Manitoba Hydro hiring special security officers for downtown headquarters

Manitoba Hydro is hiring three institutional safety officers to start training next week. CTV’s Jeff Keele has the latest.

Manitoba Hydro has announced some security upgrades for their downtown headquarters building, following the assault of an employee in the public atrium.

Three institutional safety officers (ISOs) are being hired and will start training next week to work at Manitoba Hydro’s headquarters on Portage Avenue.

Security guards are already stationed in the atrium. The ISOs have specialized training and carry handcuffs and pepper gel.

Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said this is the first new tool in their toolbox to improve the safety and security situation at Manitoba Hydro Place.

“They have defensive weapons and they have the authority and the ability to safely affect and arrest if necessary, whatever is necessary to maintain a safe situation,” Chura said.

This comes after an employee was assaulted by a man with a knife last Friday while leaving work.

However, the Crown corporation and the province said the move to expand the safety officer program to Manitoba Hydro was already in the works. A Jan. 14 regulatory change by the province allowed for the expansion of the officers to Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Housing.

In previous years, ISOs started patrolling at the University of Manitoba and Health Sciences Centre.

Beyond the three officers at the downtown Manitoba Hydro building, there is also a plan to have more in place at other facilities to protect Hydro infrastructure.

“Manitoba Justice has been in continual conversations across Manitoba around ways to expand the safety officer programs,” said a spokesperson for Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

Michelle Bergen, the president of CUPE Local 998, which represents Manitoba Hydro employees, welcomed the announcement.

“We support the rollout starting with the three officers at Manitoba Hydro, but I know it is successful in HSC,” Bergen said.

Since the assault, the doors have been locked to the public at Manitoba Hydro Place, while other security changes are explored to the building’s layout.

“When this building initially opened it was intended as a public space and it’s operated as a public space for years so we want to return to that to whatever extent is possible, without compromising safety,” Chura said.