Mayor Brian Bowman will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. Friday after he released a statement to the media decrying a “lack of public communication” by the firefighters’ union on systemic racism.
Global News will stream the press conference here.
The statement comes after a report, obtained by Global News, accused firefighters of “implicit bias” and racist attitudes after firefighters at the scene of a self-inflicted stab wound by an Indigenous woman initially refused to provide help.
Read more:
Winnipeg firefighters’ ‘racial bias’ prevented help for Indigenous patient: report
The paramedic in charge of the scene, also a person of colour, said they had to ask firefighters three times to help before one was ordered to do so by a separate firefighter.
Once in the ambulance, said the report, the firefighter refused to hold the woman’s bandage on her neck, forcing the patient to hold it herself while the paramedic had their hands full.
Bowman and Fire Chief John Lane held a press conference Wednesday about the report.
Read the mayor’s statement in full below:
“Earlier today, I wrote to the longstanding president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg (UFFW), Alex Forrest, to express my concern regarding the lack of public communication from the UFFW regarding issues of systemic racism in the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) and the UFFW.
“Combating racism, in all of its forms, requires a commitment to change by our community and, in particular, by our community leaders. The City of Winnipeg, including Council, have taken steps over the past several years to better addressing its role in becoming a city without racism.
“In the last week, I have held press conferences alongside our Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Mike Ruta and WFPS Chief John Lane regarding the findings by an independent investigator that the City retained to address issues of racism within the WFPS. In both of those press conferences, we publicly acknowledged the existence of systemic racism and the ongoing efforts underway to address it.
“I have asked Mr. Forrest, as President of the UFFW, to join the City of Winnipeg in its public efforts and speak out today to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism within the UFFW and to demonstrate what measures the UFFW has taken to date to address such issues.
“In our city, our community has expectations for emergency services and the level of service that is provided to each person who lives here. That level of expectation has been challenged and we need, as leaders, to be accountable and work together to fix this.“