News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

June 9, 2020

Statement from Justice Minister Cliff Cullen on Provincial Justice System



Our government always works closely with our policing partners to help protect the safety and well-being of all Manitobans.
 
Shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the advice of public health professionals, Manitoba Justice brought forward changes to allow us to properly screen and medically segregate new admissions at the Winnipeg Remand Centre. These changes required teamwork from a wide variety of our partners within the criminal justice system and were accomplished in a very short period of time.
 
The Winnipeg Police Service and Brandon Police Service played a key role in implementing these revised procedures, and we thank them for their efforts during these challenging times. There has not been a single case of COVID-19 in our Manitoba correctional facilities to date, and we are appreciative of all the modifications that our justice staff and police agencies have made in response to the pandemic.
 
Not only did these swift measures protect our staff and inmates from a COVID outbreak, they also brought us in line with procedures in virtually every other Canadian jurisdiction. These changes ensure that people have appeared before a judicial officer prior to admission to a provincial correctional facility, which is how the process works in all other provinces.
 
All divisions of Manitoba Justice are committed to working with the Winnipeg Police Service to support them in their responsibilities as the arresting agency and we will continue to work to ensure that no one remains in police custody longer than necessary.
 
While our government flows more than $200 million annually to Manitoba’s police agencies, including nearly $20 million for the Winnipeg Police Service, we also support public safety through a wide variety of community-based measures, some of which were announced as recently as this week. 
 
On Monday, we announced an investment of nearly $3 million in the Thompson Sobering Centre, the latest in a series of this government’s investments to meet better the needs of Manitobans struggling with mental health and addiction concerns. Since October 2019, our government has announced 18 initiatives valued at more than $31.6 million to improve mental health and addictions services throughout Manitoba. 
 
We have invested approximately $1 million into Community Mobilization hubs that help connect social service professionals and community agencies with at-risk youth and families to ensure they are receiving appropriate and timely supports and interventions. 
 
Our government has also made significant investments in restorative justice initiatives, helping divert more than 5,000 matters out of the criminal justice system to be resolved through restorative justice and diversion programs. 
 
We have increased by $400,000 support for restorative justice programming, and in March, I was proud to launch ‘Restorative Justice North’, a pilot project in partnership with the Manitoba Metis Federation and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak.  
 
While we have already made some progress, we recognize there is more work ahead, and we will continue to invest in these important supports to help protect the safety and well-being of Manitobans.
 
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ATTACHED



backgrounder
Background Information - https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/newslinks/2020/06/Letter_to_Chief_Danny_Smyth.pdf