Jun 11, 2026 · 15 min · 7 segments
Open drug use and dealing have become daily realities in Winnipeg's downtown and West End. Winnipeg Police Service inspectors Jen McKinnon and Josh Ewatski tell host Marcy Markusa how police are…
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Marcy MarkusaHost
Jen McKinnonGuestJosh EwatskiGuestyou know, 150 principals and vice principals.
And we talk about this all the time.
We have kids stepping over people and like that's hugely problematic for a million reasons.
One is that we have vulnerable people who, you know, who have lost their dignity.
But also it does at times it does present safety issues for our kids and our staff.
This is the worst I've seen it in my time in Winnipeg and it's because of the methamphetamine and fentanyl and we can go through all the reasons why people are addicted and mental health issues and all that kind of stuff but if we eliminate the source of and there are people in our community deliberately trying to harm people so that they can make money.
And you know Gordon Bell School is right there and many of these children have to walk by the open drug use or violence that is occurring so it's definitely a huge concern in the community.
Well we should bring the iron fist down on drug dealers, and we should extend the velvet glove to the drug users.
If you think about that Tim Hortons that's across the street from
Bell, as well as the McDonald's, just that general area, you're going to see a lot of issues, a lot of social problems.
If somebody's going down there to make money off of that misery, like, yeah, that's the type of person we need to hold accountable, particularly when they're putting students and kids in the You can talk to Dr. Rusin.
You can talk to the public health experts.
They will tell you that enforcement is one of the four pillars of a response to addictions.
Winnipeg School Division Superintendent Matt Henderson, Daniel McIntyre, Councillor, that covers the west end of Winnipeg, Cindy Gilroy, and then the familiar voice of Premier Wab Kanu.
you know, 150 principals and vice principals.
And we talk about this all the time.
We have kids stepping over people and like that's hugely problematic for a million reasons.
One is that we have vulnerable people who, you know, who have lost their dignity.
But also it does at times it does present safety issues for our kids and our staff.
This is the worst I've seen it in my time in Winnipeg and it's because of the methamphetamine and fentanyl and we can go through all the reasons why people are addicted and mental health issues and all that kind of stuff but if we eliminate the source of and there are people in our community deliberately trying to harm people so that they can make money.
And you know Gordon Bell School is right there and many of these children have to walk by the open drug use or violence that is occurring so it's definitely a huge concern in the community.
Well we should bring the iron fist down on drug dealers, and we should extend the velvet glove to the drug users.
If you think about that Tim Hortons that's across the street from
Bell, as well as the McDonald's, just that general area, you're going to see a lot of issues, a lot of social problems.
If somebody's going down there to make money off of that misery, like, yeah, that's the type of person we need to hold accountable, particularly when they're putting students and kids in the You can talk to Dr. Rusin.
You can talk to the public health experts.
They will tell you that enforcement is one of the four pillars of a response to addictions.
Winnipeg School Division Superintendent Matt Henderson, Daniel McIntyre, Councillor, that covers the west end of Winnipeg, Cindy Gilroy, and then the familiar voice of Premier Wab Kanu.
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