City installing taller, permanent barriers on Millennium Library’s upper three floors

The city will soon install taller barriers on the upper floors of the Millennium Library to prevent further tragedies, several months after a shocking suicide.

Guardrails just over a metre high at the southeast-facing edges of the second, third and fourth floors — a design which, in addition to an open atrium space down to the first floor, presents a significant safety concern — will be replaced.

On Aug. 6, a 40-year-old man jumped over the fourth-floor railing and died. The city closed access to the top level two weeks later, after someone threatened suicide but was stopped by a security officer.

It reopened Sept. 2 after temporary metal construction-style fencing was added.

“It became a top priority of the City of Winnipeg,” said Coun. Vivian Santos, chairwoman of city council’s community services committee.

The design of the downtown library, which opened in 1977, has been a concern for years. In 2017, a 25-year-old man jumped from the fourth floor in the library and later died in hospital.

City council included $2.5 million in the 2026 budget for safety improvements throughout the Millennium branch.

Replacing the guard rails is now the top priority for that money, but long-awaited security upgrades to the library’s lobby could be completed if any funds remain, said Santos (Point Douglas).

“My hope is that they can cover both,” she said.

It’s not yet clear what the guardrail work will cost.

Security upgrades have been top of mind since 28-year-old Tyree Cayer was stabbed to death on the main floor on Dec. 11, 2022. Interim security measures have been in place since the building reopened to the public the following month, including a metal detector and additional security staff.

A final design for the lobby upgrade has not been revealed.

Santos said the interim measures reduced some risks, as has a provincially run downtown resource centre near the main-floor entrance that connects vulnerable people with social services.

The new railing design on the upper three floors will look much better than the “unwelcoming” temporary metal fence.

A request to interview a city library official was not granted Tuesday.

In an email, the city confirmed the new barriers will consist of tempered glass and aluminum and be “significantly taller” than any current ones.

The second- and third-floor railings will be 2.1 metres (seven feet) tall, and 2.4 metres (eight feet) on the fourth level.

City spokesman Kalen Qually said construction is expected to begin in early February.

The city declined to share an estimated cost for the project.

The head of the union that represents library staff welcomed the changes.

“There’s been a few incidents there and this can be very traumatic for patrons that are using the facility, as well as staff members. It’s important that the city addressed these concerns,” said Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500.

Delbridge said some library staff are, at times, afraid to go to work, noting they face risks similar to many other downtown workers.

The union leader urged governments to make additional investments to address mental-health and addictions concerns, as well as provide crisis supports, to boost safety in the city centre.

“Certainly, having the crisis workers (in the library) as the first line of contact is a critical component…. (But) more people are only going to come downtown if they feel it’s a secure place,” he said.

The city’s request for proposals indicates the winning contractor is expected to complete the barrier installation by the end of July.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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