Winnipeg | Downtown Developments & Discussions

[neutroniks]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

maybe the best practice highlight should be "degrease and chemically clean pavement before trying to paint a mural on it, and don't paint the mural on the hottest day of a heatwave so the paint skins".

hilariously even their repaint/touchup job was done without any surface prep and was also done on another heatwave week.

this city is the epitome of penny wise, pound foolish

Last year when the murals were peeling and they blamed the oil and the street needing degreasing, we all thought "Oh, so after spring, SURELY they'll degrease the street before re-painting... right.. Right? RIGHT?!" and nope, lets just keep re-painting it.

[wags_in_the_peg]

^ soooo embarrassing!

[Wpg_Guy]

Safety officers responded to three assaults in first 4 1/2 months at downtown Hydro HQ
By: Carol Sanders
Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026


MORGAN MODJESKI / FREE PRESS

One of several Institutional Safety Officers present at Manitoba Hydro Place, Wednesday.

Institutional safety officers have responded to three assaults at Manitoba Hydro’s downtown headquarters since they were installed after an employee was randomly attacked in the building’s foyer last winter.

Reports filed by ISOs to the Crown corporation list 23 incidents between Feb. 1 and June 17, a freedom of information document shows. They include three assaults, one disturbance, one intoxication, two medical emergencies, one mental-health incident, 13 safety escorts and two instances of trespassing.

Manitoba Hydro Place beefed up its security after an employee was assaulted in the main-floor gallery while leaving work in January. The Crown corporation closed the building to the public for several weeks while it hired and trained institutional safety officers.

The ISOs, who are equipped with pepper gel and handcuffs, are specially trained and licensed security staff who have the legal authority to restrain, detain and make an arrest. Manitoba Hydro now has eight ISOs in place at the 360 Portage Ave. location, spokesman Peter Chura said.

In response to a Free Press freedom of information request for all incident reports filed by ISOs since they were hired in February, Hydro provided a tally and category of the incidents, but no details or dates when the incidents were reported.

A section of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act requires that Manitoba Hydro refuse access to a record or part of a record where such disclosure would be an unreasonable invasion of the privacy of a third party, the publicly owned power company said.

All 23 reports contain personal data including names, addresses, phone numbers and personal health information of identifiable individuals, it said.

Without a date or an incident number, the Winnipeg Police Service was unable to say whether charges were laid in the three assaults reported by Manitoba Hydro ISOs.

Chura said he couldn’t comment on specific incidents, including whether charges were laid in the reported assaults and wasn’t able to comment on the status of the employee whose assault triggered the tightened security.

He did say, however, that the ISOs have used their skills to de-escalate incidents involving aggressive behaviour.

“The safety officers are also trained and have used their skills to identify when a situation requires further intervention, such as law enforcement, to ensure the safety of the public and our employees,” he said in an email, adding they have also assisted with incidents involving people in need of medical attention inside the building and in the area.

Chura wouldn’t provide details on the hours ISOs work.

Manitoba Hydro also uses a private security contractor and has an arrangement with the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, he said.

The DCSP offers the Wayfinder program that provides visible safety patrols and courtesy walks to help people safely get to and from the building.

The estimated 1,800 Manitoba Hydro employees who work at its downtown headquarters are expected to be in the office more often starting next month. The hybrid arrangement that allowed employees to work remotely both Mondays and Wednesdays is being scaled back to Mondays only, he said.

The union representing close to 700 technical and clerical employees at Manitoba Hydro Place said safety remains a concern.

“Hydro workers are consistently worried about safety in the Hydro building, but also outside the facility, as well,” Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 998 president Michelle Bergen said when asked about the ISO incident reports.

She said the union can’t comment on specific incidents, including the three assaults reported at the building.

“These numbers aren’t surprising, but they also likely don’t capture incidents off the facility’s property,” she said.

“Having safety officers in the Hydro building is obviously helpful, and more of these officers across Hydro and other (Crown corporations) would be good to see.”

She encouraged the city to expand the DCSP, and for the province to train and hire more ISOs at government facilities.

“We do know that the safety issues downtown are more systemic, like homelessness and the mental-health crisis…. We need all levels of government to address the root issues in our community,” Bergen said.

Luisa Valente, who isn’t employed by Hydro but works in the building, said the ISOs on site have made her feel safer.

“They come and take care of people who shouldn’t be in the building,” said Valente, 46. “They’re on it right away.”

The services offered by the ISOs are “very much needed” downtown, especially with colder weather approaching and more people seeking shelter, she said.

