Winnipeg more than its worst headlines

MARWA SURAJ

WINNIPEG takes a reputational beating sometimes and some of the criticism is deserved.

Concerns about public safety are real. Homelessness remains painfully visible. Too many people are struggling with addiction, poverty, mental illness and inadequate housing in plain sight.

Those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. But a city can be making measurable progress, struggling badly in other areas and still be reduced unfairly to its worst headlines. Winnipeg deserves neither denial nor caricature.

Take public safety. Winnipeg’s crime severity index rating remains high. But it fell nine per cent last year. Downtown crime is also down this year, with police reporting a 10 per cent decline overall and a 19 per cent drop in violent crime. Yet many people still do not feel safe.

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