What Winnipeg's mayor told CTV Morning Live about downtown safety

Winnipeg’s mayor says safety downtown needs to improve in order for crowds to return to events and games.

Mayor Scott Gillingham spoke about his recent meeting with Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. The city's downtown was one of the topics of discussion between the three levels of government.

“Right now there's a commitment between Premier Kinew, the federal ministers who are in the City of Winnipeg, and myself to be working together for the sake of the people of Winnipeg,” he told CTV Morning Live on Monday.

“One of the things we've talked about is how we can work together on Winnipeg’s downtown to make it safer to attract more investment in the downtown.”

Gillingham praised Kinew for his promise to address homelessness, which he says is one of the issues impacting downtown Winnipeg. Kinew has appointed Bernadette Smith as minister of homelessness, addiction, housing and mental health to address the issue.

“So often, those four elements are all combined in people's needs when they're struggling on the streets,” he said. “And so I'm looking forward to working with the provincial government, in fact, all of city council is looking forward to working with the provincial government to address homelessness.”

Watch the full interview with Mayor Gillingham, including his thoughts on investment in Winnipeg and the rallies and counter-protests in the city.

-With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace