Exchange District businesses push for additional security

Selling shoes isn’t the only thing on Brian Scharfstein’s mind.

The owner of Canadian Footwear, an Exchange District business, has spent a lot of time thinking about security.

His bottom line has been hurt by the homeless and mental illness crisis, which has kept customers away, he said.

He’s not alone: a handful of Exchange District business owners have been pressing the government for increased security measures, such as patrols, in the area.

“We want additional, sustainable funding that’s focused on a safe Exchange and a safe downtown,” Scharfstein said.

He’s clocked a decrease in customer traffic over the past months. Meantime, staff regularly deal with people who, although not violent, need social support.

Nearby, Jami Gasmena hears people yelling outdoors while she works at 26 Market at 100 Princess St. Homeless people sometimes warm up in the building’s lobby during winter, which detracts customers, Gasmena said.

“If you live downtown, you know how to navigate, but for people who would come here and explore, some of them are scared,” she said. “Even my friends who live outside are like, ‘Is it not scary there?’”

It’s not, Gasmena said, but increased police patrols would help with safety and perceptions of the area, which is considered a downtown gem.

Scharfstein and fellow entrepreneurs — he says roughly a dozen are on board — have been asking the provincial government for further support.

He pointed to a program where the Manitoba government paid Winnipeg police overtime hours; cops worked extra time in the Exchange District, West End and Osborne Village.

The province announced the funding in 2024. Since then, it has cemented funding for 36 new officers, 24 of whom focus on retail crime while 12 work on bail issues.

Still, police presence in the Exchange has dwindled, Scharfstein said.

“There was a direct positive impact,” he said about the patrols. “It was a really great initiative… Things kind of went back to where they were before.”

Scharfstein said local businesses have been “actively” in discussions with the province, city, police and Downtown Community Safety Partnership. He believes new security measures will result from the talks.

“This is not a spark — this is a low flame, and we’re feeding it,” said Scharfstein, who sat on the Winnipeg Police Service board until 2022.

“Our focus is collaboration, partnership.”

Both Justice Minister Matt Wiebe and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham confirmed they’ve heard from Exchange District business owners about their concerns.

Gillingham said he met recently with Scharfstein and other owners. The Safe Winnipeg Initiative — which aims to bring various businesses and safety groups together — was a point of conversation.

The mayor announced the new public safety plan last March. Work is ongoing, Gillingham said.

“I hope to have future meetings with the (business owners) soon to talk more about what we can do, collectively, to make the Exchange safer,” Gillingham said, adding they’ll discuss the Safe Winnipeg Initiative.

The Winnipeg Police Service isn’t considering reinstating overtime shifts for police covering the Exchange District, spokesman Const. Claude Chancy wrote in a statement.

Patrols have increased over the past two years in the area, he said: one unit, comprised of two officers, covers the Exchange District daily during a five-hour shift. It’s dependent on resources, Chancy noted. Police regularly meet with Exchange businesses, he added.

The 24 new officers were an “opportunity” to make the overtime program permanent, Wiebe said.

“Police deploy resources. They make operational decisions,” he continued. “For us, it was important to give them the tools and then allow them to go to those hot spots… and use those resources as they need to.”

The government has brought in a security rebate and funded the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, Wiebe said, adding the province will “continue to listen” to Exchange business owners.

Entrepreneurs contact the Downtown Community Safety Partnership and the Exchange Community Safety Patrol when a need arises.

The Exchange group responded to more than 1,600 calls between September 2024 and August 2025. The calls were roughly 10 times the number received in 2018-19, Exchange District BIZ executive director David Pensato said during a public meeting last year.

Pensato wasn’t available for an interview Friday. In November, he noted challenges associated with homelessness, addictions and mental health crises had seemingly increased.

Property crime in the Exchange District jumped 35 per cent year-over-year, when comparing November 2024 to October 2025 from the previous 12 months. Police counted 721 incidents during the timeframe; it’s a 57 per cent increase from the five-year average.

Violent crime had dropped 30 per cent year-over-year, to 116 cases.

“I think every level of government understands what’s important. It’s just a matter of allocating the resources,” said David Stern, general manager of Canadian Footwear. “There’s so many priorities out there, it’s very hard to sit here and judge.”

Exchange District restaurants are regularly packed, he and Scharfstein noted.

Canadian Footwear is fully renovating its Exchange District foot health centre clinic. Gasmena has watched small businesses open throughout downtown.

“It’s more people on the streets, that’s the ultimate thing (to help),” said Rod Sasaki, owner of Warehouse Artworks, who is generally on board for more patrols.

New housing — including at Market Lands and the old St. Charles Hotel on Notre Dame Avenue — should help boost the population and combat crime, Gillingham noted.

Near-term solutions are needed, Scharfstein stressed.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com