City frees up five bylaw officers to enforce COVID orders

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This article was published 05/11/2020 (1469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five Winnipeg bylaw officers will be diverted from regular duty to enforce COVID-19 rules at closed Winnipeg facilities and those operating at a reduced capacity.

That represents just under one-third of 18 officers in the community services department. The officers have been trained to dole out fines to people who violate public health and emergency orders. The fees are as high as $1,296 for an individual and $5,000 for a business.

“No one wants to be in a position where we have to hand out fines but the seriousness of the situation… right now in our province, with rising case counts, has made this a necessity,” said Mayor Brian Bowman.

On Friday, the province announced 136 additional COVID-19 cases in the Winnipeg region, which was listed as code red, or critical, as of Nov. 2.

The redirected city bylaw officers will enforce physical distancing rules, capacity limits and mask mandates at places such as fitness centres, yoga studios, salons and retail stores that remain open, said Jason Shaw, Winnipeg’s assistant chief of emergency management.

The inspectors will also visit sites that are suppose to close under provincial health orders, including making sure restaurants and bars remain closed to in-person dining, Shaw said.

“Any (facility) that the province closed under code red right now… our bylaw officers have been asked to make sure and enforce proactively that those businesses are staying closed,” said Shaw.

The enforcement will include both proactive visits and responses to complaints, which can be reported to 311.

The 311 line received 100 pandemic-related calls, including 40 related to enforcement on Thursday, the day before Winnipeg’s enforcement plan was announced, Shaw said.

Complaints linked to private residences, such as house parties, will be handled by Winnipeg police, he said.

Winnipeggers could face delays in inspections of some bylaw complaints due to the change, Shaw noted.

“There may be some delays in responding to complaints under the neighbourhood livability bylaw. The department will still prioritize inspections that pose a life-safety issue but other inspections… may be delayed,” said Shaw.

When asked why just five officers were freed up for enforcement, Shaw said the employees add to provincial staff doing the same work and resources could be increased.

“This is just the… start of where we’re working with the province. If things escalate, we can always assess (again),” he said.

The city’s enforcement effort will last at least until Winnipeg is in code red, Shaw said.

While ramping up provincewide enforcement efforts Thursday, Premier Brian Pallister promised to reimburse municipalities for the value of tickets written by their staff.

The mayor said all Winnipeg ticket revenue will be spent on city efforts to combat COVID-19, including personal protective equipment for municipal staff.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga