Manitoba PCs promise community safety measures in final week of election campaign

The Manitoba Progressive Conservatives have their sights on safety entering the final full week of campaigning ahead of the Oct. 3 provincial vote.

Leader Heather Stefanson promised Monday morning in Brandon that a re-elected Tory government would spend $2 million to expand the Downtown Community Safety Partnership program to that city.

The program, currently serving downtown Winnipeg, helps people in need through a partnership of business stakeholders, police and different levels of government.

Meanwhile in Winnipeg, Kevin Klein, the Tory candidate for Kirkfield Park, pledged to tackle street racing.

A Progressive Conservative government would spend $1 million to install special camera technology to identify high-speed offenders and monitor noise levels in areas where street racing is a problem, he said.

Klein also promised $100,000 to start a public education campaign to promote safer alternatives, such as the Gimli Motorsports Park.

Later Monday, Steinbach candidate Kelvin Goertzen said a re-elected Tory government would set up a $3-million annual fund to prevent and address retail crime.

Goertzen said hotels, restaurants and retail businesses would be able to apply for money from the fund to install security measures like alarms and cameras or to get help having vandalism like graffiti removed or repaired.

Late Monday afternoon, Stefanson pledged $5 million to help redevelop the aging arena at the Brandon Sportsplex, along with $100 million to support Brandon's Arts, Culture and Sport in Community funding program, which funds community sports programs and cultural centres.