As 2022 draws to a close, people are reflecting on how violent the year was, including a record-setting number of homicides and an alleged serial killer.
The total number of homicides the city has seen to date is over 50, which is more than the recorded number in 2019 which was 45.
The uptick has definitely caused a lot of conversations in the community especially surrounding the four Indigenous women who lost their lives at the hands of an alleged serial killer.
“It’s not a very good trend, you know. The other thing is, of course, in Winnipeg, you know, we do have an unacceptably high violent crime rate,” said Dr. Michael Weinrath, criminologist.
Weinrath said the increase in homicides themselves is not specific to Winnipeg but the nature of the crimes is what is causing these conversations — “you know, having a serial killer reminding us we haven’t really seemed to have accomplished much for murdered and missing Indigenous women.”
Winnipeg police made the decision not to search a landfill north of the city where the bodies of three murdered women are rumoured to be, due in part to the amount of time that has passed and the fact that there’s no known starting point for the search.
Police Chief Danny Smyth told Global News the decision was difficult and it was made back in June. It is coming to light now because police gathered enough evidence to further charge the accused, Jeremy Skibicki.
Skibicki had been previously charged with the murder of 24-year-old Rebecca Contois in May whose partial remains were found in a garbage bin near an apartment building.
Police later found the rest of her remains in the Brady Road landfill in the city’s south end.
Skibicki is now facing additional murder charges in the deaths of Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26, and Buffalo Woman, whose identity has yet to be determined.
The decision the police made not to search for the women’s remains sparked important conversations around Indigenous lives, leading family and community members to call on the police and governments to address safety concerns for Indigenous women and girls.
Now the question is, how does the police service move forward in reaching out to the Indigenous community?
“We’ve spent time with the family and we will continue to spend time with the family and spending time with various leaders both on the government side and the Indigenous side to explain the circumstances that we’re dealing with,” said Smyth.
Weinrath said another troubling thing to be noted is the high number of youth homicides.
“I’d be more worried about these, you know, youth trying to oppress gang members by being violent.”
And this is not the first time that the increase in crime among youth has been brought to light.
At the end of March, a man was killed in Assiniboine Park and two teens, 15 and 17, have been charged with second-degree murder.
Just a few weeks later, a 13-year-old was charged with 14 offences, including four armed robberies.
These are just a few of the recent cases involving youth victims and suspects. There are many more, including a recent stabbing at the Millennium Library that resulted in the arrest of three young suspects.
“We’re in a war. We’re in a war with our children, and it’s deadly,” said community outreach worker Mitch Bourbonniere when he was asked about the trend back in June.
Bourbonniere said he’s noticed a rise in youth crime and despite he and others’ best efforts to get many on the right path, too many troubled teens are still falling through the cracks. “Some find a way out and some die trying,”
The increase in youth crime begs the question: what is causing it, and is it cause for concern?
Local youth hub program manager Daniel Emerson pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the drug crises as prime culprits when asked about the trend in August.
“I know that youth carry a lot more challenges and traumas and barriers (now).”
And Emerson was not alone in his opinion. Marion Willis from St. Boniface Street Links also pointed to the drug use issue.
“Edibles have become more popular now among very young youths,” she said.
While the number of homicides has increased, Smyth assures the public that these cases are being solved.
— with files from Global’s Brittany Greenslade and Shane Gibson