Gillingham Commits to Expanding Transit Safety Officer Team
Scott Gillingham committed today to significantly expanding Winnipeg’s Community Safety Officer program if he’s re-elected as Mayor of Winnipeg, growing toward a total complement of as many as 75 CSOs and related support staff over time.
The expansion would provide a larger dedicated safety presence across Winnipeg Transit, alongside continued targeted enforcement by the Winnipeg Police Service.
“Transit safety needs both police and trained Community Safety Officers,” Gillingham said. “Police need to be there to deal with serious criminal activity. But many of the incidents happening every day on buses, at stops and in shelters involve medical emergencies, intoxication, mental-health concerns, disputes, fare enforcement or people who simply need help. That’s why we created the CSO program.”
Gillingham campaigned in 2022 on creating a dedicated peace officer unit for transit safety. Working with the Province and City Council, the City secured the necessary legislation and launched the Community Safety Officer program in 2024.
CSOs receive police-developed training and are cross-trained for safety enforcement and health and wellness interventions, reflecting the range of situations they encounter across the Transit system.
Since the program launched, Community Safety Officers have:
Conducted more than 6,000 well-being checks on passengers and people in Transit shelters.
Intervened in more than 120 life-threatening medical emergencies.
Responded to or de-escalated more than 3,000 fights, disputes and other active safety incidents.
Conducted more than 24,000 fare-enforcement actions, including over 11,000 boarding denials. Winnipeg Transit investigations have found that the majority of violent incidents on buses involve passengers who have not paid a fare.
Provided more than 800 safe rides to at-risk individuals seeking shelter, medical assistance or another safe destination.
“Police and Community Safety Officers have different roles, and we need both,” Gillingham said. “The goal is to make sure the right resources are there for the situations they are best equipped to handle.”
Transit Safety Commitments
If re-elected, Gillingham will:
Set a long-term complement target of 75 CSOs and related support staff, building from the 33 officers serving today and the 39 CSO positions already planned by 2027. Similar to the long-term staffing targets Gillingham proposed this week for police and firefighters, growth would be phased in over time.
Maintain fare enforcement as a core CSO responsibility, while preserving officers’ discretion to provide safe-ride assistance to at-risk passengers when appropriate.
Strengthen public oversight and accountability, including seeking Council support for regular public reporting on CSO operations, policies, inter-agency procedures, complaints and key performance indicators.
Review additional roles for CSOs, including potential deployment to selected community locations and assistance with appropriate by-law enforcement duties.
Move ahead with full protective shields for Transit operators. Gillingham supported the plan advanced by EPC this week to redirect previously approved capital funding toward the design, procurement and initial installation of full operator safety enclosures. If approved by Council, the Public Service will prioritize the work and report back within 90 days with timelines, procurement requirements and any additional funding needed to complete installation across the Transit fleet.
“Four years ago, Winnipeg didn’t have a dedicated transit safety team,” Gillingham said. “Today we have more than 30 trained Community Safety Officers working across the system, with more on the way and increased police enforcement alongside them. The next step is to keep building that capacity so passengers and operators have the right response available when they need it.”