ManitobaWinnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham plans to publish a weekly “repeat offender bulletin” in order to pressure the federal government to make changes to Canadian legislation governing bail.Statistical basis for idea people on bail are committing more offences remains elusiveBartley Kives · CBC News · Posted: Sep 12, 2025 4:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoWinnipeg’s mayor says he wants to Ottawa to provide judges with less discretion to let people out on bail. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham plans to publish a weekly “repeat offender bulletin” in order to pressure the federal government to make changes to Canadian bail legislation.The mayor said Friday he plans to “highlight local examples of habitual offenders and their impact on safety in Winnipeg” once a week to ensure Mark Carney’s Liberal government ensures judges have less discretion when it comes to imposing bail conditions.”This is about the safety of Winnipeg. It’s about Winnipeggers who are tired and fed up with all the crime going on committed by repeat offenders,” Gillingham said.The bulletins will not include the names of the accused, the mayor said, adding it is more important for Winnipeggers to know specific cases where people out on probation have been accused of other crimes.Gillingham said he wants Ottawa to provide judges with less discretion to allow people out on bail. The mayor is among a number of politicians to demand changes to federal legislation governing bail in response to a number of recent high-profile offences involving people out on bail.Those include the stabbing last week of eight people in Hollow Water First Nation, one of whom died. The accused, Tyrone Simard, 26, was out on bail at the time.He was waiting for a court appearance on charges of assault with a weapon and mischief, but had been released with conditions, including not having contact with four people police say he attacked on Sept. 4.Also earlier this week, provincial Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan called for changes to Manitoba’s bail system after a man accused in a deadly crash near Portage la Prairie left the treatment centre he was released to without permission.And earlier this month, a group of four teens allegedly robbed a Walmart in Winnipeg and shot at a security guard with an airgun. Two of them were out on bail at the time.Nonetheless, the statistical basis for the idea more people on bail are committing offences is unclear.According to Statistics Canada, more people were charged in Winnipeg for breaches of probation, failure to comply with an order or any violation of an administration of justice order in 2024 than were charged with these offences in 2023.At the same time, the same dataset suggests this is not a long-term trend. Statistics Canada data suggests more people were charged with breaching probation or justice order violations in 2019, the final year before the COVID-19 pandemic, than were charged with the same offences in 2024.Earlier this week, provincial court Chief Judge Ryan Rolston said only a fraction of the 40,000 charges issued last year involve people out on bail — but could not cite specific numbers. A spokesperson for Manitoba Justice said Friday the province could not immediately produce statistics about repeat offenders.The Winnipeg Police Service also could not produce statistics about repeat offenders on Friday. Nonetheless, Chief Gene Bowers said he supports efforts to change bail legislation and claimed the arrest of repeat offenders is a significant drain on police resources.”I know that the top arrests that our members are constantly arresting people for are breaches of some type of court order,” Bowers said following a Winnipeg Police Board meeting at city hall.Gillingham himself acknowledged the overall crime rate in Winnipeg has dropped over the last two years — but said it doesn’t feel that way for a lot of people.”What matters really in many ways is people’s confidence in this city, in the judicial system and whether or not there’s a feeling of safety as a city,” Gillingham said. “We know we have our part to play in making a safer city.”Gillingham faces an election in 2026. He said his plans for a weekly repeat offender bulletin are unrelated to his pending re-election effort.Winnipeg mayor plans weekly bulletin to highlight repeat offendersWinnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham plans to publish a weekly ‘repeat offender bulletin’ in the hopes it will help prod the federal government to provide judges with less discretion to allow people out on bail.With files from Darren Bernhardt
Mayor plans to issue ‘repeat offender bulletins’ to pressure Ottawa to amend bail legislation
