Winnipeg police prepare to crack down on parties, issue fines of $1.3K

WINNIPEG (CITYNEWS) – Winnipeg police say they are preparing to go to people’s homes and issue fines for get-togethers that exceed provincial health rules.

The Manitoba government recently moved the greater Winnipeg region into a “red” category. That change caps gatherings at five people plus members of a household.

Cons. Rob Carver of the Winnipeg Police Service says the force won’t necessarily prioritize calls related to gatherings.

“Deployment of police resources is always a fluctuating issue,” said Carver at a press conference Wednesday. “While these breaches would be of concern for us, they’re not our highest priority call. And we will devote resources, as always, accordingly as we triage other calls.

“Whether or not it’s going to be a strain depends on the ebb and flow of calls that come in and what happens in a 24-hour period.”

Carver says police are prepared to issue fines of $1,296 to people breaking the rules – the second-highest penalty in Canada for breaching public-heath guidelines.

Police will also break up the parties and collect names for public-health contact tracing.

“I’m talking about fines here because that’s going to be one of the tools that officers are going to use to get this message across,” he said.

“Me standing here today and discussing the $1,296 fine, is an indication that we will be focusing less on education and more on enforcement.”