Gillingham lays out plan to help lower bike thefts in Winnipeg
To combat theft, Mayor Scott Gillingham wants to make the city’s bike registry free and make use of technology.
A news release says as many as 2,000 bikes are reported stolen every year.
Right now there is a voluntary online registry which costs bicycle owners $7.35.
Gillingham wants a study done to make the process free as well as use technology to better track bikes once they are stolen.
The mayor says registries like 529 Garage and Bike Index in other cities have been successful.
Gillingham says this would allow police to track bikes that end up in other provinces.
He also says owners could use the app-based system to report a stolen bike immediately.
Winnipeg Police told the police board Friday many stolen bikes go unreported and when some are found there is no way to know who owns them if they are not registered.
Numbers from Winnipeg police show there 1,665 bikes stolen in 2022, which is down from 2018 and 2019 when there were 2,049 and 1,823 thefts respectively.
The news release says 1,000 bikes are recovered annually, with less than 10 per cent returned to their owners.
Gillingham says the free registry would be voluntary like the current setup because he says a mandatory one would require enforcement.
Gillingham is planning to bring forward a motion at next week’s Executive Policy Committee meeting for the public service to consult with police, Bike Winnipeg, and the WRENCH on the plan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.