Police preach negotiations, ‘building a relationship’ as Winnipeg protest shifts parking spots

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This article was published 17/02/2022 (999 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s police chief is defending how his officers are handling the anti-vaccine mandate protest entering its third week outside the Manitoba Legislative Building.

While the occupation of downtown Ottawa led to the resignation of that city’s police chief, Peter Sloly, Chief Danny Smyth said the situation in Winnipeg is much different — and the objective of minimizing its impact is being met.

“The scale and scope of it is much bigger than what we’re dealing with, and the complications are much bigger,” Smyth said of the Ottawa protest.

On Friday afternoon, a massive police operation resulted in at least 100 protesters arrested near Parliament Hill.

“Our protests have largely been on (Memorial) Boulevard and that will continue for now,” Smyth said during an an impromptu teleconference Friday.

He spoke to reporters after so-called “freedom convoy” organizers issued a news release announcing they will move their local protest — and the vehicles that have disrupted the flow of traffic on Broadway — to the provincially-owned Memorial Park across the street.

The release was sent by Rick Wall, whose Richland Transport Inc. semi-tractors remained blocking the main driveway at the legislative building as of midday Friday.

“We are working to minimize our footprint and continue to protest in a peaceful and legal manner,” the release said. It further said horn blasts from the big rigs and other vehicles have been reduced to twice a day, for two minutes at 9 a.m. and 6:58 p.m.

“That was a good negotiation,” Smyth said, describing the Winnipeg Police Service strategy of “engagement,” which involves “building a relationship with the protest organizers to influence and negotiate with organizers.”

“I think we’ve had some progress,” Smyth said. “The footprint has been either consistent or getting a little bit smaller. We’ve had some co-operation with the noise… Those two things were pretty significant for us to give quality of life to the residents downtown.”

When asked if the protesters were simply moving off the median and boulevard of Broadway to avoid being fined, WPS Supt. Dave Dalal said he couldn’t speak to “specific negotiations.”

“Protesters are fully aware of what’s happening in other jurisdictions in terms of arrest, in terms of ticketing — that’s all part of the negotiation in trying to influence a peaceful resolution to this,” Dalal said.

The situation in downtown Winnipeg is an ongoing operation, and the WPS is going by the book to see it come to a peaceful end, he added.

“We work with organizers to resolve situations peacefully whenever leaders are identified and willing to work with us for that purpose. We aim to minimize disruption to the community and escalation wherever possible,” Dalal said. “That means our response is going to be proportional.”

Bylaws and the criminal code are “tools” police can use, he added.

“Sometimes arrests are necessary, sometimes ticketing is necessary and sometimes discretion is the correct decision,” Dalal said. “The overall objective is to achieve a peaceful resolution.”

Dalal wouldn’t say if any tickets had been issued or charges laid in connection with the Winnipeg protests.

Police will only report such information if it’s in the public’s interest — such as when the driver of a vehicle was charged following a hit-and-run involving four protesters Feb. 5 — and after the situation involving the protesters has been resolved, officials said.

Winnipeg’s police chief wouldn’t say when he expects that to happen, but such long-running protests are not “the new normal.”

“I don’t think so,” Smyth said. “Every protest is unique to itself.”

Smyth added he doesn’t feel pressure from the province nor Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, who warned this week the long-running protest and occupation of Memorial Boulevard sets “a dangerous precedent.”

“The politicians who have to deal with this are under a tremendous amount of pressure,” the WPS chief said. “They’re getting more calls than I am. Having said that, we are independent of the politics of this.

“We have a responsibility to resolve these things as peacefully as we can and not resort to any kind of extremes. I think, to date, with the local protest we’re seeing sufficient progress and our tactics are appropriate right now,” Smyth said.

“We reserve the right to employ other tactics if the situation changes.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca