Police union’s ‘fear-mongering’ irresponsible: Bowman

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This article was published 23/11/2016 (3023 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The president of Winnipeg’s police union is practising irresponsible “fear-mongering,” Mayor Brian Bowman charged Wednesday.

The mayor said he proposed a record allocation of funds to the Winnipeg Police Service in the city’s draft budget tabled Tuesday and rejects the union’s contention that the amount is inadequate.

“It’s not uncommon for a union boss to want more and I respect that,” Bowman said Wednesday following the weekly meeting of his executive policy committee. “This budget provides more funds than ever before. This is more than last year and more than the year before and more than the year before. In any way shape or form, fear-mongering that way is irresponsible. If we were cutting the budget, fair enough; this is an increase in the budget.”

Winnipeg Police Association president Maurice Sabourin said Tuesday he was concerned that the proposed 1.3 per cent increase to force’s budget won’t be enough to ensure police can adequately respond to a record number of calls for service and the worsening opioid-abuse overdose crisis.

Sabourin said Wednesday he was disappointed with Bowman’s remarks, adding his concerns over the budget reflect those shared by the men and women of the force.

“It’s too bad the mayor thinks personal attacks are the way to go and get things done,” he said. “(My comments are) not a personal view, it’s a view that we share on behalf of our members. The budget proposals will have an impact.”

The police association’s collective agreement with city hall expires at the end of this year, as do the contracts with firefighters and CUPE 500, Winnipeg’s largest civic union. Bowman said there are contingency funds buried within the proposed 2017 budget to cover wage-settlement amounts above those anticipated in proposed department budgets but he would not provide details on the dollar amounts.

Bowman said the Winnipeg Police Service’s budget has increased 80 per cent over the past 10 years and the proposed $288 million allocation for 2017 meets the police board’s objectives.

“I have confidence the Winnipeg Police Board will be able to manage a record budget for policing in a way that best protects public safety,” he said, refusing to respond to Sabourin’s argument police will have to devote additional resources to deal with the drug crisis.

“What’s not a new story is you have a union boss wanting more money. What is new is a mayor and council proposing an increase that is in line with inflation.”

Bowman said city officials are meeting with their provincial counterparts to investigate the allocation of additional resources for more public education on how dangerous drugs such as fentanyl and carfentanil are, adding health care is the responsibility of the Manitoba government.

Last week, Winnipeg’s firefighters — often the first responders in overdose cases — paid out of their own pockets for a public-education ad running on TV, radio and in movie theatres.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca