‘Unsafe for children’: Mayoral candidate Vogiatzakis promises to ramp up security in public parks

A mayoral candidate is vowing to have security teams monitor parks and remove people doing drugs at the green spaces, if elected.

Mike Vogiatzakis held a news conference at city hall Friday, where he shared some initial promises.

“People (who) are not supposed to be in those parks, who are bringing drugs to those parks, who are injecting needles in their bodies, they will be removed (from) those parks immediately and their needles will go with them,” said Vogiatzakis.

He vowed to release a new pledge each week for the rest of the campaign.

Despite an existing park debris cleanup program, Vogiatzakis claimed the green spaces still contain significant hazards.

“I could take you right now to parks where there’s tons of needles … and it’s unsafe for children. And what’s it going to take (to address this) in Winnipeg? Is it going to take a child being stabbed with a needle and dying?” he said.

Vogiatzakis also criticized the state of the city’s roads.

“Even in late August, we’re still hitting potholes. This is unacceptable,” he said.

If elected, he’d call for the city to explore longer lasting materials to fill the deep cracks and crevices.

He also wants to reverse parts of the primary network Winnipeg Transit added last year, which some riders complain lengthened their commutes.

“My plan for transit, in my first 30 days in office, is to go back to transit and change it back to the way it was, to the best of our ability,” said Vogiatzakis.

Vogiatzakis told reporters, and a few dozen cheering supporters, that his future proposal to address homelessness will be “the most powerful plan that you will ever hear,” with a focus on helping those in need.

He did not provide cost estimates or further details of the pledges but promised to share much more information prior to the election.

“Every major commitment I make will have a responsible budget, a public timeline, and measurable targets,” said Vogiatzakis.

Scott Gillingham, who is running for a second term as mayor, was not available for an interview Friday.

In a written statement, campaign spokesman Colin Fast said the pledges shared at the news conference show “little understanding” of how the city works.

“Scott Gillingham is focused on improving public safety by hiring more police officers and community safety officers and creating a new mental health response service — not contracting private security guards who have no authority to remove people from public spaces,” wrote Fast.

Spending money to recreate the old transit system would create more disruption for riders, instead of improving the current network, he said.

“Promising to undo years of transit planning in 30 days is another example of Mike Vogiatzakis making promises before understanding what they would actually involve,” wrote Fast.

He said Winnipeg has tested different mixes and repair methods for potholes for years.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Don Woodstock announced three campaign pledges this week.

He would push the province to “overhaul” the city’s Charter to give voters the power to recall city council members, if elected. He said a petition backed by at least 51 per cent of registered voters could trigger a recall byelection for the mayor or any councillor, a process that could start as soon as 18 months after they are elected.

“Elected leaders (would) now be accountable when they know there’s a mechanism to get them out of office,” he said.

Woodstock also promised to create a “faith and community partnership policy” to help the city collaborate with faith-based groups. Such groups would be able to claim an annual credit of $500 on Winnipeg water and waste bills. A liaison office would help them seek permits, grants and support for outreach programs.

The final proposal would aim to convert an abandoned or underutilized commercial building into a premier gaming hub, which could host esports tournaments and game-development “hackathons.”

Christopher Clacio, Umar Hayat, Mazher Alam, Joshua Pagdato, Johnny Calderon, Noah Redden, Zac Uminski and Brad Gross have also registered to run for mayor.

The election will take place Oct. 28.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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