WINNIPEG, MB: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that lawyers funded by the Justice Centre are seeking Winnipeg Police Service records after protesters assaulted a political scientist named Dr. Frances Widdowson. Dr. Widdowson remained peaceful throughout the unprovoked attack, while police failed to attend despite receiving repeated calls.
The records are being sought on behalf of another professor, who is now challenging the decision of Manitoba’s police oversight agency not to investigate his complaint about the lack of any police response. This professor’s identity is being withheld for privacy reasons. He will be referred to hereafter as Dr. Martin.
Dr. Martin attended a Spectrum Street Epistemology exercise at the University of Winnipeg, where members of the public were invited to examine their views on important public issues, like whether “residential school denialism” is a barrier to reconciliation. Dr. Widdowson is a former Mount Royal University professor who has written extensively on indigenous policy and residential schools. She remained peaceful throughout the event.
However, hostile protesters confronted the non-violent group and tried to shut down the discussion. Unable to tolerate Dr. Widdowson’s participation in a peaceful exchange of ideas, protesters escalated their disruption into intimidation and violence. This led up to the assault on Dr. Widdowson.
Dr. Martin’s complaint explains that witnesses repeatedly called police for help as the assault and intimidation unfolded. At least eight calls were made to the Winnipeg Police Service between approximately 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. A dispatcher advised that a police car would be sent “right out,” but no officers appeared. Dr. Martin remained at the university until approximately 5:00 p.m., waiting for police who never arrived.
He then filed a complaint stating that members of the Winnipeg Police Service knew about the exercise but chose not to attend despite having been dispatched. He says that their failure to intervene was an abuse of authority and a discriminatory refusal to provide police protection based on political belief or activity.
The Law Enforcement Review Agency Commissioner determined that the matter concerned quality of service and fell outside the scope of the Law Enforcement Review Act. No investigation was carried out. Dr. Martin seeks a review of the Commissioner’s decision and now wants disclosure of police records as a preliminary step in that review. Requests for the records have already been refused twice, first on October 22, 2025, and again on June 19, 2026.
The records could show what Winnipeg police knew about the assault and intimidation, how officers responded to the repeated calls for help, whether officers were dispatched, and why no officers appeared while peaceful participants faced violence and intimidation from protesters determined to shut down the discussion.
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre argue the records are relevant and necessary to determining whether officers dispatched to the University of Winnipeg committed an abuse of authority. Constitutional lawyer Michelle Nguyen said, “Procedural fairness exists to ensure that the results of an investigation or quasi-judicial decision can be fairly relied upon with confidence; without it, the truth-seeking function and integrity of the complaint process is compromised.”
Once the disclosure issue has been determined, the review of the Commissioner’s decision not to proceed further with the complaint is expected to be heard.
The Justice Centre is Canada’s leading civil liberties organization defending Charter rights and freedoms in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion. Founded in 2010, the Justice Centre funds lawyers across Canada, relies entirely on voluntary donations to carry out its mission, and issues official tax receipts to donors.