Police board approves joint letter seeking bail reform

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This article was published 08/02/2025 (301 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Police Board has approved a resolution to draft a joint letter with Brandon City Council urging immediate bail reform at the federal and provincial levels.

The decision, made during the board’s meeting on Friday afternoon, will see the letter sent to federal Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani, Premier Wab Kinew and provincial Justice Minister Matt Wiebe, said board chair Deb Arpin.

“The board is calling on both the federal and provincial governments to change how bail is granted based on concerns over recent incidents involving individuals out on bail across the province,” she said.

If the joint letter does not result in legislative changes, Arpin said the board would continue to lobby both levels of government on the issue.

“It’s been on the table with the federal and provincial governments for a couple of years now,” she said. “Now it’s just time they move on it.”

The approval is a crucial first step in addressing community safety concerns, said Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6), who sponsored the resolution.

“I look at this as a two-step process,” Luebke said during an interview on Friday. “First, presenting to the police board and securing their support for the resolution and letter. Next, I will bring the same resolution to city council at our Feb. 18 meeting. Once city council also approves it, we can formally send the letter and resolution to both the federal and provincial governments.”

Luebke acknowledged that municipalities have limited authority to enact legislative changes, but emphasized the importance of advocacy.

“We can’t directly change bail laws, but we can advocate and apply pressure to ensure the concerns of our community are heard,” he said.

During his presentation, Luebke said that the police have been dealing with more than 1,000 charges a year related to breaches of court orders.

“The data shows that breaches of bail conditions continue to be a significant drain on police resources,” he said. “A large portion of incidents detailed in police media releases involve individuals reoffending while on bail.”

Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said he supports the initiative.

“It’s always concerning when people who are the subject of bail conditions violate them and place the community at risk,” he said. “What’s particularly alarming right now is the random and indiscriminate nature of some of these incidents.”

Bates highlighted two recent cases — one where a woman was attacked in an elevator by an offender already on bail for a previous assault and the other, which occurred just two days later, where a man was assaulted with a baseball bat by an individual who had been released from custody the day before.

“These are unprovoked, violent attacks on unsuspecting citizens,” Bates said. “It’s something that should concern all of us.”

Arpin questioned whether a letter alone would be sufficient or if stronger measures, such as a press conference, should be considered. Luebke said that the letter could be part of a broader advocacy effort and pointed to the leadership of Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox in pushing for bail reform.

“If we can align with other municipalities and be part of a collective voice, that only strengthens our advocacy,” Luebke said.

Another board member Coun. Barry Cullen (Ward 3) also expressed his support for the initiative.

“I think the letter is a strong statement at this point,” Cullen said. “It places our concerns on record and signals that we want to see action taken.”

The letter proposed letter will now go before Brandon City Council at its Feb. 18 meeting, where Luebke hopes to gain further support.

“Our goal is to improve safety in our community,” Luebke said. “Bail reform is an important step toward that.”

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