Winnipeg Construction X

[pspeid]

[QUOTE=GarryEllice;8781600]Can we tone down the hyperbole? QUOTE]

Amen!

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Not sure when people will start to get it, downtown retail in Winnipeg is DEAD Nothing will change that.

Did you short the winnipeg downtown retail market or something? You seem awfully invested in its failure.

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

[robertocarlos]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Not sure when people will start to get it, downtown retail in Winnipeg is DEAD Nothing will change that.

As long as we have Giant Tiger, we're good.

[trueviking]

i love when I hear people say bricks and mortar retail is dead....just like everyone said music is dead when technology changed it. Retail is far from dead, it is just changing.

I also love when I hear people who were dead set against opening Portage and Main to people say there is nothing you can do to bring retail back to downtown Winnipeg. There is a lot we can do. Downtown storefront retail exists in almost every other major Canadian city. We have just designed it out of ours by putting the priority on downtown being a thoroughfare to drive through, instead of a place to be.

[Polo Winnipeg]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

shame they just made it even uglyer

I agree.
The new Owners have the unique opportunity to restore/maintain a Post Modern building, They could set the trend of promoting 80s architecture in Canada!

I remember as a kid reading architecture books a few times Portage Plave would come up as an example of the Post Modern style.

Sure it's a very unpopular building and any new lease on life for it will be a benefit, But if theyvkeft it alone and added the towers just think of the money they would save an all the materials that wouldn't end up in the landfill!

Just a thought.

[1ajs]

the highrise being built at Pembina & Chancellor Matheson rd caught fire last night?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...tion-1.5405752

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

the highrise being built at Pembina & Chancellor Matheson rd caught fire last night?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...tion-1.5405752

I hope this project can be saves and built in the same design.I hope it was not arson like the condo that was hit near the Ikea / seasons development when it too was deliberate torched by redneck thugs.

[kalabaw]

Winnipeg has got to be the most pessimistic town I've ever lived in. A lot of forumers here and commenters on Facebook are negative about the PP development. It must be all the snow and the length of winter this city gets. Haha.

For me, personally, I welcome this project. And I only wish the new owners success.

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by kalabaw

Winnipeg has got to be the most pessimistic town I've ever lived in. A lot of forumers here and commenters on Facebook are negative about the PP development. It must be all the snow and the length of winter this city gets. Haha.

For me, personally, I welcome this project. And I only wish the new owners success.

Not I. I support the "new" Portage Place or whatever it'll be called. The new owners seem to have addressed the major problems the site has had since it opened.


But I'd like to ensure that it has amenities that were there before. A movie theatre, the long promised grocery store, some sort of good retail not a relocated Dollarama. I want to ensure that this space is well lit and constantly patrolled by WPS to keep the criminal element away from the site.


In other words, give Portage Place back to the middle-class. But until better transit that attracts more than Univ. students is built here, the "choice" middle-class will stay away and will continue to shop at the suburban malls. The BRT we have won't do the trick, no matter how fancy-schmancy it is.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by kalabaw

Winnipeg has got to be the most pessimistic town I've ever lived in. A lot of forumers here and commenters on Facebook are negative about the PP development. It must be all the snow and the length of winter this city gets. Haha.

For me, personally, I welcome this project. And I only wish the new owners success.

its a weird thing about this city indeed. kinda annoying

as for my comment on it being ugly. it just looks like a suburban mall with what they are doing kinda dated and lots of stucco? have to wait and see more but i welcome a rehab of the mall though and wish em luck on managing it to make a profit for their investment

note to any local architecture collectors theirs peics of a building torn down for the trizac complex imbeded in the faced of portage place along portage.

[EspionNoir]

Originally Posted by kalabaw

Winnipeg has got to be the most pessimistic town I've ever lived in. A lot of forumers here and commenters on Facebook are negative about the PP development. It must be all the snow and the length of winter this city gets. Haha.

For me, personally, I welcome this project. And I only wish the new owners success.

It might feel like that, but I think it's common that there is always some opposing voice. In addition, since this is the internet, almost every negative opinion is magnified to a large extent. The negativity that can exist in online forums are pretty "powerful" and indeed can possibly be toxic

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by kalabaw

Winnipeg has got to be the most pessimistic town I've ever lived in. A lot of forumers here and commenters on Facebook are negative about the PP development. It must be all the snow and the length of winter this city gets. Haha.