“They’re looking for a warm place. Some of them are very nice. And some of them are not so nice; and it’s nice to have someone who can deal with those people,” said Valente, who has worked downtown for 18 months.

She said she would like to see the ISOs in more locations.

“The officers are very nice,” she said. “They stop everyone, make conversations and they’re welcoming to everyone that comes into the building.”

“I wish we had more.”


MORGAN MODJESKI / FREE PRESS

According to recent documents released under Freedom of Information legislation, Institutional Safety Officers have assisted with numerous calls at Manitoba Hydro’s downtown office complex.

Winnipeg Free Press

[Wpg_Guy]

It appears True North has purchased The Carlton Building at 354 Portage Ave/275 Carlton St, they are advertising space for lease on the 2nd & 3rd levels. The first floor is currently under construction demo, merging 3 tenant spaces into one unit.

Position your business in the heart of downtown Winnipeg!

If you are looking to move, expand or establish a first or new office location, put your business at the centre of a growing downtown, and enjoy direct access to Winnipeg’s skywalk system from a prime location between Manitoba Hydro Place, Canada Life Centre, and the Portage Place redevelopment.

Flexible office opportunities are available on the second and third floors of the Carlton Building, with space ranging from 3,440 to 11,915 sq ft.






True North Sports + Entertainment

[Mr Tall Forehead]

That's good news. I wonder if they have a tenant for the first floor? It would be a good restaurant space.

[trueviking]

it might have been part of portage place.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by trueviking

it might have been part of portage place.

At one point around 2002 Portage Place had a long term lease with the building owner (Consolidated Properties) and was subleasing that space out.

I have no idea if that lease still exists or Portage Place is the owner now.

Back in 1987 Cadillac Fairview bought the building from Holt Renfrew probably as an inducement for Holt to move into Portage Place when CF was operating it.

[WpgRocksDude]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

That's good news. I wonder if they have a tenant for the first floor? It would be a good restaurant space.

It seems like the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is moving into the first floor

[Wpg_Guy]

The centre of attention
Positive anticipation is growing about major housing developments underway in Winnipeg’s downtown
Front & Centre
By: Gabrielle Piché
Friday, Sep. 25, 2026


SUPPLIED

Artist's rendering of Railside at The Forks, a development with nine apartment buildings and one condominium project that will see about 400 units finished by 2028 and up to 1,200 planned by 2040.

If traffic is light and the wind is down, Somia Sadiq is able to hear the roar of Winnipeg Jets fans twice: first through her window, then on TV.

From her apartment view high above downtown, she can look out at Graham Avenue’s painted pedestrian landscape, see construction cranes and hear the heavy equipment at work as massive housing projects take shape at The Forks, at what used to be Portage Place shopping centre and at the former Hudson’s Bay building.

Sadiq has lived at 300 Main for 2 1/2 years, a few steps from the city’s famous, windy and reopened-to-pedestrians Portage Avenue intersection. At 42 storeys, it’s the tallest building in Winnipeg.

She is among 18,000 downtown residents who will soon be joined by thousands of others attracted to the city’s core by the new wave of major construction projects.

CentreVenture Development Corp. anticipates 4,000 units opening downtown over the next three to four years, bringing an expected influx of 6,000 residents.

Despite the optimism, long-standing challenges remain in the core. The Free Press spoke to residents, planners and community advocates about housing and downtown revitalization ahead of the Oct. 28 election.

“Love the place, spectacular views of our beautiful city,” Sadiq said of her apartment. “You realize how many trees our city has when you’re living that high up.”

The tower was completed in 2022, as the city reckoned with the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Businesses had shuttered and downtown office staff who had been working from home were slow to return, yet Sadiq and her husband chose to move from East Kildonan. She’d lived in the city’s core years earlier and missed being “in the middle of all the action.”

“If you ever want to feel the experience of just how much happens in the city… living downtown is a great way to have that experience,” the 43-year-old said.

A seven-minute walk takes her to work. Baseball games, festivals and the Legislative Building are a short jaunt away.

Sadiq, who founded planning and design firm Narratives Inc., described the nearby housing developments as “excellent.”

“Every new investment downtown has an impact,” she said.

Dave Hall, a retiree who treks downtown Winnipeg several times a week, echoes her sentiments.

“I love downtown,” Hall said, pausing on his way to a hearing aid appointment. “We live in a 15-minute city.”

He gave his old car to his grandson last year. He walks from his Langside Street home to regular downtown haunts such as the Prairie Theatre Exchange, West End Cultural Centre and Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club.

