Steinbach’s Jake Epp Library sees drug use, violent incidents spike

Steinbach’s library is seeking security improvements after staff have faced rising drug use and violence, forcing employees to respond to overdoses and close off part of the library.

The Jake Epp Library began locking its bathroom doors, closing off its hobby corner and conducting bag checks in March in response to violent incidents and increased drug use inside the space.

Library director Aubrey Walker said staff have received extra training on how to use Naloxone and to respond to crisis events, despite it not being part of their job description.

“We aren’t really paid the big bucks to work at the library. Sometimes that big level of responsibility that you really feel in caring for the community in that way can be quite stressful,” she said.

The library has seen 72 incidents between January 2025 and April 2026, according to internal data provided to The Carillon. Five of those involved violence or weapons, seven were on drugs or alcohol, 13 were harassment and nine were vandalism. First-responders, including police and paramedics, were called at least six times, with calls ranging from overdoses to removing someone from the building. February and March were the worst months on record, with 12 reports for the former and 26 for the latter.

Walker said at some points, staff dealt with multiple incidents in one day, including fights between patrons. The hobby corner was closed to the public and bathrooms were locked because staff found “drug paraphernalia,” she said. People now have to come to the circulation desk to ask for a bathroom key for access. Walker said the front desk has poor sight-lines to the hobby corner, making it difficult to monitor.

While there are enough staff and volunteers to walk around the library, she’s found that it doesn’t make a difference because people hide whatever drugs they have when someone comes by.

The library policy has also been changed on March 18 to not allow sleeping in the building.

Walker said security cameras, which would cost roughly $15,000, is the next long-term measure the library is considering when addressing the safety concerns and help with deterrence.

“We can’t be all places at once, and it can be very tricky once something does happen to follow through, if you don’t have any security camera footage or anything like that,” she said.

If the library were to hire a security guard, that would sacrifice potential wages for new library staff.

Included in the library’s 2026-2030 strategic plan, administration plans to improve parking lot lighting, building signage, install a safety button at the front desk to discretely call first-responders and restructure the main entrance to improve visibility.

Walker noticed many vulnerable people would leave the library to get warm at the Southeast Event Centre and then return to the library.

“It seems a little bit cyclical when they (homeless people) go to one place, and then they find that they can’t stay there, then they’ll find another place to be,” she said.

Also included in the strategic plan is developing partnerships with charities, such as Steinbach Community Outreach and Steinbach Family Resource Centre, to help connect patrons with resources or bring supports to them.

Walker said Steinbach needs both an overnight warming shelter and transitional housing to help vulnerable people.

“We’re a growing city, and along with that comes the need for growing resources to match it,” Walker said.

Troy Luke, vice-president of the Manitoba Library Association, was alarmed when hearing about the high number of incidents.

“None of us are trained social workers…the fact they (Steinbach librarians) still come in every day and put on a tough face and just truck away at it, is really admirable,” he said.

He said library safety has become a provincewide issue. The root causes of poverty, such as homelessness, addiction and mental health, need to be addressed to address the rising safety concerns in libraries long-term, Luke said.

“We could try banning them all, and we can try, you know, enforcing trespasses with more draconian measures,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s who we want to be. I don’t know if that’s even a long term answer. It just means they move on to another place and repeat the cycle.”

Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk said he is aware of the incidents. Steinbach received $200,000 from the province last week to improve community safety, and some of that money will be directed to the library, he said, but he doesn’t know how much.

While funding is an important step, Funk said there needs to be a long-term solution to address why homeless people are going to the library.

“The worst thing is to kick this can down the road,” he said. “So now we make the library safe, and now they’ll go somewhere else.”

He said resources for homeless people are needed to prevent more incidents from happening. City council will consider possible projects once the library board sends a list, Funk said.