Winnipeg | Downtown Developments & Discussions

[drew]

^ the wording of that press release screams residential conversion to me. No one is filling that large of an office building anymore.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

It says: It’ll also lease a 6,300 sqft conference and event space at neighbouring tower 300 Main St.

i didn't release the podium has this space.

Ah, thanks.

[Sheepish]

Was IG the sole occupent in the building?

[WinCitySparky]

I worked on 300 Main. There is an entire second floor above the main floor and skywalk/mezzanine on the south side that has about half the building’s footprint available for a commercial development. The north half is all mechanical. I am betting that’s it.

[Wpg_Guy]

The Winnipeg consulate is located at 201 Portage Avenue, Suite 860.

I wonder if the savings here are to be redirected to Washington's biggest, most beautiful, balliest, like no one has ever seen before, ball room?

U.S. to close Winnipeg consulate as cost-saving measure, Trump administration says
State Department says diplomatic post to shut down in phases but offers no timeline
Ozten Shebahkeget · CBC News · Posted: Aug 04, 2026


The United States plans to close its consulate in Winnipeg, and its diplomatic engagement responsibilities will be transferred to the embassy in Ottawa, a spokesperson told CBC News. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)

Plans to close the U.S. Consulate in Winnipeg mean the United States will "lose touch with a broad swath of Canada," a former employee says.

The U.S. State Department is planning a phased closure of the consulate, with its diplomatic engagement responsibilities to be transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, a spokesperson told CBC News on Tuesday.

The decision reflects the State Department's "commitment to efficient resource management," the spokesperson said. They did not offer a timeline of when the closure will begin.

The Winnipeg consulate is the only closure in North America. It's among five smaller embassies and consulates set to close in order to streamline operations, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration informed Congress last week.

The diplomatic post in Winnipeg doesn't offer consular or visa services but does have a representative tasked with building trade relations and advancing U.S. policy.

Brad Kirbyson, a former political and economic specialist who worked in the consulate in Winnipeg for 20 years, says the move means the U.S. will lose "direct contact with a significant part of Canada."

"I'm sure it'll save them a few dollars, but I think the net effect is to lose touch with a broad swath of Canada by not having a presence there," he said Tuesday.

Kirbyson, who started working at the consulate after it reopened in 2001, says it's only rational to have one in Winnipeg as they can help to provide and resolve early warnings of potential trade issues.

"The United States found that it was a very long way between the U.S. Consulate in Calgary and the [one] in Toronto," Kirbyson said. "It makes a lot of sense to have a consulate in the middle of the country that can cover issues in this part of the world."

He said he's disappointed by the announcement and hopes the U.S. will reconsider.

Eyes turn to Manitoba's Washington trade rep
The planned closure comes amid tensions between Premier Wab Kinew and the U.S., particularly over tariffs imposed by Trump, with Manitoba retaliating earlier this year by announcing it will no longer import U.S.-made alcohol.

Kinew has called Trump's policies "dumb" and has labelled the president "Enemy No. 1" when it comes to the economy.

The province is working to stand up for Manitoba workers and businesses through its U.S. trade council, a provincial spokesperson told CBC News in a statement.

The province reopened its trade office in Washington, and the consulate's closure "does not change its role," the spokesperson said.

Manitoba's Opposition says the closure is disappointing and underscores Kinew's failure to get things done on cross-border trade.

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan says despite Kinew's government spending nearly $1 million a year on a Washington, D.C., trade office, it has failed to deliver new investment or trade deals.

Chuck Davidson, CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, told CBC News in a statement it's too early to say what the impact of the closure will be on Manitoba.

However, he said Manitoba's Washington trade representative would serve as an advantage if Winnipeg's U.S. Consulate closed.

The trade representative to the U.S. will become a "more crucial position," said André Brin, CEO of the World Trade Centre in Winnipeg.

"Should this materialize, then this person has, to me, an additional responsibility of sort of keeping Manitoba on their radar in the U.S., and then we have the responsibility of doing that in Canada," he said Tuesday.

Brin says the move to close the Winnipeg office is "not ideal" as it will add to the responsibilities of other U.S. Consulates in Canada.

"I think it's not the right decision."

Brin says although the U.S. Consulate is the smallest in Canada, it helps Manitoba companies connect with opportunities while also helping American companies that want to do business in the province.

