Plans to reopen the Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg have been postponed once again due to safety concerns amongst staff.
This comes after four people were arrested in connection to a fatal stabbing inside the facility just over a month ago.
Tyree Cayer, 28, was killed when what police have called a verbal dispute escalated into a physical assault at the Donald Street library on Dec. 11, 2022. Four teenage boys have been charged.
Gord Delbridge, president of CUPE, the union that represents city workers, believes the incident only scratches the surface of a much larger problem happening across the city.
“There is a lot of homelessness, addictions, mental health issues,” he said. “There’s a resource centre at the Millennium Library, it’s called Community Connections (and) that provides resource services to these folks in need, but it’s funded through the library budget and this is where we need to see the province — Heather Stefanson, Mayor Gillingham — come together.”
Data shows there were 675 reports of intoxication, harassment and other incidents at the Millennium Library last year.
This is the highest number of incidents at the library since 2018 and is well above the reports made at the city’s other libraries.
Global News reached out to the city regarding safety measures for the facility and in a statement, a spokesperson said “work on a comprehensive risk assessment and safety audit of the Millennium Library is underway with the help of a third-party consultant.
“The consultant will determine areas of risk, recommend security measures to mitigate risk, and determine whether security or other related measures should be upgraded or considered, including exploring the layout of the facility to determine potential changes for consideration.”
Mayor Scott Gillingham told 680 CJOB he hopes the library will open up by the end of the month, but a date has yet to be announced.
“I don’t know specifically all the measures that are being contemplated. I do know this: there is a real commitment that even the preliminary measures would be such that the library will be a safer space for staff and those who use the library. It cannot open the way it closed.”
– with files from Global News’ Shane Gibson