Winnipeg Construction XI

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

A safer downtown comes from people on the sidewalks and eyes on the streets…which happens when surface parking lots get developed.

Parking lots get developed when capital flows downtown with the expectation of safety and profit. Neither of those two things exist in DT Winnipeg …

[drew]

^ I would be curious with that statement how long your current portfolio has held on to surface parking lots.

[bomberjet]

My statements are generalizations. Any thoughts where people are given money or free housing are met with public outcry. So nothing ever happens. Then people comllain its unsafe. Then people complain about places like Edmonton who go the enforcement route. Maybe too heavy fisted. So more public outcry. So nothing happens and we just sit here on SSP bemoaning the situation.

[WinCitySparky]

I live near downtown and roam around the core extensively, the number of bus shack occupations appears significantly less than even two winters ago.
Just anecdotal I guess.

[1ajs]

some sorta anouncement at the site of the former suds on main st this week?
never herd of these guys
https://anhart.ca/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPaepRl...hJWF7c8s2d20x_aem_B3kQT4VGn9SULBE-8zLapQ

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

My statements are generalizations. Any thoughts where people are given money or free housing are met with public outcry. So nothing ever happens. Then people comllain its unsafe. Then people complain about places like Edmonton who go the enforcement route. Maybe too heavy fisted. So more public outcry. So nothing happens and we just sit here on SSP bemoaning the situation.

Thanks for the clarification. I agree these are the comment reactions that can paralyze significant movement towards reducing homelessness.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by drew

^ I would be curious with that statement how long your current portfolio has held on to surface parking lots.

I was wondering the same thing. I suspected the comment that "safety and profit" don't currently exist downtown was more or less saying "not enough profit exists, and that "safety" meant "safety for one's property", i.e. eliminate theft and vandalism. Both are legitimate concerns, of course, as is desire for a private company to make a desired profit, but the blanket comment that suggested development downtown is non-existent due to the above-mentioned issues came across as kind of self-serving to me.

It's not particularly surprising for any private developer to feel this way; it's their business they can operate how like like, within the law. It just seems a little out of place in a forum that seems dominated by people who want to see development for the good of the city, as opposed to exclusively personal profit.

[davequanbury]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Build housing. Deemed costly and probably won't work.
Provide basic income, free schooling. Housing. Deemed costly and unfair.
Arrest people. Too mean.

Weve tried nothing and were all our of ideas mannnn.

Everyone wants the streets cleaned up but doesn't want to so anything that will inconvenience them. So we'll just suffer the consequences. A 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 downtown. The police budget endlessly explodes but nothing changes. Maybe lets start there.

I hear your frustration. When people talk about "cleaning up the streets" I often wonder if there is enough acknowledgement about where social issues are actually coming from.

Thought experiement: If I left a carton of milk on its side on my counter and it was dripping on to the floor I think people would agree that spending money on more paper towel would be a waste unless I also picked the carton back up so it stopped spilling.

The same thing goes with social issues. At the street level its a mess that everyone wants cleaned up but when I hear people suggest that we should arrest these individuals it makes me wonder if those same people would bring that same enthusiasm to addressing the 'upstream' causes of the situaltion.

Let's look at our child welfare system. How is it that a kid with basically no real kinship ties gets set free upon their 18th birthday and expected to make it in today's world. Especially racialized, trans, or queer kids.

Let's look at people being released from incarceration. They are broke, unemployed, homeless, and also stigmatized as excons. Yet we expect them to go make their way in the world.

Let's look at the poverty in MB's remote and northern communities...

these are the 'system taps' that are bringing new individuals to Main and Logan everyday. Attempting to end the issue from the perspecive of Main and Logan is like leaving a carton of milk spilling on to your floor while you invest in more paper towels, except the carton isnt 2L or 4L, its unending.

On the other hand, if we fixed these other systems that cause people to experience homelessness then once the surrent generation of homeless people are housed/healed/passed on etc, then we would have a chance at a future in which there is less "cleaning up downtown" required.

[drew]

Institutionalization.

A not insignificant proportion of the unhoused have addictions and mental health concerns. No amount of free housing will result in a good outcome for people with these underlying conditions, until those underlying conditions are addressed.

And yes, some people would need to be placed in facilities against their will for the greater good of society.

[Sheepish]

Dave
In part, playing devil's advocate...
Let's shift your thought experiment. If you had a water leak in your home, and the city kept sending you bills that were higher and higher, would you keep paying the bills or fix the leak?
Is it possible that we are continuing to pay a bill without actually fixing the leak that represent the problem(s) that exist on our streets?
On the other hand, there may actually be NO way to fix this, and the only option is mop it up and keep paying the ever growing bills.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by drew

Institutionalization.

A not insignificant proportion of the unhoused have addictions and mental health concerns. No amount of free housing will result in a good outcome for people with these underlying conditions, until those underlying conditions are addressed.

And yes, some people would need to be placed in facilities against their will for the greater good of society.

100% spot on!!!

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Sheepish

Dave

On the other hand, there may actually be NO way to fix this, and the only option is mop it up and keep paying the ever growing bills.

People have suggested a guaranteed basic annual income for several years now. You can read about the "Mincome" experiment in Manitoba online, as well as others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mincome

The initial results have always seemed promising, with minimal reductions on employment, but positive outcomes in the areas of physical and mental health.

Here's the rub. The current economic model relies heavily on fear of heavy debt, poverty and homelessness to keep people in low-paying unrewarding jobs. High-profile homelessness only serves to keep people in "survival" mode, where taking a chance on extra training or education could result in making a bad situation very much worse.

The dark economy of drugs and crime also feeds on this fear. When relief from daily stress only seems to come from substance abuse, or economic gains through crime, many people will turn to those paths.

While there is incentive from some governments to do what they can to reduce homelessness, they are fighting incredibly wealthy elites who are just fine with people suffering, thank you very much, if it means keeping their control over others. They can sell the idea that people"deserve" to stay in poverty and despair for a number of reasons each of which finds willing ears to accept what they say.

Personally, I'd be in favour of reintroducing the guaranteed basic annual income model. Financially for governments, it would mean less stress on governmental services, and less associated costs. It hasn't been tried on a large scale for a long period of time, why not try it now?

[WestEndWander]

Originally Posted by Labroco

Parking lots get developed when capital flows downtown with the expectation of safety and profit. Neither of those two things exist in DT Winnipeg …

You could argue capital flows downtown along with safety and profit when surface parking lots are developed into habitable spaces.

You could also argue that the mass of uninhabited wastelands that exist downtown contribute to safety issues, aesthetics, lack of capital flowing etc.

Undeveloped parking lots are one of the biggest blights on downtown. Period. Sitting on a pile of them waiting for public money to develop does nothing but further contribute to the problem.

[ColdRain&Snow]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

some sorta anouncement at the site of the former suds on main st this week?
never herd of these guys
https://anhart.ca/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPaepRl...hJWF7c8s2d20x_aem_B3kQT4VGn9SULBE-8zLapQ

Looks like they only operate in BC. Where did you hear there would be an announcement?

Also, which property is the former suds site?

[bomberjet]

That guy was in town and did some press on Main St. They're looking at Sutherland hotel IIRC and said they'd be interested to work on the Manwin site.

Anhart’s Win­nipeg Revital­iz­a­tion ini­ti­at­ive entered a pub­lic launch phase Tues­day as senior rep­res­ent­at­ives trav­elled to the city to mark the anniversary of the Suth­er­land Hotel fire and meet with com­munity mem­bers about redevel­op­ment of the long-vacant site.

The Anhart team was in Win­nipeg on Jan. 15, the one-year anniversary of the fatal blaze at the former Suth­er­land Hotel at 785 Main St., an event that remains a defin­ing moment for res­id­ents of the sur­round­ing inner-city neigh­bour­hood.

Anhart said the tim­ing was inten­tional, fram­ing the anniversary as a moment to be present and con­struct­ive while acknow­ledging the loss still felt in the com­munity.

Mem­bers of the non-profit’s team gathered Thursday after­noon at the former hotel site for a small com­munity event aimed at focus­ing atten­tion on prac­tical next steps for the prop­erty and the neigh­bour­hood. The gath­er­ing took place at 1 p.m. at 785 Main St.

The visit fol­lowed a year of dia­logue between Anhart, com­munity stake­hold­ers and other parties about the future of the derel­ict build­ing. Des­pite that work, Anhart said a clear redevel­op­ment path­way had not yet emerged, prompt­ing the organ­iz­a­tion to advance a more defined action plan.

Anhart said it hoped to rep­lic­ate in Win­nipeg a model it pre­vi­ously delivered in Van­couver, where it developed 69 mixed-income afford­able rental homes on a former vacant site at 162 Main St. The project was fin­anced through Canada Mort­gage and Hous­ing Cor­por­a­tion pro­grams and impact-aligned invest­ment before being sold to the City of Van­couver part­way through con­struc­tion.

The organ­iz­a­tion said it believed a sim­ilar approach could be adap­ted to Win­nipeg’s con­text to con­vert the Suth­er­land site into afford­able apart­ments serving low-income res­id­ents ready for inde­pend­ent liv­ing.

Anhart also out­lined a broader revital­iz­a­tion strategy for Win­nipeg’s inner neigh­bour­hoods, includ­ing plans to replace encamp­ments with clustered micro-home com­munit­ies, refur­bish vacant and derel­ict res­id­en­tial prop­er­ties in Wil­liam Whyte, and estab­lish neigh­bour­hood-scale mod­u­lar con­struc­tion sup­por­ted by impact invest­ment.

The micro-home model, based on projects in Kelowna, would provide small, lock­able heated units grouped around shared facil­it­ies such as wash­rooms, laun­dry and food ser­vices. Anhart estim­ated the units could be built for about $20,000 each using pro­fes­sional con­struc­tion teams, or as low as $10,000 with volun­teer sup­port.

In par­al­lel, the organ­iz­a­tion pro­posed con­vert­ing city-owned sur­plus res­id­en­tial lots into per­man­ently afford­able homes using mod­u­lar con­struc­tion, and redevel­op­ing other derel­ict hotels and single-room-occu­pancy build­ings, such as the Mount Royal, Man­win, and Adanac, as part of a repeat­able frame­work.

Anhart said its Win­nipeg Revital­iz­a­tion ini­ti­at­ive would also integ­rate neigh­bour­hood-scale air-qual­ity mon­it­or­ing, com­bin­ing satel­lite data and on-site sensors to track pol­lu­tion hot­spots and wild­fire smoke impacts, par­tic­u­larly in areas affected by heavy traffic and indus­trial activ­ity.

The organ­iz­a­tion said it is seek­ing col­lab­or­a­tion with muni­cipal and Indi­gen­ous part­ners, non-profits, com­munity groups, edu­ca­tional insti­tu­tions and impact investors to advance pilot projects and bring long-term, cli­mate-resi­li­ent afford­able hous­ing to the city.

[bon_vivant]

Originally Posted by WestEndWander

You could argue capital flows downtown along with safety and profit when surface parking lots are developed into habitable spaces.

You could also argue that the mass of uninhabited wastelands that exist downtown contribute to safety issues, aesthetics, lack of capital flowing etc.

Undeveloped parking lots are one of the biggest blights on downtown. Period. Sitting on a pile of them waiting for public money to develop does nothing but further contribute to the problem.

Exactly. Safety concerns are overblown. A convenient excuse to do nothing and continue to rake in all that effortless, passive income — while sucking the vitality out the downtown core. Profit over principles.

