MACP Committees

Mandate:
To provide a Provincial coordinating role for traffic safety issues.

Objectives:

  1. Promote cooperation, communication, and coordination among the Manitoba police community.
  2. Promote sharing among police in research, training, and policy standards.
  3. Develop, strengthen and maintain Provincial partnerships.
  4. Maximize the resources of police and partners towards safer roads.
  5. Provide recommendations on possible MACP directed initiatives to the MACP executive.

Chair:
Michael Gagliardi, Inspector – OIC “D” Division Traffic Services

Mandate: 
Act as an information sharing conduit and advocate for Tactical Teams within the province, ensuring consistency of best practices on training, operational tactics and equipment; achieved through continual research, identification of trends and targeted communication.

Objectives:

  • Promote cooperation, coordination and communication among Manitoba police agencies who deploy or have access to tactical teams.
  • Ensure the sharing of best practices for training, tactics, tools and policy, identified through continual scans of the current policing environment locally, regionally and nationally.
  • Formalize joint provincial partnerships between agencies with tactical teams and also agencies who rely on teams outside their immediate organization for tactical support, in the form of MOUs and agreements, to ensure efficient and effective deployment when shared tactical support is required.
  • Promote, support and encourage joint training between agencies who deploy tactical teams, to ensure understanding of capabilities along with differences and similarities between systems and tactics.
  • Provide recommendations on possible MACP directed initiatives to the MACP Executive

Chair:  
Inspector Sean Pollock – Winnipeg Police Service

Mandate:
Work with police services in Manitoba to encourage Restorative Justice as a first line response

Objectives:

  1. Establish an RJ resource person in each police service in order to establish a simplified communication
  2. Monitor and report on the effectiveness and efficiency of the provincial email system set up by the Restorative Justice Branch (RJB)
  3. Engage with RJB to increase the use of RJ referrals
  4. Identify significant contributions by individual police officers so that recognition can be given by MACP
  5. Arrange for knowledgeable and experienced guest speakers for MACP meetings
  6. Provide recommendations to the MACP executive

Chair:
Insp. Catherine Light – RCMP

Mandate:
Advise MACP on matters relating to sustainable policing services and enhanced public safety for Indigenous peoples and their Communities throughout Manitoba, by ensuring that the needs and circumstances of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples are recognized and addressed.

Objectives:

  1. Building respectful and meaningful relationships between police and Indigenous People
  2. Support the continual development of community informed service delivery through reciprocal learning with indigenous communities and police
  3. Support a consistent and clear approach to implementing the recommendations of National and Provincial Inquiries relating to policing, safety and Indigenous Peoples, including the MMIWG and TRC
  4. Support the First Nations Policing Program (FNPP).
  5. Provide Recommendations to MACP Executive

Chair:  Superintendent Bonnie Emerson – Winnipeg Police Service

Mandate:
To provide a coordinating role in addressing the needs of the MACP by exploring current trends and important issues impacting the Manitoba law enforcement community and to provide strategic direction to address those needs.

Objectives:

  1. To work together to improve policies and procedures affecting law enforcement in the Province of Manitoba 
  2. To stay informed on Federal and Provincial Legislative changes affecting law enforcement in Manitoba
  3. Provide recommendations on possible MACP directed initiatives to the MACP Executive

Chair: 
Supt. Brian Miln – Winnipeg Police Service

Mandate:
Address the needs of the Manitoba law enforcement community by identifying and facilitating the best practices in professional standards.

Objectives:

  1. Encourage and facilitate the exchange of ideas regarding professional standards best practices, investigative strategies, trends and models within police organizations
  2. Promote the highest standard of Professional Standards investigations,
  3. Promote the development of Professional Standards investigators, and
  4. Support the work of, and maintain a direct relationship with the CACP PSU Sub-Committee.
  5. Provide recommendations on possible MACP-directed initiatives to the MACP executive.

Chair:
Vacant

Mandate:
The Committee strives to address the needs of the Manitoba law enforcement community in combating organized crime. Governed by the importance of public safety, security, and quality of life-impacting all citizens of Manitoba and their communities, the Organized Crime Committee (OCC) promotes innovative law enforcement strategies, community safety initiatives and contributes to public policy and legislative change as a way to enhance the safety and security of all Manitobans.

Strategic Priorities/Objectives:

  1. To explore, evaluate and promote innovative law enforcement initiatives against organized crime through leadership at the Provincial  level, through:
    1. research,
    2. best practice/training,
    3. Provincial legislative/police reform,
    4. ensuring public awareness/education, and
    5. addressing gaps and barriers.
  2. Enhance public communications, awareness and education through advocacy with regard to policy and legislation.
  3. Promote policy development and action against organized crime.
  4. Forge partnerships and model action plans to guide a unified law enforcement response to the threat of organized crime in Manitoba.
  5. Reduce the threat and impact of organized crime.

