City meeting with staff, union on safety concerns before library reopens, mayor says

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This article was published 19/12/2022 (736 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s mayor says it’s still too soon to confirm a reopening date for the Millennium Library, more than a week after the building was closed following a fatal stabbing on its main floor.

On Tuesday, Mayor Scott Gillingham told reporters it’s not yet clear if the library will remain closed to the public through Christmas or into the new year, stressing meetings continue on how best to safely reopen the facility.

“We do not have a date yet but I know that our staff (are) speaking to library staff, also speaking to (the Canadian Union of Public Employees). We’ve had ongoing dialogue, making sure that when the facility does reopen that security measures have been improved so that there can be confidence for our city staff and confidence for library users that the place is secure and safe,” said Gillingham.

The library has been closed since Dec. 11, when 28-year-old Tyree Cayer was stabbed to death inside the building. Four teenage boys have since been charged in his slaying.

Gillingham has said Millennium won’t reopen until some security changes are in place. He said he is concerned Winnipeggers have lost access to the building for this length of time, but safety must remain the top priority.

“I’d like to see it open before Christmas. I’d like to see it be available to families through the holiday season but that can only happen if (additional) security measures are put in place. If we’re not ready to go, if it can’t be a safe and secure place, I don’t want it to be open,” he said.

While many have identified the library as an important, central location for vulnerable people to escape winter weather, the mayor said city officials are working with social service agencies to ensure unsheltered Winnipeggers can escape the extreme cold. He said those efforts could lead the city to temporarily open more civic buildings as warming spaces, if that’s required to meet the need.

Gillingham said meetings on reopening the library were scheduled to continue Tuesday.

“We want to make sure that we can accommodate many of the requests that our staff have so that they have confidence going back into the library, that it’s a safe space for them,” he said.

The city did ramp up security measures the downtown facility in 2019, when patrons 13 years and older were required to submit to bag searches and scans with hand-held metal detectors. The changes triggered backlash from some advocates, who argued the measures violated privacy rights and created a barrier to using the facility.

Those extra measures were removed during pandemic closures and were not restored when the library returned to more normal hours.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics is involved. Joyanne became the city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020.

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