He acknowledges his enthusiasm for downtown is not shared by everyone.

“It’s sad. People think it’s dangerous, but it’s by and large not dangerous if you use common sense,” the 76-year-old said, adding new developments such as Railside at The Forks and Market Lands should improve density.

Railside at The Forks encompasses nine apartment buildings and one condominium project. About 400 units should be finished in 2028; a total 1,200 could open by 2040.


Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Files

Market Lands is a mixed-use residential development on the site of the former Public Safety Building with three buildings in the works, the first opening next month providing 95 units.

Market Lands, a mixed-use residential development on the former Public Safety Building site in the Exchange District, has three buildings in the works, with a total 369 apartment suites. The first structure, opening next month, has 95 units.

“But we desperately need that to be combined with public housing, low-cost housing,” Hall said, because private-sector housing isn’t “even within dreaming territory” of people living in tents in his West Broadway neighbourhood, which borders downtown.

As a frequent pedestrian, Hall said he’s become “a little bit desensitized” to witnessing poverty, mental-health and addiction issues play out on the street. He doesn’t feel unsafe, he said, but he understands it keeps others away.

“You see a lot of pain. You’ll see young people overdosing with a needle in their arm, people huffing in a corner with their crack… this is heartbreaking to see.”

Affordable grocery stores remain a top priority for downtown residents, said Corrine Clyne, 34.

Options are slim. Clyne visits Downtown Family Foods at Broadway and Donald Street, but it’s a smaller shop, she said. Another small core-area grocer, the Giant Tiger at Donald and Ellice Avenue, is closing in a few days.

A more promising option is coming, though not for another three years. Red River Co-op plans to open a full-scale grocery store and pharmacy in 2029, inside the $650-million transformation of Portage Place into a mixed-use residential, commercial, health-care and community hub.

“I think I order more online food than anything,” Clyne said, stopping during a walk near her Smith Street apartment. “But if I were somebody who didn’t have the luxury of doing that, then it would be a lot harder.”

Aside from buying groceries, living in the city’s core is convenient, she said, which is why she’s been there for 17 years. Before that she lived near the Perimeter Highway, but found “everything was so far away.”

Her commute to work was cut in half when she moved downtown. She often walks to coffee shops and Bonnycastle Dog Park.

She watched as many retailers shuttered during the pandemic, but she’s sensing a change happening.

“Businesses are starting to open up,” said Clyne, who has become a frequent visitor to Mondays Cafe, which opened on Broadway last year.

The number of business openings has matched closures in the first two quarters of 2026. It marks a “sustained pause” in net losses over the past five years, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s latest public report says.

“It’s been said that retail follows rooftop,” said Rochelle Squires, chief executive of CentreVenture Development Corp.

“A good amount of housing (is) coming online in the next three to four years, which will create vibrancy unlike anything… seen before.”

CentreVenture and other planners expect to see 25,000 residents downtown in the coming years. Canada’s 2021 census recorded 17,190, a 17 per cent increase from five years earlier.

There was a significant spike in downtown building permits last year, with 1,040 issued. By comparison, 2,420 permits in total were issued between 2021 and the end of last month. So far this year, 295 permits had been issued.

None of those permits are for single-detached homes, city spokesman Adam Campbell confirmed. However, the city doesn’t track rental-unit versus owned permit numbers.

“We’re at the right moment in time to really be focusing on that density,” Squires said. “The support has been there from all levels of government, and it’s really good to see that, because that’s what it’s going to take.

“It’s a complex community.”

The city has committed more than $112.8 million in grants and tax increment financing — $71.1 million and $41.6 million, respectively — for downtown housing since 2022.

Of that, $56.3 million has come from Ottawa’s housing accelerator fund.

Manitoba Housing has tabbed at least $81 million for downtown housing projects over the past five years, including through loans and land contributions. Projects include the Portage Place and Hudson’s Bay redevelopments, a government spokesperson said in a statement.

he housing will mesh with amenities such as health centres, green spaces and restaurants.

“This is a brand-new vision for downtown,” Squires said of the emphasis on mixed use development.

However, Coun. Sherri Rollins, whose Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry ward includes a portion of the core area, argues that downtown vision doesn’t have full municipal support.

Rollins has criticized the mayor’s executive policy committee for postponing CentrePlan 2050, a 25-year roadmap covering downtown investment and livability. It’s been pushed until at least 2027.

Downtown planning requires attention from all of council, instead of independent politicians’ offices providing money to specific initiatives, Rollins said.

“We lose something when downtown issues become the responsibility of an office like mine rather than a citywide priority,” she said.