Chairs:
Inspector Josh Ewatski – Winnipeg Police Service

MACP Positions

Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) echoes the statement by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) an lends its strong support to the introduction of Bill C-14: the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act.

The MACP commends Prime Minister Carney and the federal government for their announcement of Bill C-14, legislation that strengthens Canada’s response to repeat and violent offenders, organized crime and threats to public safety.

The expansion of reverse-onus bail for serious and organized crime offences, including human trafficking, vehicle theft and home invasions, is an important step to ensure those who repeatedly endanger public safety are detained in custody.

We also welcome sentencing provisions that strengthen accountability by requiring courts to treat prior violent convictions and assaults on first responders as aggravating factors, encourage consecutive sentences, restrict conditional sentences for sexual offences and recognize organized retail theft as a growing issue that threatens all law-abiding Canadians, especially those who work and make their living in the retail industry.

The MACP stands with the CACP in our calls for long overdue lawful access amendments that are required to enable police to lawfully collect evidence necessary to investigate modern, technology-enabled crime.

The MACP would like to once again thank the federal government for listening to frontline police officers and all law-abiding Canadians who simply wish to raise their families in peace and safety.  We urge the swift passage of this legislation which will help to protect our communities, those who serve those communities, and ensure violent, repeat criminals are held accountable for their actions.

As a result of the experience in British Columbia associated to the January 2023 three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of certain illicit drugs for personal use in British Columbia, the CACP Board no longer supports the decriminalization of any amount of illicit drugs for personal use. 

 

Since the exemption came into effect, police have witnessed trends of concern, including a continued high rate of opioid overdose deaths as well as growing fear among law-abiding community members due to public drug use and drug-related criminal activity. 

 

While robust, evidence-based healthcare, addiction, and social programs are vital, drug enforcement remains an essential tool to address the public safety risks linked to illicit drug use. Beyond mitigating drug-related crime, police-led enforcement can serve as a gateway to treatment through pre-charge/post-charge diversion and judicially supervised treatment programs for individuals in need of critical medical and social services. 

 

The CACP’s leadership strongly urges the Federal Government to collaborate with provinces to adopt a comprehensive systems-based approach. This should include significantly expanding inpatient care as well as improving access to effective and sustainable treatment and social services programming that ensures individuals who require essential mental health and addictions care receive immediate and ongoing assistance. 

 

We call on the Federal Government to reconsider its current approach and to engage law enforcement, healthcare providers, and community stakeholders in developing more effective mental health and addictions solutions. Protecting the safety and well-being of all Canadians must remain the highest priority. 

There is a large body of evidence illustrating the effectiveness of Supervised Consumption Sites in achieving a number of health and social objectives, especially when impacted people are offered access to integrated health and social services.  While the MACP recognizes the value of this harm reduction approach, there remains multiple issues of concern such as the need for safe supply, and lack of community consultation/dispute resolution processes; there is also some evidence that an identified risk of neighbourhood degradation and other social challenges are possible in areas containing, or close to, Supervised Consumption Sites.

“The Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police supports all government initiatives that help make Manitobans safe.  That said, the recent announcement from the federal government in relation to supporting municipalities that want to pass handgun restrictions may be of limited value.  Canada currently has significant restrictions and prohibitions on handguns and it is uncertain at this point how municipal bylaws would make the current laws more effective.  We will keep an open mind however and will participate in any municipal or Provincial initiatives if asked.”

CACP's Position

The Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police supports the use of body-worn cameras/computers as a viable solution to address transparency, quality of evidence, the disclosure process, and safety issues related to front-line police officers. While there does not appear to be conclusive evidence to date to show that body cameras decrease violent incidents with police, there are substantive other benefits associated with increased public trust and confidence that significantly support the use of this technology.  Cost and privacy issues continue to evolve but must be given due deliberation when considering the use of, and policy development for body-worn cameras/computers.

Today, the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) is making a public plea to the provincial government to immediately include police officers as a priority group within the vaccination roll-out plan.

Throughout this pandemic, police officers across the province have worked to ensure the safety and security of all Manitobans. For police officers, much like other first-responders, their front-line work never stopped.

In the early days of the pandemic, when little was known about the virus and personal protective equipment was in short supply, these officers continued to carry-out their critical duties. They did so, not only because of their sworn duty to protect but also because they care deeply about the communities they serve and the wellbeing of the people of Manitoba.

