AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAYOR OF WINNIPEG

August 27, 2018

His Worship
Mayor Brian Bowman
Winnipeg City Hall

Dear Mr. Bowman
I have a question for you. What are you waiting for?
Let me provide some background. This is a difficult letter for me to pen but I feel it is incredibly
necessary (sadly). The last week has been terribly difficult for our family as our son was the Central Park
stabbing attack victim from the previous Friday night (early Saturday morning August 18 ). In case you
missed the report, our son and his female friend were randomly attacked by two sociopaths who put no
value on human life. Our son was viciously beaten, robbed, stabbed and slashed numerous times. I
would prefer to keep the specifics of the case confidential in order to protect our legal strategies but the
police statement to the media that our son suffered “life altering injuries” is not an exaggeration. Of the
near 20 stab and slash wounds inflicted on him, the majority were to his face, head, and throat. He is
incredibly lucky to be alive.
This incident, in and of itself, isn’t enough to compel me to write this letter. Since our son’s attack, we
have heard the reports of 11 stabbings in 5 days in the same area and the WPS press release warning
citizens to avoid Central Park area at night. Add to this is the sickening news of the daylight sexual
assault of a young woman on the river path, the transit supervisor who was dragged from a bus and
beaten, the Take Back Your Park walks, and on and on. In a recent report Statistics Canada stated that
violent crime in Winnipeg has grown to such an extreme level that the government agency was forced to
remake its ‘Violent Crime Severity Index’ chart just to accommodate Winnipeg’s high score (the national
average index score of 75.3 is paled compared to Winnipeg’s rating exceeding 150). With respect to
violent crime, Winnipeg was literally “off the chart”.
My point: In a horrifying period of one and a half weeks of explosive and sensational violent crime,
you have remained silent. We know you are still around. We see your endless and cringe-worthy social
media posts. Morning workouts. Raising flags at City Hall. Folklorama Pavilions. Cutting ribbons at

 coffee shops. I can’t wait to hear which Le Burger Week entry is the Mayor’s favourite! The one selfie
we have yet to see is you standing alone in Central Park at night. I voted for you in the last civic election
and I am very, very disappointed in you. Winnipeg does not need a social media mayor. We need tough
leadership in tough times. Our streets are unsafe and filled with filth. Our amazing police service is
stretched to the max and under constant threat. Our children are being attacked. My son will NEVER be
able to look in the mirror again without reliving the worst night of his life. Yet, you remain silent.
You may read this and say “This is just an angry parent reflexively lashing out.” Yes, I am angry. But that
doesn’t change the fact that Winnipeg is in crisis. This past week-and-a-half have been one of the worst
in our city’s history for violence. Yet, you have said nothing and you have done nothing.
So, here’s my question to you: What are you waiting for? How many more innocent children need to
be stabbed or raped? How many more transit employees beaten, police officers threatened, cars stolen,
homes invaded and random acts of violence forced on law abiding citizens before you take action?
We’re not interested in your empty platitudes or another Twitter or Instagram post. For once, lead our
city and take concrete action.
We need leadership Mr. Mayor. Not selfies.

Regards,
Mike Enns
Citizen of Winnipeg
cc: All Winnipeg media outlets