Shattered Glass, Sealed Lips: Why Is There Still No Transparency at NDP Minister Bernadette Smith’s Constituency Office?

More than a week has gone by since The Daily Scrum News first reported that Minister Bernadette Smith’s constituency office at 804 Selkirk Avenue was boarded up and shut down without any explanation. Since that time, our newsroom has made multiple formal inquiries to the Minister’s office and the Manitoba Legislature’s security chain of command—yet not one official has issued a public statement or answered a single question.

What exactly took place inside that building? Who was involved? And why the total blackout from everyone responsible for ensuring the safety and transparency of a public, taxpayer-funded office?

We were back at the scene again on Monday around 2:00 p.m., where we observed two individuals waiting outside the closed office. We asked them why they were there and whether they were aware of the incident that had taken place. Their answer was clear: they didn’t know. And moments later, two officers from Legislative Security arrived and escorted them into the building.

It is deeply alarming that individuals were being escorted into a constituency office that had been visibly damaged and closed without having any knowledge of what went down just days earlier.

Shortly after, Minister Bernadette Smith arrived, accompanied by what appeared to be a staffer. She entered the building with the person accompanied her. We had no opportunity to speak with her directly, and her office has yet to respond to a single inquiry—now more than a week old.

We spoke with multiple community members who live nearby. They told us that all the windows and doors had been smashed in the days before the boards went up. Others went further and alleged that a serious incident took place inside the office. At this point, we still have not been able to confirm the exact details of what occurred because no official source has been willing to provide any clarity.

That’s not just suspicious—it’s unacceptable.

To get answers, we reached out to the Chief Legislative Security Officer, Scott Selfby, and were directed to Sergeant-at-Arms Dave Shuttleworth, who oversees security for all MLA offices across Manitoba. We submitted a formal list of questions and asked for a response by 4:00 p.m. The deadline passed with no reply. We followed up again and extended the deadline to the following morning. Still—no response.

We also spoke directly with Rob Lockhart, the Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms, who acknowledged our call and asked for our questions to be sent by email. We did so. We also CC’d all legislative security officials involved. And again—no reply. No statement. No information.

Separately, we contacted the Winnipeg Police Service to determine whether any emergency calls or units were dispatched to 804 Selkirk Avenue between June 19th and June 21st—the period during which the office was reportedly vandalized and boarded up. Their response? They received no calls, made no dispatches, and have no record of being involved.

So now we are forced to ask outright:

If all the windows and doors of a government office were smashed, why wasn’t it treated as a police matter? Why weren’t the Winnipeg Police called? Who made the decision to keep this an internal Legislative Security issue? And is that even legal?

And perhaps most pressing: What really happened inside that office?

The silence is deafening—and the implications are serious.

In addition to these unanswered questions, there’s another issue that’s been quietly circulating for years: community allegations that Minister Smith does not live in the Point Douglas riding she represents. While we are not confirming that claim, we can confirm this: Minister Smith has never responded to our direct questions about her current residency—whether she lives inside the riding or outside of it.

That matters. Representation isn’t just about holding office—it’s about presence, accessibility, and accountability. Especially in a riding like Point Douglas, which faces some of the highest rates of poverty, housing insecurity, and addiction in the province. For residents in crisis, that MLA office is more than a political extension—it’s their only connection to government support.

But today, that office is silent. It’s boarded up. It’s guarded by legislative security. And it’s closed to the public with no explanation, no signage, and no formal statement from anyone involved.

Even more troubling is the fact that Minister Smith has continued to post unrelated content on her official pages, while remaining entirely silent about the state of her constituency office. Not one word about the damage. Not one word about alternative contact methods. Not one word for the people who voted for her and who are now left with nowhere to turn.

Under Manitoba’s guidelines for constituency offices, MLAs are expected to maintain clear communication with the public—especially regarding office closures or safety concerns. That standard has clearly not been met in this case. The people of Point Douglas deserve to know what happened. They deserve to know if their MLA is still serving them. And they deserve to know why no one is willing to say a word.

This is not how transparent government is supposed to function. This is not the level of access or honesty promised by elected officials—especially those who claim to stand with the people.

We are not making accusations. We are simply asking the questions that Minister Smith and Manitoba’s security officials refuse to answer.

The Daily Scrum News will continue to investigate this story, press for answers, and hold those in power accountable. The public deserves to know what happened inside that office—and why no one wants to talk about it.