Mayor Gillingham calls on federal government for bail reform

Mayor of Winnipeg Scott Gillingham is speaking out, calling on the federal government to keep repeat offenders off the streets.

In a video message released Friday, Gillingham says Winnipeg residents are “fed up” with repeat violent offenders being released into the community only to commit more crimes, and he’s calling on Ottawa to act.

“The bottom line is this is about the people of Winnipeg and the safety of citizens of Winnipeg,” said Gillingham. “If we individuals who continue to make Winnipeg unsafe and continue to pray upon Winnipeggers, vulnerable residents in their homes, it’s got to stop.”

Gillingham is launching a weekly “repeat offender bulletin” that will highlight local examples of habitual offenders and their impact on safety in Winnipeg. This comes as the federal government has promised new stricter bail legislation.

“We started doing this a while ago and we’re going to keep pressing, we don’t know what the legislation ultimately is going to be, we don’t know if its going to pass, we’re in a minority parliament, so I’m making this case with other mayors across Canada to members of parliament on all sides of the aisle,” said Gillingham.