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opinion

FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press

Air Canada's decision to ban its flight crews from staying in Winnipeg's downtown out of concern for their safety is wrong-headed.



Manitoba's capital does have the highest rate of homicide and robbery in the country, but it is no Kabul. In fact, the eight largest American cities had higher rates of homicide per 100,000 than Winnipeg.



Air Canada employees, some of whom fly all over the world, are sophisticated and savvy enough to know to take precautions against possible muggings or other incidents of crime.



Air Canada's widely circulated letter of explanation is so tone-deaf it has prompted accusations of racism. The internal memo justified the re-location of flights crews on Winnipeg layovers to a hotel near the airport because "several downtown locations are susceptible to crimes of violence and opportunity" due to intoxicated people displaced by "recent environmental issues."



This was understood to be a reference to the fact that about 700 First Nations residents displaced by recent flooding are living in downtown hotels. Air Canada quickly offered an apology for this intemperate remark, following concerns voiced by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who suggested linking displaced aboriginals with a heightened security risk is racist.



The airline was right to apologize. But it must go further. It must reverse its edict. Flight crews should once again be allowed to stay in hotels in Winnipeg's downtown core. The city has worked hard to revitalize this much-maligned area, and it is undergoing a period of renewal thanks to the return of the NHL team, the Jets who will play in the downtown MTS Centre. Some categories of crimes in Winnipeg have actually declined in recent years. Airline employees can take appropriate safeguards to lessen their risk of crime -- and still enjoy all that the city has to offer.

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