“Successful cities usually have that important key — a mayor and council that understands that downtown belongs to the whole city.”

Garbage collection, daycare and school access and green space must be prioritized for residents, added Rollins, who isn’t running for re-election after serving eight years as a city councillor.

“You can’t build a downtown with the types of families we have and then manage it so it’s just a commercial district,” she said.

Safety concerns remain a hurdle to drawing residential developers downtown, said Nolan Ploegman, president of Winnipeg construction management and general contracting firm Concord Projects.

A 2026 Winnipeg Police Service survey found less than half of 600 respondents — 44 per cent — felt safe walking alone during the day. Just eight per cent felt safe at night.

Ploegman, however, has invested in downtown. He moved his company’s headquarters to 127 Bannatyne last year. Approximately 35 office staff members work out of the new 10-storey mixed-use Exchange District building that Concord co-developed with Alston Properties.

“We talk about wanting the downtown to be safer. We talk about… ‘More people should live downtown,’” Ploegman said. “This is my… small part of actually doing something about it.”

Concord Projects is the contractor for housing at Railside at The Forks and Market Lands. Ploegman said he’s working with developers who share the “same optimism” for revitalization.

Downtown projects are generally more expensive and come with greater challenges than new developments, such as dealing with older infrastructure, Ploegman said.

About 80 major projects have been undertaken in downtown Winnipeg since 2005, said Jino Distasio, interim president of the University of Winnipeg and an urban geography professor, calling it a “generational high” for housing starts.

“The big missing piece to all this is the struggle to regain a retail foothold in the downtown and to address the question of languishing negative perceptions,” Distasio said.

Squires pointed to “feet on the street” as a solution to the real and perceived safety concerns. CentreVenture counts roughly 80,000 people working downtown.

Winnipeg police tracked 19,369 crime calls between July 2025 and June 2026, up 3.2 per cent from the year prior. Violent crime had dropped 10 per cent year over year; non-violent crime rose eight per cent.

Downtown Winnipeg saw investment hit $2.4 billion between 2005 and 2015, with another $1 billion planned, but momentum halted during the pandemic, Distasio said.

“My hope is that… we get back into a cycle where a lot of good things are happening,” he said.


MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES

Nolan Ploegman, president and CEO of Concord Projects, outside his company’s headquarters at 127 Bannatyne Avenue.

Free Press

[wags_in_the_peg]

corner of Portage & Notre Dame has new main floor tenant, been empty for some time, another staffing solution company and property maintenance company. added some life to the corner

[Wpg_Guy]

Work should be getting underway soon on this residential conversion.

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

290 Garry St.
Location: 290 Garry St.
Neighbourhood: Downtown - Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry Ward (City Centre Community Committee)
Developer: Westgate Developments
Architect:
Status: In Development
Media:

• $88-M plan for downtown-Winnipeg Free Press Jan 2026
• 4 downtown heritage buildings to be converted to residential housing with $4.7M in public funds–CBC News Manitoba Jan 2026

Project Post
Description: The historic Garry Block (also known as the Belgica Block), a four-storey brick and stone heritage building constructed in 1911 at 290 Garry Street in downtown Winnipeg (south of Portage Avenue), is slated for redevelopment to create 29 new residential units, as announced by CentreVenture Development Corporation. This modest-scale conversion is part of a $4.7 million public funding package supporting four heritage property projects that will collectively deliver 297 units—including 106 affordable housing options—with the Garry Street initiative focusing on revitalizing the underutilized or long-vacant structure (previously used for offices, including medical space) into livable housing while preserving its architectural character. This project is a recipient of $435,000 from the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund City-wide Heritage Program and the Housing Accelerator Fund Capital Grant Incentive (round 1).
Permits: 26-187815 DP-2026-09-18, Change of Use. Development permit for the change of use to convert existing commercial building to a multi-family residential building.

[Wpg_Guy]

Canada backs Winnipeg Downtown Y redevelopment with more than U.S. $8 million

Canada is directing more than $8 million to the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg’s Downtown Y Redevelopment Project as part of a broader push to strengthen community infrastructure. The funding supports upgrades to the 1913 facility and ties the project to a national program that is investing $51 billion in infrastructure across the country.

Redevelopment funding and project scope
As reported by Canada.ca, citing the Government of Canada, the funding is being provided through the Direct Delivery stream of the Build Communities Strong Fund for the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg’s Downtown Y Redevelopment Project in Manitoba.
The downtown facility, built in 1913, has long provided services, safe spaces and programming for local residents. The redevelopment is set to modernize the historic building into a more accessible, sustainable and inclusive hub designed to meet the changing needs of Winnipeg’s diverse community.

