Manitoba premier calls for more public notifications about sex offenders

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is asking a provincial committee to take another look at how it notifies the public about convicted sex offenders being released from custody.

Kinew has written a letter to the chair of the Community Notification Advisory Committee, urging it to prioritize public safety in cases where offenders breach their bail conditions.

The letter follows the arrest of a man last week accused of hiding in a washroom stall at a Winnipeg school and grabbing a student who managed to run away.

Media reports have said the accused was a registered sex offender who had previously violated conditions to not be around children and was found at a different school earlier this year.

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The accused is not listed on Manitoba’s sex offender notification web page, which includes news releases issued when offenders deemed high-risk are released from custody.

In his letter, Kinew says the advisory committee, along with police and the justice department, should review their policies that determine when public notifications are issued.

“When a convicted sex offender breaches their bail conditions, the whole context of the bail violation should be taken into account by the (committee) and the decision to notify the public must prioritize public safety,” Kinew wrote in the letter, dated Tuesday.

“If someone on the sex offender registry violates bail at a school, it seems in situations like these the public should be notified.”

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The advisory committee’s website says the group considers several factors when deciding whether the public should be notified, including the person’s criminal record, whether they took part in any treatment programs while in custody, and what support and supervision is being offered.

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The committee has representatives from police forces, Manitoba Health, and federal and provincial correctional agencies.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives said the NDP government should take responsibility.

“It is the minister of justice who is responsible for a) not having him on the sex offender (notification) list and b) releasing him on bail,” Tory Leader Obby Khan said.

“He is the minister. The bucks stops with him.”

The province on Monday told schools to review their emergency policies on issues such as whether doors are locked and whether entrances are monitored. Schools were told to report back to the province by Dec. 25.