"It was mostly that constant dialogue of understanding," he said. "We need to keep those lines of communication open."

The news should serve as a reminder for Canada not to rely on the U.S. economically, Brin said.

"I think we should be looking at other countries that don't have consuls here."

A professor says any disruption would be a bigger loss for the U.S.

The diplomatic post in Winnipeg serves as the "eyes and ears of Americans" to keep tabs on what's going on in the region, said Bryan Peeler, an associate professor with the University of Manitoba's political sciences department.

"Americans will still get this information, most likely, but it's going to be from someone in Washington now. So, it's not gonna be as accurate."

CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment but did not hear back before publication.

CBC News

• Video Link

[Wpg_Guy]

Canad Inns puts the Met, 2 other downtown Winnipeg buildings up for sale
Radisson Hotel only available as part of package deal for all 3 properties

Bartley Kives · CBC News · Posted: Aug 05, 2026


The Radisson Hotel and Somerset Building on Portage Avenue are listed for sale, along with the Met to the south on Donald Street. (Rudy Gauer/CBC)

Downtown Winnipeg's Radisson Hotel, the adjacent Somerset Building and the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre are up for sale as the Canad Inns corporation seeks to divest itself of properties along the Portage Avenue corridor.

The 29-storey, 263-room Radisson is up for sale only as part of a package deal involving all three properties, commercial real estate firm Colliers says in an online listing.

The nine-storey Somerset office building next door and the Met — a heritage building to the south, on Donald Street — are for sale individually or as part of the package. The buildings are within downtown Winnipeg's Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment District.

"Together, the three properties form a contiguous downtown campus connected by Winnipeg's skywalk network and surrounded by major demand generators including Canada Life Centre, RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg, True North Square, Portage Place redevelopment and the Hudson's Bay redevelopment project," the listing states.

"The combination of office, hospitality and entertainment uses provides diversified income potential and long-term strategic positioning within Winnipeg's evolving downtown core."

The Met, built as a theatre in 1920, is owned by the Canad Corporation, which renovated the heritage venue in 2012. The Somerset Building, a Chicago School-style office-and-retail structure that dates back to 1906, is owned by an associated company called Canad Centre-Downtown Ltd., which lists Winnipeg's Lane Ledohowski and Toronto's Lea Ledohowski as directors.

The Radisson, built in 1971, is owned by P&S Realty Holdings, which lists Lea Ledohowski as director.

Canad Inns co-founder Leo Ledohowski, who died in 2025, served as the company's president when it acquired all three downtown properties. The renovation of the Met, in particular, was a passion for the late hotelier.

Nicole Rentz, a spokesperson for Canad Inns, said in a statement the company is working on "business strategies for some of our assets under management" and cautioned against what she called speculation about its ventures.

"We remain committed to all the communities we are fortunate to serve, including the City of Winnipeg [and] its downtown core," Rentz said in the statement.

Canad Inns has six other hotels in Winnipeg, and one each in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Grand Forks, N.D.

Listings follow IGM Financial announcement
City property records show the Radisson has an assessed value of $22.3 million. The Somerset is assessed by the city at $9.7 million. The Met, whose east-facing facade is most famous as a backdrop for Winnipeg Jets whiteout parties during Stanley Cup playoff broadcasts, is assessed at $2 million.

The listing of all three properties comes one week after IGM Financial, the parent company of IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie Asset Management, announced it would soon place One Canada Centre, its headquarters on Portage Avenue at Colony Street, up for sale.

Kate Fenske, CEO of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone, said in a statement the IGM Financial and Canad Inns listings are decisions made by businesses in the best interests of their operations.

"There will always be changes in the downtown market. What we're seeing on Portage Avenue isn't a single story of decline — it's a corridor in transition," she said in a statement Monday.

Fenske said downtown businesses face challenges that include public safety concerns and changing market conditions.

At the same time, she said, Portage Avenue is undergoing significant redevelopment, including the adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

True North Real Estate Development is spending $650 million on a Portage Place mall renovation, while the former Bay building is undergoing a $310-million transformation at the hands of the Southern Chiefs' Organization. The Manitoba Métis Federation has bought and renovated several significant structures on or near Portage Avenue, including the former Bank of Montreal building.

Federation president David Chartrand said in a statement there's a possibility it could be interested in adding Canad Inns properties to its growing portfolio after studying the idea.

Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Coun. Sherri Rollins, whose ward includes the south side of the downtown stretch of Portage Avenue, said she is surprised by the Canad Inns listings.

"It's very difficult to see a 'for sale' sign on the Radisson and the Met," Rollins said in an interview, surmising the challenges facing downtown might have played a role.

"I definitely think there is something to say about the social conditions we have and this public safety moment."

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham painted a different picture, noting the True North and Southern Chiefs investments on the west side of downtown and further renovations of the towers at Portage and Main.

"With all this new investment, it’s no surprise some property owners might test the market," he said in a statement.


The Met opened as a theatre in 1920 and was renovated by Canad Inns in 2012. (Rudy Gauer/CBC)

CBC Manitoba

[Kris22]

Yikes. The selling off of properties en masse isn’t a great sign for portage/the “entertainment district”. Hopefully they end up in capable hands.

[Biff]

That consulate announcement seems like a big cup of meh to me. It suits the story lines of the Canada/US tensions but how many people knew that even existed. It doesn't offer consular or visa services. I read that it was two people who worked there.

[bomberjet]

I forgot it existed.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by Sheepish

Was IG the sole occupent in the building?

When it first opened I believe there were some floors with other occupants, but for decades plus it has been solely occupied by IGM companies IG Wealth and Mackenzie. Pre-covid they even leased some office space in Portage Place due to lack of room. Goes to show the effects covid has had on office use.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Kris22

Yikes. The selling off of properties en masse isn’t a great sign for portage/the “entertainment district”. Hopefully they end up in capable hands.

Sherri Collins chiming in with "I definitely think there is something to say about the social conditions we have and this public safety moment." certainly doesn't help the optics of the situation.

[WayneShuster]

I was at Folklorama the other day, saw Brian Bowman AND Scott Gillingham at the same pavilion for the same performance. I REALLY wanted to make some comments about the current issues the city is facing, but ultimately held my tongue back. A few other people I spoke with also felt the same way as I did. Our leaders simply aren't doing enough (being it civic, provincial or federal) and how they simply don't care enough to get to the root causes of the issues.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by Kris22

Yikes. The selling off of properties en masse isn’t a great sign for portage/the “entertainment district”. Hopefully they end up in capable hands.

I mean, they're not in capable hands right now

[Kris22]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

I mean, they're not in capable hands right now

True, hopefully something better will come out of this.

I’d love to see the Radisson get a reclad and the Somerset building put to better use.

[Sheepish]

There was a funny quote attributed to CanadInns on CBC this morning, asserting that they were 'committed to downtown Winnipeg'. Raises the question, if closing their restaurant and selling off 3 major properties is 'commitment', what the hell does ambandonment look like??

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Sheepish

There was a funny quote attributed to CanadInns on CBC this morning, asserting that they were 'committed to downtown Winnipeg'. Raises the question, if closing their restaurant and selling off 3 major properties is 'commitment', what the hell does ambandonment look like??

The quote:

Nicole Rentz, a spokesperson for Canad Inns, said in a statement the company is working on "business strategies for some of our assets under management" and cautioned against what she called speculation about its ventures.

"We remain committed to all the communities we are fortunate to serve, including the City of Winnipeg [and] its downtown core," Rentz said in the statement.

Canad Inns has six other hotels in Winnipeg, and one each in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Grand Forks, N.D.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Kris22

True, hopefully something better will come out of this.

I’d love to see the Radisson get a reclad and the Somerset building put to better use.

Is re-cladding the radisson possible? I think it's just an exposed concrete structure. Could put cladding over it, but IMO just leave it as is.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by Kris22

I’d love to see the Radisson get a reclad and the Somerset building put to better use.

I know we have talked about this all before, but my hope would be that the Radisson would undergo a restoration of the exterior. I would love to see all of the lighting on the exterior working, the glass replaced on the parkade ramps and backlit, and maybe some sort of crown lighting.

[neutroniks]

I think if a LOT of the buildings had their exterior lighting fixed, it would make all the difference of optics downtown. In downtown Montreal, so many buildings have exterior lighting and it shows off the architecture and lights up downtown. I believe the Paris building and a number of others have lighting, but they're either broken or just not turned on. The Power building has exterior lighting and it makes a huge difference.

[Wpg_Guy]

213 Notre Dame, the Electric Railway Chambers building needs to bring back it's exterior lighting.