advocates for affordable housing say the province needs to add 10,000 social housing units to end chronic homelessness. “They’re not committing to the level that needs to be committed,” Shauna MacKinnon of the Right to Housing Coalition said. The coalition has called for the province to promise to build 1,000 units a year for 10 years. “It’s expensive, but we’re not going to solve this problem by just thinking we can move some shells around here,” MacKinnon said. “We’ve got to expand the supply of social housing and we’ve got to really invest in intensive supports for people.” She said placing people who have extreme needs into buildings will be disruptive for current tenants. Retired Winnipeg detective and street cop Stan Tataryn said the most vulnerable unhoused people who suffer from mental illness and addic- tions are often targeted for abuse and exploitation in social housing. He applauded the province for getting people out of tents and the cold but said wherever they end up, they need to be protected. End Homelessness Winnipeg, which began in 2014 with a 10-year goal to end chronic homelessness, hopes the new strategy and buy-in from the city, will provide the momentum needed for success. The upheaval of the global pandemic and a toxic drug crisis hasn’t helped the organization’s mission to find solutions to the nagging problem, said Jackie Hunt, senior director of strategy and impact. More housing units and wraparound supports are vital to end chronic homelessness, she said. “We’re only going to achieve that when there’s adequate housing and supports for people who need them,” Hunt said. Talia Potash, Resource Assistance for Youth housing director, said organizations have been working for 15 years to move people out of encampments and into permanent housing with supports. The lack of units is the biggest challenge. She has concerns that people in encampments are being prioritized over other people such as vulnerable youth who age out of CFS care, who are among the 6,000 waiting for a Manitoba Housing unit. “A lot of them are couch surfing, as opposed to living in an encamp- ment, but their housing is equally precarious and they’re in equal need of secure housing,” Potash said. Prioritizing people in encampments is not necessarily a fair process and it might not be the most efficient way to proceed, she said, espe- cially if they have mental health issues or use substances. “They also may not want to leave their encampment if they see it as being sort of forcibly displaced. There’s going to be pushback. There’s a lot of reasons why people want to be in encampments,” Potash said. — Carol Sanders HOUSING ● FROM A1 RISK ● FROM A1 RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Moira Connolly says a careless minority of tenants in her building cause trouble for the majority, which includes a few who have addictions and mental-health issues but abide by the rules. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS The historic Craig Block was damaged when a fire destroyed the neighbouring Suther- land Hotel. Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners released as fragile ceasefire takes hold R AMALLAH, West Bank — The first three hostages were released from Gaza and the first Palestin- ian prisoners were freed from Israeli custody as the fragile ceasefire be- tween Israel and Hamas took hold fol- lowing 15 months of war, with mixed emotions and more difficult steps ahead over the next six weeks. Palestinians across Gaza began mak- ing their way home and the first trucks with a surge of humanitarian aid began to enter the devastated territory. The ceasefire that began on Sunday morning raises hopes for ending the devastating conflict and returning the nearly 100 remaining hostages ab- ducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But major questions remain about whether fighting will resume after the six-week first phase. First came the release of Emily Da- mari, 28; Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, in a tense handover to the Red Cross on a Gaza City street. Footage showed them surrounded by a crowd of thousands, accompanied by masked, armed men wearing green Hamas headbands. The women were taken to Israeli forces and then into Israel, where they hugged family members fiercely and wept. Damari was shown raising her bandaged hand in triumph. The mil- itary said she lost two fingers in the Oct. 7 attack. In Tel Aviv, thousands of people who gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in applause. For months, many had gathered in the square weekly to demand a ceasefire deal. “An entire nation embraces you,” Is- raeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan- yahu said. Over seven hours later, the first Palestinian prisoners were released. They had been detained for what Israel called offences related to its security, from throwing stones to more serious accusations such as attempted murder. Israel’s military, which occupies the West Bank, warned Palestinians against public celebration — the re- lease took place after 1 a.m. — but crowds thronged the buses after they left the prison, some people climbing on top or waving flags, including those of Hamas. There were fireworks and whistles, and shouts of “God is great.” Those re- leased were hoisted onto others’ shoul- ders or embraced. The most prominent detainee freed was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a member of a secular leftist faction that was involved in attacks against Israel in the 1970s but later scaled back militant activities. Since her arrest in late 2023, she was held under indefinitely renewable ad- ministrative detention orders that were criticized by human rights groups. The next release of hostages and pris- oners is due on Saturday, with 33 hos- tages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian pris- oners and detainees to be freed over the ceasefire’s 42-day first phase. In just over two weeks, talks are to begin on the far more challenging second phase. This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than a weeklong pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fight- ing for good. But Netanyahu, who had been under pressure from both the Biden admin- istration and president-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before today’s U.S. inauguration, has said he has Trump’s backing to continue fighting if necessary. Meanwhile, Israel’s hard-line nation- al security minister said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the govern- ment in protest over the ceasefire, re- flecting the political friction that some Israelis said delayed a deal. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure weakens Netan- yahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce. Across Gaza, there was relief and grief. The fighting has killed tens of thousands, destroyed large areas and displaced most of the population. “This ceasefire was a joy mixed with pain, because my son was martyred in this war,” said Rami Nofal, a displaced man from Gaza City. Masked militants appeared at some celebrations, where crowds chanted slogans in support of them, according to Associated Press reporters in Gaza. The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low due to Israeli airstrikes. Some families set off for home on foot, their belongings loaded on donkey carts. In the southern city of Rafah, residents returned to find massive de- struction. Some found human remains in the rubble, including skulls. “It’s like you see in a Hollywood hor- ror movie,” resident Mohamed Abu Taha said as he inspected the ruins of his family’s home. Already, Israeli forces were pulling back from areas. Residents of Beit La- hiya and Jabaliya in northern Gaza told the AP they didn’t see Israeli troops there. One resident said they saw bodies in the streets that appeared to have been there for weeks. In Israel, people remained divided over the agreement. Asher Pizem, 35, from the city of Sderot, said the deal had merely post- poned the next confrontation with Hamas. He also criticized Israel for allowing aid into Gaza, saying it would contribute to the militant group’s re- vival. “They will take the time and attack again,” he said while viewing Gaza’s smoldering ruins from a small hill in southern Israel with other Israelis gath- ered there. When President Joe Biden was asked Sunday whether he has any concerns about Hamas regrouping, he said no. The toll of the war has been immense and new details will now emerge. The head of the Rafah municipality in Gaza, Ahmed al-Sufi, said a large part of the infrastructure, including water, electri- city and road networks, was destroyed, in addition to thousands of homes. There should be a surge of humani- tarian aid, with hundreds of trucks en- tering Gaza daily, far more than Israel allowed before. The UN humanitarian agency said more than 630 trucks with aid entered on Sunday, with at least 300 going to hard-hit northern Gaza. “This is a moment of tremendous hope,” humanitarian chief Tom Fletch- er said. Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Min- istry, which says women and children make up more than half the fatalities but does not distinguish between civil- ians and fighters. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and mil- itants abducted around 250 others. More than 100 hostages were freed during the weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. — The Associated Press WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN AND SAM MEDNICK ;