Quote:
Originally Posted by Authentic_City
I'm not really sure what can be done, but it feel like we don't have much upward momentum right now.
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I agree. I think part of my assessment is rooted in the fact that Winnipeg is standing outside the party looking in when it comes to improvements downtown across Canada. Yes things have improved since, say, 1998, but really only marginally.
There was a good decade-long run of momentum from around the time that MTS Centre opened and work began on Hydro, until a few years ago when CMHR opened and TNS/300 Main were announced. It felt like things were moving in the right direction. But since then things have kind of flatlined, and we haven't seen a ton of improvement with existing buildings... really other than a few new restaurants and cafes here and there, there have been almost no new storefront businesses that have opened their doors over the last decade.
As I said, I think this is all exacerbated by the impressive growth and improvement in other Canadian downtowns. When you travel elsewhere, even to smaller cities, it's hard to shake the feeling that we've been left out. there have been some marginal improvements but things really don't feel like they've changed in a major way over the last 15 years, unlike what we've seen in so many other cities where condo towers are rising and shops are opening.
And as for panhandling, I'm not sure why that keeps getting trotted out in reports as it barely rates mentioning IMO. Of all the problems there are, this one is minor.