Planned improvements include upgrades to elevators, changerooms, aquatics and fitness areas, as well as energy systems. The project also expands newcomer and mental health programs and adds community classrooms.

Infrastructure strategy and local impact
The investment sits within the Build Communities Strong Fund, which is committing $51 billion to infrastructure projects across Canada. The program supports areas including economic prosperity, housing, sport, education, health, transit and climate adaptation.
For Winnipeg, the Downtown Y project is positioned as both a community renewal effort and a service expansion that could improve access to social and recreational programs in the city centre. The redevelopment also aligns with Ottawa’s broader infrastructure agenda aimed at increasing housing supply and building more resilient communities.
tradersunion

• Video Link

Downtown Y Revitalization
Location: 301 Vaughan Street
Neighbourhood: Downtown - Daniel McIntyre Ward - (City Centre Community Committee)
Developer: YMCA
Architect: Number TEN Architectural Group
Status: U/C
Documents: Case for Support, Heart of the City
Media:

• Doubling down on downtown Y Facility hopes to raise $15M for upgrades-Winnipeg Free Press Jul 2024
• Building Canada strong by investing in the Downtown Y Redevelopment Project-Gov of Canada Sept 28, 2026

Description: In 1909, James Ashdown led a successful capital campaign, raising $354,000 in seven days from 4,380 Winnipeg citizens to build the Downtown Y at 301 Vaughan Street, designed by New York architects Jackson and Rosencrans with local architect J. H. G. Russell. Opened in 1913, the building, with its cornerstone laid by Ashdown in 1911, was designated a heritage site by the City of Winnipeg in 1985 and renovated in 1992, earning a Heritage Winnipeg Conservation Award. For 110 years, it has been a vital community landmark. Responding to growing community needs the Downtown Ys Heart of the City Campaign represents a $20+ Million transformation of the Downtown Y into a true community hub, envisioning a modernized facility focusing on seven transformational components: enhanced accessibility, expanded childcare, newcomer services, mental health services, indoor splash pad, community classrooms, and corporate relocation. These designs will foster a welcoming, equitable environment for downtown Winnipeg.
Permits: 26-204112 RE-2026-09-28, Interior and Exterior Alterations. Landlord work. YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg Inc. Multi-story, multi-tenant building. Complete interior renovation. Demolish interior on main floor, second floor, third floor, and mall level. Construct partition walls, floor structure and stairways. New change rooms, washrooms, reception, classrooms, splash pad, viewing lounge, steam room, kitchen, storage. New floor infill at track level. Install new elevator. Alterations to pool basin. New fixtures, finishes and millwork. Structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work to be done.

[borkborkbork]

Canada backs Winnipeg Downtown Y redevelopment with more than U.S.$8 million

"US $8million"? This has to be some sort of AI-generated headline? I don't see anything suggesting the funding is somehow from a US source or denominated in USD...

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

"US $8million"? This has to be some sort of AI-generated headline? I don't see anything suggesting the funding is somehow from a US source or denominated in USD...

Probably was AI, the 8 million is definitely not in US $.

Here's a better more trusted press article.

Ottawa commits $8.1 million for downtown Y redevelopment
By: Kelly-Anne Riess
Monday, Sep. 28, 2026


JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES

The federal government has committed $8.1 million toward the YMCA’s plans to expand community programs and update its century-old Vaughan Street building.

The YMCA-YWCA is contributing $3.5 million to the project.

The project’s original fundraising goal was $18 million, with the remaining costs to be financed, said Kamilla Karoli, the YMCA-YWCA’s vice-president of fund development.

The organization will continue raising money in hopes of reducing or eliminating the need to borrow for the renovations.

“We have an incredible group of supporters who want to see this project through and who understand the positive impact it will have on downtown,” Karoli said in an email.

The funding advances a redevelopment plan unveiled in 2023, when the organization said membership at the downtown branch had fallen from a peak of about 11,000 in 2009 to about 2,000 following the pandemic. Despite operating at a deficit at the time, leadership indicated its intention to keep it open.

Cordella Friesen, president and CEO of the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, said Ottawa’s investment supports “the renaissance of Winnipeg’s downtown core.”

The Downtown Y building opened in 1913.

The federal dollars come from Canada’s Build Communities Strong Fund stream, which is providing $51 billion over 10 years to support new and renewed public infrastructure.
Winnipeg Free Press