Message from Dr. Michael Benarroch, President and Vice-Chancellor and

Dr. Diane Hiebert-Murphy, Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

Dear UM community,

The University of Manitoba is committed to supporting the safety of our campus community, and we acknowledge the distress caused to some by yesterday’s events. Please understand, that as this is an ongoing police investigation, we are limited in our ability to comment on the matter, however we can provide the following update. 

UM Security immediately responded to the incident reported early yesterday morning, working closely with Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) to assess and address appropriately. As with any report of a potential threat to campus safety, our first priority is to secure impacted areas. UM sent out information through multiple channels including the campus loudspeaker, UM’s social media channels, umanitoba.ca, email, and UM Learn. Out of an abundance of caution and to support the WPS response efforts, UM made the decision to cancel in-person classes and exams on the Fort Garry Campus for the remainder of the day.

We are aware of concerns that information was not shared quickly enough. As with any event of this nature, we will review the effectiveness and efficiency of our relevant protocols to ensure our processes align with our commitment to a safe and supportive environment. 

In their afternoon press conference on November 19, WPS reported that there were “no injuries” and said, “we don’t have any information right now that would bring us to believe that someone was assaulted.” We continue to take this matter seriously and are cooperating fully with authorities on this ongoing investigation.

We recognize that incidents like these can cause stress and anxiety for some members of our community, especially in the context of recent events. Supports are available for students and employees who need assistance.

Sincerely,

Michael Benarroch,

President and Vice-Chancellor 

Diane Hiebert-Murphy,

Provost and Vice-President (Academic)