ManitobaWinnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he welcomes the federal government’s plans to crack down on violent crime and make it harder to get bail.Family of Manitoba woman killed by alleged drunk driver not sure legislation will helpArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Oct 16, 2025 9:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoWinnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said Thursday he hasn’t seen the legislation, but he’s glad the federal government is moving forward on bail reform plans. (Gary Solilak/CBC)Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he welcomes the federal government’s plans to crack down on violent crime and make it harder to get bail.Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Thursday his government will introduce a bill that would impose harsher sentences for violent and repeat offenders, and set tougher conditions for those awaiting trial.The legislation would introduce a “reverse onus” for people charged with major crimes, meaning they must convince the court they deserve bail. Under the current system, the onus is generally on the prosecution to prove release isn’t justified.Gillingham said while he still hasn’t seen the legislation, he’s glad the federal government is moving forward in this direction.”We cannot just stand by and let violent repeat criminals continue to be out on our streets wreaking havoc and being a threat to our community,” he said at a news conference Thursday. “We need legislative changes. I’m glad to hear today’s announcement.”Last month, the mayor began to issue a weekly “repeat offender bulletin,” aiming to pressure Ottawa to act on bail reform, including ensuring judges have less discretion when it comes to imposing bail conditions. Gillingham said the prime minister’s Thursday announcement is a result of calls from governments like Winnipeg’s to reform the system to make communities safer.The mayor said he also welcomed the federal government’s plans to restrict conditional sentences for some sexual offences and impose tougher penalties for retail theft.”The seemingly small things matter,” he said. “When you let individuals away with seemingly smaller crimes, they become big problems and big crimes later.”‘Root issue problems’ to address: victim’s familyMeechelle Best, whose daughter Kellie Verwey was killed in a collision caused by an alleged drunk driver who was wanted on charges of breaching his bail conditions, said she needs to see more details before she can say the changes are good, even if it’s “absolutely a step in the right direction.””What does this translate to for Winnipeg Police Services or RCMP?” she said. “Is this going to give them the opportunity to keep these people off the streets? It’s not right now. And I don’t know if these proposed changes are going to make that significant of a difference.”Kellie Verwey’s parents at a news conference on Sept. 9, 2025. Verwey was killed in a crash earlier this year. Police had a warrant for the arrest of the man charged in her death for violating his bail conditions. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)Ron Best, Kellie Verwey’s stepfather, said the government must also address broader issues, pointing to the long history of drug use by the man accused in Verwey’s death.”Certainly bail reform is going to help, but I also think that we really have some root issue problems, and whether that can be solely addressed by this bill, I’m not sure,” he said.Aiden Enns, executive director of the John Howard Society of Manitoba, said he doesn’t think the legislation will improve safety.Judges can deny bail for three reasons: if an accused is a flight risk, if their release potential threatens public safety, or to maintain the public’s confidence in the justice system. “Reverse onus” also already applies to some charges, like organized crime, terrorism and certain gun-related offences, Enns notes.Aiden Enns, executive director of the John Howard Society of Manitoba, said the legislation won’t actually improve safety and may further back up the justice system. (Felisha Adam/CBC)”Just adding some more things … will not improve public safety,” Enns said.”It’s going to back up the legal system and lead to more people in remand custody. So in a sense, it will take an already overcrowded system and add more to it, which is not the answer.”Enns said governments should look to social programs and supports instead if they want to make communities safer, even if that’s not appealing to some politicians.WATCH | Manitobans react to Carney’s bail reform plans:Manitobans weigh in on Carney’s bail reform planPrime Minister Mark Carney says his government will table legislation within the next week that aims to get ‘violent criminals and repeat offenders’ off the streets. While it’s welcome news for some in Manitoba, others worry it may pose challenges for marginalized communities.With files from Felisha Adam
Winnipeg mayor welcomes Carney’s promise on bail reform, tougher sentences
