Community group's river boat to patrol Winnipeg waterways to help people in need

A Winnipeg community group hopes to provide support for people who live along the city's riverbanks via its newly purchased boat.

The non-profit organization CommUnity204, which aims to support homeless communities in Winnipeg, will soon launch a river watch program, where a team will patrol the Red River and offer help to those who need it.

"We're making sure that we have basic needs for folks that might need it," said Daniel Hidalgo, the organization's founder and a former Winnipeg firefighter with water rescue training.

The boat will carry food, water, harm reduction supplies and safety equipment. Hidalgo said the idea was inspired by Drag the Red, a community volunteer organization that uses a boat to search the Red River for signs of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. 

It formed in 2014, following the discovery of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine's body in the Red River.

"When we were out on the river during our time supporting Drag the Red … there [were] also a lot of other risks that were presenting themselves," Hidalgo told CBC's Chloe Friesen on Up to Speed on Friday. 

"We were encountering a lot of the encampment folks fulfilling some of their basic needs in the water, whether that was consuming and bathing or just being in the water, or maybe even too close."

Hidalgo said they noticed other safety concerns, like children playing unattended too close to the water.

The team is made up of 22 staff, each with their own boating licence. Hidalgo said they hope to work alongside the city's first responders when situations are beyond their scope.

The group, which includes staff who work with at-risk youth, also plans to bring students aboard for river tours to give them a chance to learn about advocacy and volunteerism.

"It just allows them to form connections and to fulfil that gap within themselves, which is often the longing and desire to belong to something, something positive," said Hidalgo, who also co-founded the Sabe Peace Walkers patrol group.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to 35 calls for service so far this year for incidents within about 25 metres of the Red or Assiniboine rivers, according to data from a city spokesperson.

Last year, there were 238 calls.

The calls were related to a variety of incidents, including fires, water rescues or medical emergencies, the city spokesperson said.

CommUnity204's boat is expected to hit the water in the next couple of weeks.