[Sheepish]

And as has been discussed/argued on these pages, as long as parking lots are profitable, and taxed at a minimum level, there is no incentive to develop them. It has been suggested in the forum that after a period of time an empty lot be taxed at its best and highest use there would be less to let it sit for parking. No argument that safety, motivation and profitability are critical to successful development. Unfortunately empty lots suppress the momentum to generate development, and contributes to the concerns for safety.

[Wpg_Guy]

Native Addictions Council of Manitoba
Location: 160 Salter Street
Developer: Native Addictions Council of Manitoba
Architect: Number Ten Architectural Group
Status: U/C
Documents:
Media:
Description: The Native Addictions Council of Manitoba (NACM) is undergoing a major redevelopment of its historic facility at 160 Salter Street in Winnipeg's urban core, a former tuberculosis hospital. The Government of Canada is providing $21,373,177 through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program (GICB), supplemented by NACM's $240,000 contribution, to transform the building into a culturally safe, healing-focused space for Indigenous individuals addressing addiction. Key features include a deep energy retrofit for improved efficiency and reduced consumption, enhanced accessibility with a new elevator, barrier-free washrooms and showers, upgraded electrical, mechanical, and life safety systems, and a new culturally significant, teepee-themed, barrier-free entrance designed as a welcoming landmark and counter to the institutional past. Led by Number Ten Architectural Group using trauma-informed design, collaborative empathy mapping, and visual listening, the project incorporates natural light, biophilic elements, improved acoustics, culturally appropriate artwork, and spaces that promote dignity, agency, relationship-building, and healing. The renovated facility will accommodate 22 participants and is slated for completion in 2026, enabling NACM to continue delivering traditional Indigenous practices in a nurturing, non-institutional environment for future generations.
Permits: 24-201327 EH-2024-10-25, Construct Addition. Construct a 41 sqm addition to existing multi-storey building, which serves as entry. The scope also includes renovation in all floors of the existing building, such as: construction of walls, installation of doors, millwork, new elevator, to make selected fit-up changes. It also includes installation of solar panels on the roof. Electrical and Mechanical work being done

[peg]

UM is planning to rebuild the Dafoe Library:

Seems like placeholder renders for now.

https://umtoday.ca/stories/join-us-january-20-launch-ums-new-capital-plan

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Native Addictions Council of Manitoba
Location: 160 Salter Street
Developer: Native Addictions Council of Manitoba
Architect: Number Ten Architectural Group
Status: U/C
Documents:
Media:
Description: The Native Addictions Council of Manitoba (NACM) is undergoing a major redevelopment of its historic facility at 160 Salter Street in Winnipeg's urban core, a former tuberculosis hospital. The Government of Canada is providing $21,373,177 through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program (GICB), supplemented by NACM's $240,000 contribution, to transform the building into a culturally safe, healing-focused space for Indigenous individuals addressing addiction. Key features include a deep energy retrofit for improved efficiency and reduced consumption, enhanced accessibility with a new elevator, barrier-free washrooms and showers, upgraded electrical, mechanical, and life safety systems, and a new culturally significant, teepee-themed, barrier-free entrance designed as a welcoming landmark and counter to the institutional past. Led by Number Ten Architectural Group using trauma-informed design, collaborative empathy mapping, and visual listening, the project incorporates natural light, biophilic elements, improved acoustics, culturally appropriate artwork, and spaces that promote dignity, agency, relationship-building, and healing. The renovated facility will accommodate 22 participants and is slated for completion in 2026, enabling NACM to continue delivering traditional Indigenous practices in a nurturing, non-institutional environment for future generations.
Permits: 24-201327 EH-2024-10-25, Construct Addition. Construct a 41 sqm addition to existing multi-storey building, which serves as entry. The scope also includes renovation in all floors of the existing building, such as: construction of walls, installation of doors, millwork, new elevator, to make selected fit-up changes. It also includes installation of solar panels on the roof. Electrical and Mechanical work being done

Once again the Feds allocate funds based on checking all their virtue-signaling boxes rather than maximizing the amount of resources that will be allocated directly to helping patients.