Gillingham to push for new crisis response model at EPC

Mayor Scott Gillingham’s proposal to overhaul the city’s crisis-response system to try to divert thousands of calls away from police, firefighter and paramedic response, will be presented to council’s inner circle next week.

The model, described as a “fourth crisis response pathway,” would transfer 911 calls that are non-violent in nature to citywide crisis response teams. Potentially, 10,000 calls could be removed from police, fire and paramedic response, Gillingham said during the July 28 announcement.

Gillingham is set to present his idea to city council’s executive policy committee Tuesday. His motion asks that the city adopt the crisis response model, in part through a “partnership framework” with the provincial government.

The motion notes the partnership would “support a co-ordinated whole-of-government and whole-of-community approach to implementation, recognizing that sustainable crisis response reform cannot be achieved by any single organization, sector, or order of government acting alone.”

On Wednesday, Gillingham said talks with the province are underway, including with Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith.

He acknowledged provincial buy-in would take time, but said he’s confident in the “opportunity to build on a good partnership.”

“The mobile crisis units that would make up that fourth response are units that are already funded by either the city or the province, or the city and the province together,” he said.

“This is about aligning the resources that we already have in our community, and getting a community response for some calls that can be diverted from emergency services.”

The entire council would need to approve the plan.

The model was based on a third-party report led by Pensa Consulting Inc., which found the city struggles with “limited integration and formal pathways connecting existing services and systems.”

The report notes actual budget requirements could vary, but pegs the cost at about $6 million annually, including upgrades to technical infrastructure, staffing and the implementation of a dispatch hub.

A number of groups supported the idea when it was pitched in July, including the Winnipeg Police Accountability Coalition and the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg union.

— with files from Joyanne Pursaga

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca