Winnipeg | Naawi-Oodena | Kapyong Barracks Redevelopment

[BlackDog204]

When is this project going to get off the ground? It's been sitting vacant for 30 years.

[trueviking]

Soon.

[Wpg_Guy]

Ottawa adds $800K to Naawi-Oodena design
South Winnipeg development nears ‘next step in the path forward’ with strip mall construction on horizon
By: Gabrielle Piché
Posted: Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

Ottawa is laying nearly $800,000 as groundwork to further develop Canada’s largest urban reserve, located in Winnipeg on the former Kapyong barracks land.

The space where Mandy Gull-Masty made the announcement Thursday was recently developed. Motorists fuelled up at Oodena Gas & Convenience — the area’s first business — steps from where Canada’s Indigenous services minister took the podium.

But to Gull-Masty’s left was a barricaded construction zone. Further, across Kenaston Boulevard, was a yet-to-be-developed field.



The federal government’s funding will be spent on Naawi-Oodena’s infrastructure design costs, including site servicing, engineering and surveying, Gull-Masty said.

Over the coming decades, the area is planned to become a billion-dollar development across 109 acres. It runs along Kenaston Boulevard, just north of Grant Avenue to south of Taylor Avenue.

“When you’re really looking into the design, (that’s) what drives the next step in the path forward,” Gull-Masty said.

Ottawa’s contribution will cover 45 per cent of overall design costs, per Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon BlueSky, chairperson of Treaty One Nations.

Treaty One Development Corp. (T1DC) controls the majority of Naawi-Oodena lands (65 per cent; Canada Lands Co., a federal Crown, owns 35 per cent). The corporation, which encompasses the seven Treaty 1 signatories and is Treaty One Nations’ economic development arm, will pay for further design costs via debt financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank and its own source revenue, BlueSky said.

Designs will outline roads, lighting, infrastructure, water, sewer and below-ground construction on 92 acres.

“From our perspective, these lands only become more valuable with having those,” he said.

Two-thirds of the design should be completed by spring, per Kathleen BlueSky, T1DC chief executive (and Chief BlueSky’s spouse).

At that point, a new phase of development should begin, she said.

Construction is ongoing near Oodena Gas & Convenience, which opened at 1871 Taylor Ave., in June. Workers will begin building a strip mall by the gas station in the coming weeks.

“We’re just working on a potential… health clinic,” Kathleen BlueSky said, considering the incoming tenants.

Eighty per cent of the building is taken, she added. She anticipates the new strip mall will open in February or March.



Construction on an apartment complex by Taylor Avenue, on the west side of Kenaston Boulevard, should begin in September, she relayed.

Treaty One Development Corp., has been working with engineering firm Tetra Tech.

T1DC and Canada Lands are jointly overseeing the design work and cost-sharing in a way reflecting land ownership, Kathleen BlueSky said.

“We want to have one seamless community,” she added. “We’re doing that work together to make sure the design is as efficient as possible.”

Planning sessions included discussions on tariff impacts before Canada and the United States fired levies at one another. Developers will have to pay higher costs in some cases, but often suppliers are Canadian, she said.

Plans for Naawi-Oodena include some 5,000 housing units and commercial, education, recreational and health spaces.

Politicians including Liberal MP Ben Carr (Winnipeg South Centre) and Sagkeeng First Nation Chief E.J. Fontaine (T1DC president) praised the development as a testament of economic reconciliation.

Ottawa’s total support for Naawi-Oodena’s infrastructure design, including Thursday’s announcement, is $1 million. It’s spent around $5.5 million on overall planning, training and site development.

Winnipeg Free Press

[Mr Tall Forehead]

No picture, but I noticed there are piles currently being driven on the north side of Taylor, a little west of Kenaston.

It looks like the land is Treaty One and in the area identified as 'Cultural Campus and Education' on the Naawi-Oodena master plan.

https://treaty1.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Kapyong-Barracks-Master-Plan.pdf

[Biff]

9 storey, 260 unit multi-family.

Bockstael is the contractor. The architect is Number 9 or 11 Architecture (I can't remember correctly).

[ColdRain&Snow]

Originally Posted by Biff

9 storey, 260 unit multi-family.

Bockstael is the contractor. The architect is Number 9 or 11 Architecture (I can't remember correctly).

Wow, haven't heard anything about this yet. I guess the buildings don't have to go through the municipal approval process because it's on reserve land?

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by ColdRain&Snow

Wow, haven't heard anything about this yet. I guess the buildings don't have to go through the municipal approval process because it's on reserve land?

That’s correct, T1DC has their own jurisdiction over the land use including bylaws and zoning that are independent from the City of Winnipeg.

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by Biff

9 storey, 260 unit multi-family.

Bockstael is the contractor. The architect is Number 9 or 11 Architecture (I can't remember correctly).

I'm pretty sure the architect behind it is Binary Architects.

[trueviking]

^binary meaning one and zero? I like that actually. Clever nickname.

I’m surprised They didn’t do a press release and make a big deal about it.

