New RCMP Staff Sergeant addresses street racing with City Council

The new Staff Sergeant for Steinbach RCMP was officially introduced to Steinbach City Council this week.

Guy Landreville has been an officer for 35 years. His first posting was at the McLennan detachment in Alberta from 1988 to 1993. He made several other stops in that province before landing in St. Pierre in 2020, where he served as Staff Sergeant until transferring to Steinbach in April. 

In addressing Council Tuesday night, Landreville made it clear that he understands that street racing is a big problem in Steinbach. Landreville says this is only his third week on the job and already there have been numerous tickets issued for racing and other infractions along Steinbach's Main Street.

He notes on the weekend of April 14-16, two men were fined $672 each for street racing. They also had their driver's license suspended for seven days, had their vehicle impounded for seven days and will have a license review by Manitoba Public Insurance. 

The following weekend, two different teenage motorists were ticketed for careless driving on Main Street. In one incident, an 18-year-old male was doing donuts at Solomon's parking lot. Both drivers were issued tickets worth $672 and had their license sent to Manitoba Public Insurance for review.

"I'm very impressed right off the hop," says Landreville. "My third week and already the stats speak for themselves."

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra is Chair of the city's RCMP Advisory Committee. Zwaagstra says he is pleased to know that traffic enforcement will continue to be a priority of the new Staff Sergeant.

"By all means, keep on catching these racers, give them the maximum," Zwaagstra says. "This is not a time for warnings. This has been an issue for a long time. So, keep up the good work that's already started."

Landreville encourages anyone witnessing street racing in Steinbach to contact police or Crime Stoppers. And, if the incident is putting lives at risk, he also invites people to call 911. Landreville suggests providing as much information as possible, including license plate number. He notes if the driver cannot be identified, they can still charge the registered owner. Sometimes that ends up being the child of the registered owner who did not realize what their son or daughter was doing with their vehicle. Landreville says that can then sometimes take care of the problem. 

Landreville has also provided a staffing update to Steinbach City Council. He says there were some provincial traffic members whose main objective was the Perimeter Highway. Within the last month, their work has shifted back to the southeast. Landreville says these five members, paid for by the province, are now handling traffic initiatives in the Steinbach area. He explains two are fully operational, a third will be fully operational within the next month, and the other two will probably be returning to work in a few months. 

Meanwhile, Steinbach City Council has now approved its police priorities for the next year. They are: visibility of police, addressing organized crime, dealing with property crimes and traffic enforcement.