Winnipeg restaurants want help fighting crime

Winnipeg restaurant owners are calling for help amid rising crime in their dining halls, saying the province’s retail crime initiative doesn’t go far enough.

Foodtrip Restaurant and Banquet near Polo Park received an unwanted late night visitor on Sunday. Co-owner Lourdes Federis said it happened around 2 a.m. when someone broke the front window.

“They took some cash (from) the cash register and of course they broke our front door and window,” Federis said, adding that he doesn’t keep a lot of cash in the house overnight.

She estimates the damage will cost her about $5,000, but it probably won’t be worth making an insurance claim because it will just raise her premiums.

“We’re very small businesses, right, so it makes you really think how long can we keep up.”

The break-in comes just days after the province expanded its retail theft initiative, bringing more police officers to crime hotspots across the city — such as Osborne, the Exchange and the West End.

“We’ve seen real results. We’ve seen crime go down in all of these areas,” said Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

But some restaurateurs feel left out.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen the same investment in crime in our industry that we have seen in the retail sector,” said Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

“We need a program specific to the sector, because there is no unique program here. Obviously, different industries require different support.”

He said restaurant owners want the province to put something on the table in the 2025 budget, such as additional grants for security improvements or more police in restaurants.

Wiebe said he will meet with the association to talk about those concerns.

“We’re open to working with the restaurant association, with the retailers, with the community and understanding the specific needs or specific ways that we can address some of the issues that they’re having,” he told CTV News.

He said the province will also unveil its public safety strategy, which he said will address public safety and the root causes of crime. It is expected to be released by the end of November.

For Federis, still cleaning up after the break-in, help can’t come soon enough.

“I feel like we’re more vulnerable and less protected and more targeted,” she said.