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by trueviking

^binary meaning one and zero? I like that actually. Clever nickname.

I’m surprised they didn’t do a press release and make a big deal about it.

[Glenn99]

Driving by yesterday and noticed a large number of piles driven on the northwest corner of Kenaston and Taylor. Has anything been announced for that corner?

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Glenn99

Driving by yesterday and noticed a large number of piles driven on the northwest corner of Kenaston and Taylor. Has anything been announced for that corner?

It was mentioned a few posts above.

Originally Posted by Biff

9 storey, 260 unit multi-family.

Bockstael is the contractor. The architect is Number 9 or 11 Architecture (I can't remember correctly).

[Glenn99]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

It was mentioned a few posts above.

Missed that. Thanks!

[Wpg_Guy]

Ottawa building affordable housing on former Kapyong Barracks land it still owns
By: Scott Billeck
Posted: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

The former Kapyong Barracks site — known as Naawi-Oodena — has been identified as one of the locations where the federal government plans to build thousands of affordable housing units under its newly created Build Canada Homes agency.

Winnipeg is among six cities — alongside Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Dartmouth, N.S., and Longueuil, Que. — where federal land will be used to “supercharge” construction, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced.

Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation, has 32 per cent of the 160-acre property, abandoned in 2004, which runs on the west side of Kenaston Boulevard between Grant and Taylor avenues and a portion of the east side, as well.



The remaining 111 acres, or 68 per cent of the site, was repatriated by a consortium of seven First Nations. Following a 2019 land transfer agreement, the group formally established Naawi-Oodena as Canada’s largest urban reserve in 2022.

“If we can work together to expand housing in Canada, that’s great news,” Premier Wab Kinew said at an unrelated event Thursday. “We’ve got a growing economy, and this one cuts both ways… the real estate market here is very hot, which is good news for the economy and not so good news if you’re trying to buy a house right now.

“So let’s keep building our economy and make sure we’re adding housing.”

Kinew didn’t know how many homes would be built at the site, but said the need is huge.

“If the federal government can help add according to need, that’s going to really help Manitoba’s economy grow, but also keep things affordable for the future home owner,” he said.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said the chosen site from the federal government is a good one because it’s a blank canvas, but reiterated the need for housing across the city.

“It’s not just one location where we need it,” he said.

“We’ve talked about that consistently. We are working as a city to partner with the province of Manitoba on getting housing built. That’s in a hearing, so that’s all I’ll say about that.”

Gillingham said the city has used most of the $122.4 million in funding from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, which was announced in 2023 with annual $30.6-million installments, as long as the city reached certain targets.

Under the agreement, the city must support the creation of 14,101 housing units by 2027, including at least 931 designated as affordable. In the first year, Winnipeg’s target was 3,733 permits, but the city exceeded that goal with approvals for more than 4,300 units.

“But we need more (housing) right now,” Gillingham said. “We need more housing built across the city.”



In a release, Carney said the Build Canada Homes agency will transform the way government works with the private sector to build. The agency has been allocated $13 billion to accelerate the construction of affordable homes as the country grapples with a deepening housing crisis.

“We will create an entirely new housing industry using Canadian technology, Canadian workers and Canadian resources — and give builders the tools they need to build more, build sustainably and build at scale,” he said.

Construction on the first units is expected to begin next year.

Build Canada Homes defines “affordable housing” according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s standard: housing that costs less than 30 per cent of a household’s pre-tax income.

In addition, the agency will manage a $1-billion fund for transitional housing projects designed to support people at risk of homelessness.

Build Canada Homes will serve as the federal government’s lead agency on affordable housing initiatives.

— with files from Joyanne Pursaga

Winnipeg Free Press

[The Unknown Poster]

Does planning include land the city would need to expand Kenaston? That seemed to be a pretty big part of the mayors campaign.

[trueviking]

Unless the mayor can convince uncle Carney that getting to ikea faster is a project of national importance so he chokes up half a billion or so, it ain’t happening anytime soon.

But yes. The planning includes a payment or land swap for the anticipated land.

[Kresimir]

Anyone know if any of the building for this have been announced? Was looking at the speculative renderings and i really feel like there's a big missed opportunity to do more euro-style courtyard blocks here rather than conventional double-leaded corridor apartments

[trueviking]

Can I interest you in a double loaded corridor with a courtyard?

[Wpg_Guy]

Naawi-Oodena takes another step toward development of 300-plus homes
At least 40% of homes built by federal government priced below market value
CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2025 1:28 PM CST

he first steps were taken on Wednesday toward building affordable housing on the former Kapyong Barracks site in southwest Winnipeg.

A number of Manitoba Liberal MPs, along with Mayor Scott Gillingham, announced the process has begun to find potential contractors for 320 homes earmarked for a section of the massive Naawi-Oodena site.

"This is a proud moment for Winnipeg and a model for how we can keep building our city in a responsible and affordable manner and doing so together," Gillingham said at a news conference on Block C of the site — south of Taylor Avenue near Morpeth Boulevard.

