ManitobaOfficials pleaded with Winnipeggers on Friday to help tackle what Mayor Scott Gillingham calls the “ongoing problem” and “deeply concerning” issue of arson.’We have a lot of people who set fires. It’s become an alternative weapon’: police Insp. Jen McKinnonDarren Bernhardt · CBC News · Posted: Oct 31, 2025 2:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesA fire burns Mae Sunee Thai Cuisine in the West End on July 18. (Submitted by Jay Delaney)Officials pleaded with Winnipeggers on Friday to help tackle what Mayor Scott Gillingham calls the “ongoing problem” and “deeply concerning” issue of arson.”In recent months, we’ve seen many serious fires, especially in the downtown — fires that have caused damage, displacement and fear,” Gillingham said at a news conference at the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters.”Each one takes a toll, not just on property but on people, on businesses and on confidence in public safety.”He and others used the news conference to explain how they investigate fires and implement preventive measures — but to also plead for Winnipeggers to do their part.”The work isn’t something the government can do alone,” Gillingham said. “Everyone has a role to play in preventing arson. We need the public’s help.”Friday’s news conference came moments after the city issued a news release about fires at four vacant properties in the span of just over four hours that same morning.”Winnipeg continues to experience high rates of fire, significantly higher than many comparable Canadian and North American cities of our size. That is our reality, and it demands urgency,” said Christian Schmidt, chief of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.In the first nine months of 2025, Winnipeg police investigated 177 arsons and have charged 23 people, some of whom are responsible for several fires, said police Insp. Jen McKinnon.Damage from a fire can be seen around patio doors at Boujee Restaurant and Bar on Main Street in Winnipeg on the morning of Oct. 23. (Meaghan Ketcheson/CBC)Investigations are often complex and lengthy, which means police aren’t always transparent and forthcoming because there’s little information to share, McKinnon said.But fire, police and other city departments and committees are working to determine the causes of fires, investigate suspicious incidents and gather evidence for arrests, she said.They also work with crime analysts and data to focus responses and preventive measures in riskier areas.That means increasing police patrols and garbage collection and identifying problematic vacant properties, McKinnon said.The work being done mirrors what happened 25 years ago, when the city was known as the “arson capital” of Canada and established a task force to combat the fire scourge, Gillingham said.”While the former arson strike force no longer exists as a standalone unit, that level of joint effort continues today in a more integrated and efficient form,” said Jason Fedoriw, WFPS fire investigation co-ordinator.Mae Sunee Thai Cuisine in Winnipeg is pictured after a suspected arson on July 18. (Rosanna Hempel/CBC)Gillingham’s call for the public to step up was echoed by McKinnon and others, who implored people to report suspicious activity, vacant buildings that aren’t secured and illegal dump areas, and to keep their own properties clear of debris that could be used as fuel for fires.”We continue to ask for your help. It’s quite simple: see something? Say something,” McKinnon said.During their presentation at the news conference, none of the officials directly addressed the spate of October fires or the arson and extortion threats in July that some business owners said were driving them out of Winnipeg.More recently, Boujee Restaurant and Bar on Main Street burned in an early morning suspicious fire on Oct. 23, while a convenience store on Logan Avenue in the city’s Weston area was burned on Oct. 28, claiming the life of a cat.After the presentation, McKinnon and others were asked by reporters if police are investigating whether the business fires are linked, and what is being done to alleviate business owners’ fears.”I can understand that this is a concern for the business community, but I have to remind people, even though this is a series of fires [that] may have been reported in a short period of time, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all linked and have the same motivation,” she said.She didn’t know if any of the 23 arrests that have been made involved extortion attempts.”I know that the community wants answers. I want to give you the answers. I know people are fearful. I know business owners are stressed about this,” McKinnon said, but revealing information at this point could impact prosecution efforts.”What I can say is that this relationship between us and the fire paramedic service, fire investigators, has never been stronger. We are aggressively working together to come to a resolution, and I’m confident that we’ll be giving you some answers down the road.”Also being investigated are the fires that struck the Winnipeg offices of two Manitoba members of the legislative assembly in the past month. Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine’s constituency office in West Kildonan was set ablaze on Sept. 29, while Housing Minister Bernadette Smith’s constituency office has had four fires since August.”We have a lot of people who set fires, yes,” McKinnon said. “It’s become an alternative weapon.”ABOUT THE AUTHORDarren Bernhardt has been with CBC Manitoba since 2009 and specializes in offbeat and local history stories. He is the author of two bestselling books: The Lesser Known: A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent, and Prairie Oddities: Punkinhead, Peculiar Gravity and More Lesser Known Histories.
City officials urge public to help fight ‘ongoing problem’ of arson in Winnipeg
