Manitoba politicians and restaurant owners alike are expressing relief after a suspect was arrested in connection with a spate of arsons across the city over the past six months.
Bernadette Smith’s constituency office was one of the buildings hit by fire this year, alongside a number of restaurants and other businesses.
Smith, the province’s minister for housing, addictions and homelessness, said Wednesday that the series of intentionally set fires in Winnipeg worried many people in her community.
“They’ve reached out to us and they’ve been feeling, ‘Is our business going to be targeted next? Is my restaurant going to go up in flames?'”
Fires were set outside Smith’s North End office four times over the summer.
Jesse Robert Shawn Wheatland, 35, was arrested on Magnus Avenue Tuesday night after a lengthy investigation and faces 22 charges in connection with the series of fires that began in June.
In addition to 13 counts of arson causing property damage, Wheatland has been charged with arson with disregard for human life, four counts of mischief, two counts each of breaking and entering with intent and breaking and entering to commit arson.
The suspect allegedly set fires at the offices of Smith and Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, as well as at 11 restaurants and bars — some of which were hit more than once.
Fontaine, whose constituency office was targeted in September, said she’s considering moving after the incident.
Get daily National news
“It certainly does make me consider if there are different spaces to have a new constituency office,” Fontaine said, “maybe ones that are not at the ground level.”
Police said they have no details to share yet about a possible motive, but that the arrest should offer some relief to Winnipeg residents and business owners who have been worried about the series of fires.
Shaun Jeffrey, head of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said while his members were initially frustrated with the lack of details they were receiving from police, he’s happy that a very tense six months appear to be over.
Jeffrey credited Winnipeg police Chief Gene Bowers for listening to local restaurateurs’ concerns.
“It has been a tough six months in our industry, especially in the downtown area, and we just didn’t have any more answers to provide our members and the industry in general as to where this was going,” he said.
“(Meeting with the police chief) was monumental, because we were able to really alleviate some concerns and at least bring some sort of growth of knowledge to where they were actually seeing movement in the investigation.”
Restaurant owner Jay Kilgour, who serves as chair of the association, told 680 CJOB on Wednesday that he feels relieved and is thankful for the work done by investigators in making the arrest.
“I’m thankful it’s over now. A lot of the fires that have been brought to our attention through the association, today’s arrest checked off a lot of those boxes.”
Although Kilgour’s own restaurant, Fionn MacCool’s Grant Park, wasn’t among those targeted, he said the last few months have been a learning experience when it comes to security measures.
“I was looking at video surveillance … and I’m starting to change my focus to lighting,” he said. “In both meetings I’ve had this week, they stressed that there’s cameras everywhere, but there isn’t a lot of light everywhere.”
Police said in addition to the two constituency offices, the accused has been connected to incidents at restaurants/bars Commonwealth Kitchen and Bar, Johnny G’s, the Exchange Event Centre, the Palomino Club, Boujee Restaurant, La Roca, and Tipsy Cow, as well as at the Winnipeg School Division administration building and the Provincial Treatment Centre.
Wheatland was expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday morning, but his lawyer requested the matter be pushed to next Tuesday.
Martin Glazer said his client has no prior criminal record.
“I waived my client’s appearance and the matter was adjourned until Tuesday so we can get police files and find out what evidence the police have against my client before we proceed any further,” he said.
“I think there shouldn’t be a rush to judgement until we find out and get to the bottom of what led to his arrest and what evidence they have.”
Comments