A new Bomber home?
Canad Inns to buy former Canada Packers site in St. Boniface for $1 million
Sat Mar 31 2007 | By Bartley Kives | Winnipeg Free Press
THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a potential new home in St. Boniface, as the City of Winnipeg prepares to sell the old Canada Packers site to the Canad Inns hotel chain for $1 million.
Canad Inns and development agency Entreprises Riel want to build a "destination retail and attraction complex" in St. Boniface that would include an indoor sports and entertainment venue, a four-star hotel with 200 rooms, a 50,000-square-foot water park, a health-and-wellness centre, restaurants, bars and up to 200,000 square feet of retail space, according to confidential city documents.
The joint proposal by Canad Inns and Entreprises Riel was one of three bids for an empty tract of industrial land officially known as the Public Markets, formerly home to meat processor Canada Packers.
The Canad Inns/Entreprises Riel proposal narrowly edged out a plan by developers Terracon and Landstar to create a mixed-use commercial, retail, recreation and entertainment district on the Public Markets site.
A third bid for the site, which was not short-listed by city planners, called for a 300,000-square-foot indoor equestrian centre and outdoor riding trails.
City council's property subcommittee will meet in private on Tuesday morning to approve the Public Markets sale, which must also gain the assent of Mayor Sam Katz's cabinet and city council as a whole.
Plans for Canada Packers
THREE proposals received by the city to redevelop the St. Boniface site officially known as the Public Markets.
1. RETAIL & ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX
THE DEVELOPERS: Hotel chain Canad Inns and non-profit southeast Winnipeg development agency Enterprises Riel.
THE PROPOSAL: A four-star hotel with 200 rooms, a water park, a health and wellness centre, restaurants, bars and an indoor sports and entertainment complex. The developers would buy the Public Markets from the city for $1 million.
THE DECISION: City planners chose this proposal over the other bids.
2. MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT
THE DEVELOPERS: Terracon and Landstar.
THE PROPOSAL: A mixed-use development "that would include employment, business, sports, recreation, entertainment, retail and commercial uses."
THE DECISION: Short-listed by city planners, but edged out by Canad Inns/Enterprises Riel.
3. EQUESTRIAN CENTRE
THE DEVELOPER: Winnipeg Equestrian Centre
THE PROPOSAL: An indoor riding area, an outdoor event facility with stands, turnout pens, riding trails and commercial/retail space for the equine industry.
THE DECISION: Not shortlisted by city planners.
The timeline:
The twists and turns on the road to redeveloping the Public Markets, a tract of industrial land in St. Boniface more commonly known as the old Canada Packers site.
2001: Derelict structures on the former Canada Packers site are demolished.
2004: Roseau River First Nation approaches the City of Winnipeg about establishing an urban aboriginal economic development zone on the site.
2005: Former St. Boniface Coun. Franco Magnifico champions a plan to build a $70-million sportsplex on the site.
FEBRUARY 2006: Mayor Sam Katz's cabinet votes to move a public works yards onto the site, as funding for the sportsplex fails to materialize.
MARCH 2006: City council reverses the decision on the public works yard, following pleas by Canad Inns president Leo Ledohowski and others. The Public Markets are declared surplus and open to new developments. Rumours about a football stadium on the site first emerge.
APRIL 2006: The city agrees to sell eight hectares of Public Markets land to Roseau River First Nation.
JULY 2006: Deadline closes for proposals to redevelop the Public Markets.
SEPTEMBER 2006: News leaks out of David Asper's proposal to build a new, uncovered stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the existing site of Canad Inns Stadium.
OCTOBER 2006: The city cancels its agreement with Roseau River, claiming financing conditions had not been met.
JANUARY 2007: David Asper makes his plans for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers public.
MARCH 2007: City planners recommend the city sell the Public Markets site to the Canad Inns hotel chain and Enterprises Riel for $1 million. Their proposal includes a plan for a covered sports and entertainment complex.
The Public Markets, which lie east of rue Archibald and south of Marion Street, have sat empty since 2001 and were declared surplus by the city in 2006.
Last April, the city agreed to sell eight hectares of the land to the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, which planned to develop an urban aboriginal economic zone on the site. But the city cancelled the agreement in October, claiming financing conditions had not been met.
As a result, a city call for proposals to develop the rest of the site was expanded to include land once set aside for Roseau River.
City planners chose the Canad Inns/Entreprises Riel plan over the equestrian centre and Terracon/Landstar proposals because Canad Inns' offer of $1 million in cash "represents the best value to the taxpayers, which is in the best strategic and financial interests of the city," according to city documents.
Canad Inns president and CEO Leo Ledohowski could not be reached for comment on Friday. Entreprises Riel director Norm Gousseau declined to comment, noting his organization is assisting Canad Inns, but would not be contributing capital to the project, at least in the short term.
But Gousseau did say Canad Inns and Entreprises Riel would go ahead with their plan for the Public Markets even if the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team does not move to St. Boniface.
The Winnipeg Football Club is in the midst of assessing proposals to build a new venue to replace Canad Inns Stadium, which is 54 years old and doesn't have enough retail and concession space to provide the team the revenue it needs to make a profit.
The football club's directors are considering at least two proposals, including a move to a covered stadium in St. Boniface -- favoured by Canad Inns -- and a more heavily publicized plan backed by CanWest Global executive David Asper.
A map shows the location east of rue Archibald and south of Marion Street.
Asper wants to build a new, $145-million football stadium/retail complex on the current site of Canad Inns Stadium as part of a plan that would have him assume control of the football club. Asper would invest $40 million of his own money into the stadium and another $25 million into an adjoining commercial development, while asking the provincial and federal governments to contribute $40 million each.
The cost of the Canad Inns/Entreprises Riel proposal is not listed in city documents and Gousseau did not put a price tag on the project, with or without a covered stadium.
When the MTS Centre was built, the city and province agreed to a non-competition clause that prevents both levels of government from funding or approving any new indoor sports and entertainment venue in Winnipeg. But officials with the hockey arena have said they would have no problem with a covered venue that is much larger than MTS Centre, because it would attract different types of events.
How Canad Inns or the Winnipeg Football Club would pay for a new stadium at the Public Markets is unknown. The Bombers could ask the city for permission to sell land the club currently leases in the valuable Polo Park commercial district -- and then combine the proceeds from the sale with government funding and mortgage financing.
In the past, Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz has repeatedly said the city will not give the football team any more money, after already granting the club a 50-year lease for $1, a property-tax exemption, entertainment tax revenue and all proceeds from concessions and parking.
On Friday, Katz said he has no knowledge of any formal proposal to build a football stadium in St. Boniface.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
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