Vandals smashed glass in Winnipeg bus shacks causing $10K in damage

Winnipeg Transit says vandals struck several bus shacks across the city overnight Wednesday, racking up $10,000 in damage.

Crews were out sweeping up broken glass at the stops Thursday morning after spokesperson Megan Benedictson said 31 separate panes of glass were smashed sometime through the night.

A Global News camera operator found broken glass at six different stops Thursday, including two on Osborne Street, one on Kylemore Avenue, and several along Portage Avenue.

Benedictson said the estimated $10,000 in repairs comes on top of an already expensive year for repairs caused by vandals.

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“Winnipeg Transit is experiencing a high rate of vandalism this year,” she said in a statement. “At certain sites, we are seeing glass damaged again one or two days after replacement.”

Benedictson said the costs of repairs to glass shelters and other infrastructure have totalled more than $232,500 so far this year — $22,000 more than Transit lost to vandals in all of 2021.

The costs are not covered by insurance, she added.

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And to make matters worse, Benedictson said Transit’s glass supplier is having a hard time keeping up with the demand.

“Due to the sheer number of replacement glass panes we have been required to order due to frequent vandalism and ongoing supply chain issues, our supplier is having difficulty fulfilling our orders in a timely manner,” she said.

“We continue to work diligently with our supplier to replace damaged glass as quickly as possible.”

Global News reached out to Winnipeg police about the vandalism but were directed to instead contact Transit.

–With files from Lauren McNabb and Rudi Pawlychyn