$2.5M set aside for safety measures at Millennium Library

The City of Winnipeg is setting aside money to bolster safety at the Millennium Library following a recent suicide.

The budget unveiled Friday allocates $2.5 million for “safety improvements” to the downtown library, including a redesign of the third and fourth floors.

On Aug. 6, a 40-year-old man died after jumping over the railing on the fourth floor. It was near the same area where a 25-year-old man died by suicide in 2017.

In September, the city erected metal fencing on the third and fourth floors after the August tragedy. At the time, the city said the fencing would remain in place until a permanent fix was found.

Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500, which represents library staff, called the budget measures a step in the right direction.