Winnipeg mayor says he trusts police to fix things after trial details corruption

WINNIPEG – Winnipeg’s mayor says he has faith that the city’s police chief will root out any problems within the ranks in the wake of a trial that detailed officers getting involved in ticket fixing, drug dealing and bribery.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he is in favour of any changes that could be made to increase trust in Winnipeg police. 

“If there’s more that can and should be done to increase public confidence, then that could be pursued as well,” Gillingham said in an interview.

Gillingham didn’t offer any suggestions on what reform could look like, but expressed his trust in Chief Gene Bowers to take police misconduct seriously. 

“If there is criminal activity in the future, the chief is not gonna turn a blind eye. He is identifying this, rooting it out so that the public can have confidence in the police service.”

Last week, Elston Bostock, a 22-year veteran with the Winnipeg Police Service, was sentenced on a raft of charges, including drug trafficking and offering an indignity to human remains. 

The former constable was investigated and later arrested in 2024 after confidential sources came forward with concerns. 

In one incident, Bostock, called to attend the scene of an overdose, took photos of a partially clothed dead woman and shared them with two other officers. Court also heard that Bostock sold various drugs, including cocaine, MDMA and psilocybin, to friends and colleagues while on and off duty. 

Police found 22 instances where Bostock tried to prevent traffic tickets for friends and acquaintances from being processed by bribing other officers with liquor, cigars and gift certificates. He was successful 12 times. 

“Officers willing to void tickets are complicit in this corruption,” Court of King’s Bench Justice Kenneth Champagne said in sentencing Bostock on Friday to seven years in prison.

“The extent of police corruption is unknown.”

Bowers released a statement recognizing the case was a “stain” on the service’s reputation. A spokesperson said Bowers will be speaking with the Winnipeg Police Board in March about efforts to restore accountability and would not be commenting on the matter before then. 

The board has tasked Bowers with developing a plan that will address police misconduct in the ranks and promote accountability. 

Brandon Trask, an associate professor of law at the University of Manitoba, said reforms are needed when it comes to police accountability. 

“I have major concerns that the public will never really know the full extent of this sort of conduct within the Winnipeg Police Service, the way that things are currently structured,” Trask said in an interview.

“Looking at the situation here, it’s quite possible that a lot of this will never see the light of day. A lot could be looked at internally and the public may never know about the results of those internal processes.”

Trask said he would like to see a system in place where any significant discipline against an officer is made public similar to the way the Law Society of Manitoba and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba release the results of investigations. 

He said this would include having hearings where members of the public can attend and releasing reports to the public. 

In Manitoba, investigations into police conduct can be made public in two ways. 

The Law Enforcement Review Agency looks into municipal police complaints from the public but does not investigate criminal matters. The Independent Investigations Unit of Manitoba investigates serious incidents where police actions may have caused the death or injury of another person. 

Three other officers were arrested alongside Bostock and those cases remain before the courts.

One of them, Matthew Kadyniuk, pleaded guilty to breach of trust and theft under $5,000 this month and is to be sentenced at a later date. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.