Winnipeg | Downtown Developments & Discussions

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Interesting. MMF vs TNSE. Who can acquire downtown Winnipeg first.

I think MMF is winning.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

I think MMF is winning.

I think the city is winning when we have local developers that actually want to support and grow the downtown and benefit the community overall. Of course there's going to be profit motive as well, but I think TNSE, MMF and SCO have shown it's possible to combine economics with public good.

[Wpg_Guy]

Fort Garry Hotel on Métis federation’s radar
MMF bolsters downtown portfolio by buying ex-research council site on Ellice Avenue
Scott Billeck
Friday, Jul. 10, 2026


MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES

The 113-year-old Fort Garry Hotel was put up for sale in May and could sell for as much as $70 million.

One of Winnipeg’s most iconic buildings, the Fort Garry Hotel on Broadway, is next on the Manitoba Métis Federation’s list of acquisitions.

“We are not done with our commitment to investing in Winnipeg’s downtown,” president David Chartrand said Friday, the same day the federation announced it has purchased the former National Research Council property on Ellice Avenue downtown.

“One potential new acquisition we’re considering, if the price is right and the partnership is positive, is the Fort Garry Hotel. It is an iconic part of Winnipeg’s history and its future, just like the Red River Métis,” Chartrand said.

The 113-year-old hotel was co-listed for sale in May by real estate brokerage firms Avison Young and Cushman & Wakefield Winnipeg, but doesn’t have a list price.

The city has assessed the 268,000-square-foot property at $9 million, but industry experts believe the building could sell for $60 million to $70 million. The property includes 60,000 square feet in meeting, spa and fitness space, along with 236 suites.

The hotel last sold in 1993 to Winnipeg businesswoman Ida Albo and her partner, Richard Bel. Earlier this year, the hotel finished a $1-million renovation involving 12 guest rooms, three suites and an executive lounge.

The landmark hotel had drawn “very strong interest” since the property was posted April 27, Curtis Gallagher, principal and Canadian hospitality lead with real estate advisory firm Avison Young, told the Free Press in May.

On Friday, Gallagher and Albo declined to comment on the Métis federation’s interest in the building.

Earlier, Chartrand spoke at the news conference to announce the purchase of the Ellice Avenue site, which is the 11th building to be acquired by the federation in downtown Winnipeg.

“From my perspective, we have to save downtown,” he said. “So we said to ourselves in cabinet, let’s start seeing these buildings and see if the numbers can work out.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham, who also spoke at the event, thanked the MMF for its partnership and commitment to revitalizing downtown.

“It’s been a priority of mine to see Winnipeg’s downtown strengthened and renewed and revitalized,” Gillingham said. “Today’s announcement is an exciting announcement for downtown Winnipeg. It’s another significant investment by President Chartrand and the Manitoba Métis Federation.

“Downtown is the heart of Winnipeg. You can have a strong community in Sage Creek or Maples or Waverley West… but if your downtown is not strong and healthy, the city’s not strong and healthy.”

Following the purchase of the research council buildings, at 435-445 Ellice Ave., which includes 70 laboratories and an office building, the federation’s downtown portfolio exceeds one million square feet of property.

More than 100 staff who work at Métis Child and Family Services Authority will relocate to the Ellice Avenue site from 2000 Portage Ave. The laboratory building will be repurposed for nurse training, Métis-led research initiatives and could eventually house an MRI machine.

The federation is partnering with the Bioscience Association of Manitoba to make lab space available to industry, researchers and academic institutions at a time when demand for specialized lab facilities outpaces supply.

The federation also owns the Bank of Montreal building at 335 Main St., 333 Main St., and 191 Pioneer Ave. Its headquarters is on Henry Street in Point Douglas.

Winnipeg Free Press

[Wpg_Guy]

Manitoba Metis Federation looking to purchase iconic downtown Winnipeg hotel

Charles Lefebvre
July 10, 2026

The Manitoba Metis Federation is looking at purchasing one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.

MMF president David Chartrand said Friday that his government is looking at purchasing the Fort Garry Hotel, which was recently listed for sale.

“We are not done with our commitment to investing in Winnipeg’s downtown,” Chartrand said in a statement to CTV News. “One potential new acquisition we’re considering, if the price is right and the partnership is positive, is the Fort Garry Hotel. It is an iconic part of Winnipeg’s history and its future, just like the Red River Métis.”


The Fort Garry Hotel became available for purchase starting in May. Avison Young is handling the sale.

“While discussions with third parties are confidential, we can confirm that multiple positive, constructive interactions are underway with various interested parties,” a spokesperson with Avison Young said in a statement. “We can’t confirm with whom we are having these discussions.”

Chartrand’s announcement comes on the same day MMF announced it would be purchasing property previously owned by the National Research Council of Canada on Ellice Avenue.

The NRC building, which is 17,500 square feet in size, includes laboratory and office space, and the MMF is also planning to set up MRI services in the building.


The MMF has also previously purchased the former Bank of Montreal building at Portage and Main.

“The MMF is becoming one of our most important partners in the revitalization of downtown,” Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said. “This acquisition is also a clear indication of confidence in downtown Winnipeg.”

Chartrand said the MMF has a goal of supporting and reviving downtown.

“If you don’t have downtown, you don’t have a city,” he said.

-CTV

[FactaNV]

Man we're honestly lucky to have the Metis in town who are willing to put so much money into the community.

[BorealLynx]

I don't understand, why has such a grand hotel as the Fort Garry had such a difficult time being a crowning jewel hotel in Winnipeg, or even being profitable for that matter? We lament the Sutton and other hotel disasters, yet here is this majestic hotel already in place. Is it mismanagement? Poor marketing? Is it cursed or haunted?

Seriously, this scale and grandeur of a hotel would be a destination in and of itself in European cities. Why has it been consistently underperforming here?

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by BorealLynx

I don't understand, why has such a grand hotel as the Fort Garry had such a difficult time being a crowning jewel hotel in Winnipeg, or even being profitable for that matter? We lament the Sutton and other hotel disasters, yet here is this majestic hotel already in place. Is it mismanagement? Poor marketing? Is it cursed or haunted?

Seriously, this scale and grandeur of a hotel would be a destination in and of itself in European cities. Why has it been consistently underperforming here?

I think you're jumping to conclusions. From what I've read the hotel IS profitable and has been run well. The current owners have apparently operated it for something like 30 years and they've decided to sell. No intrigue here.

[BorealLynx]

Originally Posted by pspeid

I think you're jumping to conclusions. From what I've read the hotel IS profitable and has been run well. The current owners have apparently operated it for something like 30 years and they've decided to sell. No intrigue here.

Fair enough, I shouldn't assume that it's not profitable. Maybe the current owners have improved on the reputation and the amenities since I used to book business travellers into Winnipeg about a decade ago. At the time it was very undervalued as a world-class hotel and was often avoided by dignitaries in favour of the Fairmont (Westin). It just didn't have the reputation as a destination or elegant first-class hotel of choice for officials of foreign governments and the like, when it really should have.

If the current owners have righted that, then kudos to them for taking this landmark and making it a destination hotel. But then why would they sell it to the MMF if it's doing well? And what would the MMF hope to do differently? Or would this be more of a change in ownership than in brand?

And I'm curious, is it up to the standards of an NHL-caliber hotel? Why do incoming NHL teams seem to favour the Fairmont?

[trueviking]

^ most NHL teams stay at the Delta.

Fort Garry has nice common spaces but the rooms are —. It needs a full remodel. Even that new exclusive floor looks like it was designed by the owner’s spouse instead of a professional. It screams small time operation.

I’d like to see the Fort Garry get the flag of a legit hotel operator. I’d prefer an entrepreneur own it, but if the MMF buy and run it, I hope it’s not just as a local operation. Even Regina’s Hotel Saskatchewan is a Marriott.

[WinCitySparky]

Ate at the Fort Garry Terrace last eve, they fucked up half the table’s orders and some of what did show up correct was poorly prepared. Bummer dude. Burger was great tho.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by trueviking

Fort Garry has nice common spaces but the rooms are —. It needs a full remodel. Even that new exclusive floor looks like it was designed by the owner’s spouse instead of a professional. It screams small time operation.

I've never stayed at the Fort Garry so I have no personal experience with their rooms. What exactly makes them "—"? I imagine they're smaller than newer hotel rooms because of the age of the building. Are they lacking amenities or do things simply not work (water, power etc.)?

[trueviking]

^ they feel like you are staying in your grandma’s spare bedroom.

[pspeid]

Okay, I'm not a fan of the wolf pillow or the post card print of the Upper Fort Garry gate. They seem a little tacky. From their website info, though, that seems to be one of the smallest rooms they have. I didn't see any information about how many of their rooms are this size, or if it's "typical" of the hotel. If that's all I saw, yes I might dismiss all their rooms as being substandard, but I think it's a little unfair to suggest they are all "—".

[trueviking]

It’s not just about size. They all look like they were done as a home renovation. They are not to the standard of other railway hotels in the country, which are typically the best rooms in their respective cities. Any out of town guest I’ve ever known who stayed there came away saying it didn’t meet their expectation. It’s been run as a small time local business, not a major hotel.

[trueviking]

[pspeid]

Oh, sure, show us the horsey pillows. Now I'll have "My Lovely Horse" running through my head all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg

[Wpg_Guy]

The rooms definitely have a bed and breakfast / rustic boutique hotel vibe.

[Mr Tall Forehead]

It’s like they decorated the rooms entirely for the 100-200 wealthy senior British tourists that come through each year by train and their way to Churchill. “Ooooh…look at the pillows and furs luv. We’re in the western frontier now.”

I’ve stayed in comparable OG railroad hotels with pokey rooms (Royal York, Bessborough, Banff Springs) and the sizes of the rooms is kind of quaint and charming, but the decor choice here is just weird.

[borkborkbork]

It's really too bad. As much as I wish the MMF well, a hotel like this should be run by an operator who knows what they're doing with a heritage GTP hotel. The only other two remaining Grand Trunk hotels are the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton and Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, and both are run by Fairmont.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

It's really too bad. As much as I wish the MMF well, a hotel like this should be run by an operator who knows what they're doing with a heritage GTP hotel. The only other two remaining Grand Trunk hotels are the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton and Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, and both are run by Fairmont.

At this moment we don't know if the MMF will try to purchase the Fort Garry, and if they do, whether they will make significant changes to the room furnishings or decor.

My unedjumacated guess is IF the purchase goes through they would probably try to put their own stamp on it, and redecorating the rooms might be the way they would do it.

Personally I think this could be a good opportunity for the old place. Traditional decorative Metis themes tend to incorporate stylized roses, vines, roses, berries and geometric patterns. These could be tastefully incorporated into room decoration to create a more unique guest experience than what seems to be the standard minimalist greys and whites of many hotel rooms.