The fear of contracting COVID-19 is real for police officers as their work regularly brings them into confined spaces and close contact with a number of people. This concern remains ever-present. On a daily basis, our members attend private residences, vehicle collisions, and crime scenes. They respond to individuals in medical distress, transport patients to medical help, make life-saving efforts including the performance of CPR, trauma first aid, delivery of Naloxone, and the like. They intervene in situations where individuals may be severely intoxicated, badly injured, or violent. They do not have the opportunity to socially distance during these interactions. On every shift, our frontline officers face a significant risk of exposure to COVID-19.

And our concern is not solely about our officers contracting the virus, but also unknowingly becoming carriers, and potentially spreading it to the most vulnerable segments of our society. On a daily basis, officers work closely with the elderly, people experiencing homelessness and those suffering from drug or alcohol dependencies. The MACP is aware of multiple instances where officers provided CPR to persons who were later confirmed to be COVID-19 positive.

For the RCMP and the Manitoba First Nations Police Service, their officers work and live in many remote and isolated First Nation communities. Often, these officers are required to attend calls and provide essential policing services to multiple remote communities. While every precaution is taken, there is always a potential for an officer to spread the virus. The emergence of virus variants makes this risk doubly concerning.

While Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization statement (NACIs guidance) on the COVID-19 vaccine, states that “Many essential services (e.g. police, firefighters, food production) cannot be provided virtually, potentially leading to an increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Immunizing essential workers minimizes the disproportionate burden of those taking on additional risks to maintain services essential for the functioning of society.” Regretfully, not all provinces (including Manitoba) have opted to follow the NACI guidelines.

The MACP has been a strong supporter of every action taken by MB Public Health to protect lives during the pandemic, including the roll-out of the vaccination plan. There is no doubt that we need to make sure that the most vulnerable are taken care of first. But then we also need to make sure that those who protect them are protected from the virus as well.

We strongly believe the time has come for the provincial vaccination plan to prioritize police officers. This has been done in other provinces and it must be done here. With the new variants now spreading, officers must be vaccinated so that they can continue to provide their critical service to the people of Manitoba, and so that the people they serve can stay safe.

We are urging the provincial government to help our police officers and to help keep our communities and our most vulnerable safe.

MACP President Marc Robichaud and Executive Board

September 14, 2021

MACP statement – Mandatory vaccination of police officers and the enforcement of vaccination passports

Vaccination of police officers

The MACP supports the government and public health direction that vaccination is the most effective tool to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus and its variants, and that everyone who is medically able to do so be vaccinated, including police officers.

Enforcement of vaccination passports

Over the past year and a half, police services across the country have been steadfast in supporting logistical, public health, and public safety efforts to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

While the volume of some types of crime and calls for service may have decreased due to pandemic lockdown and related restrictions, there is a notable increase in other areas such as domestic violence, organized crime, drug overdoses, pandemic-related fraud, etc. Additionally, as businesses, services and public spaces began to reopen, crime began to rise again.

The focus of police agencies across Canada must center on addressing criminal activity. It is important for police leaders to dedicate police resources to the work that only the police can do.

Policing involves striking an appropriate balance between the individual and personal freedoms of Canadians with the concept of social order and the general public good. The MACP believes in policing in partnership with the community and building better relationships with the citizens we serve. [1]

That said, police agencies across Manitoba have committed and will continue to commit the resources required to eradicate the spread and negative effect of COVID-19 which includes providing education and awareness as well as through the enforcement of the Public Health Orders.

[1] Part of this statement was adopted from the CACP announcement issued on September 14, 2021

CACP Statement: Canada’s police leaders welcome and support Bill C-48 on bail reform

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) welcomes and supports Bill C-48 calling for legislative amendments to the Criminal Code related to Canada’s bail system. The proposed amendments align with the calls to action put forward by Canada’s police leaders.

We commend the federal government for acting on the urgency for legislative change and for recognizing that our proposed amendments were not calling for a complete overhaul of Canada’s bail system, but rather changes that are specifically aimed at keeping violent and repeat offenders who pose the greatest threat to public and officer safety from being released into the community while they await trial.

We are pleased to see that Bill C-48 gives far greater weight to a suspect’s criminal history when bail and sentencing matters are considered. While we would have recommended that a suspect’s full criminal history be contemplated, rather than just going back five years, the government has built in a review process in the next five years that will allow for an evidence-based and legislative review to address any remaining issues related to public safety.

We also applaud the initiative to not only implement reverse-onus bail conditions for serious violent offences involving a weapon, but for expanding these provisions to offences involving intimate partner violence.

We are convinced that the legislative changes put forth in Bill C-48 will go a long way to help eliminate the preventable harm and senseless tragedies attributable to violent and repeat offenders across Canada.

Click here to download the CACP statement.