Some businesses in Winnipeg are sounding the alarm over recent incidents of vandalism and arson.
Commonwealth Kitchen & Bar in downtown Winnipeg is one of them. Owner Nikola Maharajh says his business was hit on July 10. Vandals broke the windows of his business and threw an object on fire inside. The incident caused significant damage, including water damage to the main floor and basement.
Maharajh says it’s a major blow to business, as he’ll now have to close for six months, after only being open for a little over a year.
“That’s about half as long as we’ve been opened in the first place,” Maharajh told Global News. “And as a new restaurant, you try to pick up momentum and let people know that you (are) open.
“And then to be closed for six months — it’s pretty much like we’ll have to reopen from new again. It’s pretty awful.”
The Winnipeg Police Service has confirmed it is investigating the incident as arson.
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Maharajh says this isn’t the first time his business has been hit, either.
“It’s like, OK, we’re going to reopen and somebody is going to do the exact same thing again. It’s not like anyone is doing anything to mitigate the crime in the downtown. It’s only getting worse,” he said.
“This is the worst damage we’ve had, but it’s not the first damage we’ve had.”
Shaun Jeffrey, the chief executive officer of the Manitoba & Restaurant Foodservices Association, says incidents like this leave a devastating impact on small businesses.
“It’s monumental. It’s almost door-closing,” Jeffrey said. “Because our industry has never seen a time when we’ve been less profitable, obviously post-pandemic, and still struggling to get out of that hole that the pandemic put our industry in.”
Jeffrey says there needs to be more supports in place to help small businesses prevent and recover from crime. He wants to see the province expedite the security rebate program that was included in the 2025 provincial budget.
“Crime does not take a day off, and our industry does not take a day off,” he said. “So we need to move forward and have some sort of indication of what that pathway looks like.”
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