"Naawi-Oodena shows us what's possible when all levels of government, Indigenous governments included, share a common vision — a vision of growth, a vision to build housing, infrastructure and economic opportunity."

The federal government announced in September that Naawi-Oodena had been chosen as one of the Build Canada Homes sites. The BCH agency is tasked with building 4,000 modular affordable units across the country.

Wednesday's announcement was simply that requests for qualifications from potential builders are now being accepted.

"Those that have the capacity to develop now have the ability to formally begin the process of putting forward … qualifications for why they might be capable of developing the land," said MP Ben Carr (Winnipeg South Centre).

The project calls for a mix of unit sizes, including family-size units and building heights between two and 10 storeys.

At least 40 per cent of the homes will be at below-market value for those with moderate and median incomes.

The 320 homes will be on the Canada Lands Company portion of Naawi-Oodena. Canada Lands, a federal Crown corporation, has 20 hectares of the 65-hectare Naawi-Oodena, which means “centre of the heart and community” in the Anishinaabe language.

The other 45 hectares is owned by the Treaty One Nations, a group of seven First Nations.

When fully developed, the entire Naawi-Oodena site is expected to have 2,100 homes along with spaces for commercial, community, cultural, educational, sports and recreational uses.

"The broader development of the land around us will be mixed-use, but this specifically as part of building Canada homes is about residential use," Carr said about Wednesday's announcement.

"This has been 25-plus years in the making so … it's a really big deal."

The Naawi-Oodena site has been vacant since 2004, when the Kapyong barracks closed. The federal government initially tried to sell the land in 2008, but the Treaty One Nations challenged the sale, arguing the right to acquire the land under outstanding treaty land entitlement claims.

In 2015, a judge ruled that the government had failed to adequately consult with the First Nations over the sale, and the land transfer was ruled illegitimate.

The federal government eventually stopped fighting that decision and the land transfer to Treaty One Nations was made official in 2019.

The land was formally repatriated in 2022, making it largest urban reserve in Canada.

CBC News

[Wpg_Guy]

City needs to fast-track Route 90 expansion, one of Naawi-Oodena project’s chiefs says

By: Nicole Buffie
Posted: 2:20 PM CST Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025

One of the Manitoba First Nations chiefs directing the transformation of the former Kapyong Barracks is concerned that the city’s expansion of Kenaston Boulevard is not moving quickly enough.

Brokenhead Chief Gordon Bluesky said Wednesday that both residential and commercial development of Naawi-Oodena is well underway — including construction of a 260-unit apartment complex — and the city needs to hold up its end of the deal and move forward with the widening of Route 90.

“We’ve already done our part. We set aside those lands for the expansion. So we’re waiting for the rest of the governments to come together and fast-track that because at the end of the day, if we start building … and then we got a major construction happening at Route 90, it’s going to impact our businesses, it’s going to impact our homes,” Bluesky said.

Brokenhead is one of seven Treaty 1 First Nations which formed the Treaty One Development Corp. and oversees the Naawi-Oodena site.

Treaty One set aside about 10 hectares of land for the Kenaston widening, Bluesky said.

Bluesky and city, provincial and federal representatives were at the Naawi-Oodena site Wednesday morning to announce the federal government has opened its requests for qualifications — details and experience with prefabricated, modular and “mass timber” — for a 320-unit, mixed income housing development on the lands.

In September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the newly minted Build Canada Homes federal agency would develop thousands of affordable housing units to increase the nation’s housing stock. Winnipeg was chosen as one of six cities for the agency’s initial projects.

The projects are being carried out by Canada Lands, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate and development. Canada Lands owns 32 per cent of the 65-hectare site and Treaty One the remainder.

The plan for the Canada Lands portion of the Naawi-Oodena site is to have at least 40 per cent of the units listed at below-market value.

With the added units will come added traffic on the route and the Kenaston project is “critical” to the success of Naawi-Oodena, Mayor Scott Gillingham said at the conference.

“Route 90 right now, as you know, if you travelled it… it can get pretty backed up. Now think about adding the exciting fact of adding 3,000 housing units and up to a million square feet of commercial space. That will put increased pressure on that key economic artery,” Gillingham said.

On Oct. 30, city council voted 11-2 in favour taking the first steps to begin planning the expansion next year. The city would earmark $5 million to start property acquisitions and set early planning to begin in 2027, pending approval in the city’s 2026 budget, to be released Friday.

Construction could begin as soon as 2028.

The megaproject would widen Kenaston-Route 90 to offer three lanes in each direction between Taylor and Ness avenues. It would also replace the St. James bridges, separate aging pipes to reduce combined sewer overflows and add active-transportation pathways on both sides of Kenaston.

It’s expected to cost $614 million, plus $143 million in interest, if the city funds it entirely through debt.

The request for qualifications for the Naawi-Oodena housing units closes on Dec. 22. Selected proponents will proceed to the request for proposals stage in early 2026.

Winnipeg Free Press