For me, personally, I welcome this project. And I only wish the new owners success.

About Winnipeggers/ Whinypeggers...Do nothing, No good. Do something, no good.Sick of the whiny A_holes.. Yes..My late grandfather told me when I was a kid.. The major reason why Winnipeg was not over a million people decades ago was for the large minority or small majority of sourpuss, nasty small town minded people with tunnel vision..and so many of their offspring still think backwards today. The negativity is their own lack of self confidence.. many positive people leave for where the pessimism is dialed down. I used to hear how MTS Place will be a loser complex .. 3rd busiest in Canada, 19th busiest in N America 50th in the world. The most ignorant of all is the many who trash our city to potential visitors and investors from elsewhere. It tells a lot about them.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

About Winnipeggers/ Whinypeggers...Do nothing, No good. Do something, no good.Sick of the whiny A_holes.. Yes..My late grandfather told me when I was a kid.. The major reason why Winnipeg was not over a million people decades ago was for the large minority or small majority of sourpuss, nasty small town minded people with tunnel vision..and so many of their offspring still think backwards today. The negativity is their own lack of self confidence.. many positive people leave for where the pessimism is dialed down. I used to hear how MTS Place will be a loser complex .. 3rd busiest in Canada, 19th busiest in N America 50th in the world.

It's the Loserpegger mentality, typical of many in the city. I still fail to understand how this has become the mainstream mentality of the city. Yeah yeah, Panama Canal. Whatever. Its like some people believe that was what caused the city to decline. But give me a break, how was this city the only city affected by the opening of the Panama Canal? Utter bullshit and a pathetic excuse. Negativity is the dominant mindset of people in this (what is becoming again) a backwater burg. People are sick and tired of excuses, and the poor civic and provincial leadership which leads to the social and economic issues facing this place. People are also tired of living in a city that has, for all intents and purposes, become known as the unofficial laughing stock shithole of Canada. What do you do? Many of us who have been trying to remain positive over the decades are mentally exhausted from the daily battle of trying to stay positive when the leaders who govern us really don't give an honest shit, which is evident by a classic example of allowing crime to spiral out of control. It just never ends.

It's also devastating for those who have tried to make a physical difference but whose voices have either been ignored or silenced by the men in the grey suits, so to speak.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by EspionNoir

It might feel like that, but I think it's common that there is always some opposing voice. In addition, since this is the internet, almost every negative opinion is magnified to a large extent. The negativity that can exist in online forums are pretty "powerful" and indeed can possibly be toxic

I agree that negativity gets magnified in forums like this one. Anywhere people are given the option to offer their viewpoints like forums or on-line surveys) the results show only the extremes, and people with axes to grind tend to dominate (that is why on-line surveys are not considered statistically accurate).

I also agree that there is a tendency towards negativity in Winnipeg, but I disagree that the "men in grey suits", which I am assuming are the city's business leaders, are to blame for silencing people who want to make a change. If you look at any of the big developments lately, pretty much all of them have been spearheaded and/or financed by the city's wealthy families; the Chipmans, the Pollards, the Richardsons, etc., who have seen a need in one area or another and have addressed it. Are the Pollards ever going to see their money back from the Fortune Block/ Winnipeg Hotel redevelopment? Will Mark Chipman make a bundle off of spearheading an addictions/recovery centre? I think the "grey suits", if that is who are being referred to, are the only one's leading the city.

I think where the city fails is in it'c civic leadership that is way too sensitive to the shifting and fickle winds of public opinion to make good decisions, and the NIMBY ethic. Yes, there has always been loud opposition to any of the civic improvements over the last couple of decades, but our politicians have refused to learn the lesson of history that, once the improvements are made, most if not all of the opposition melts away. I strongly feel we need a public campaign against the NIMBY ethic in the city. I think I will look into starting one.

[buzzg]

The negativity and self-deprecating nature of Winnipeggers in the past is why other people in Canada assume Winnipeg sucks or nothing happens here. Then, many people move or visit here and are completely blown away that we're actually a real city that has a lot going for it.

My colleagues mother in law – from England, lived in Toronto last 20 years – just visited here for the first time last week. Safe to say she was avoiding coming for a while, then ended up coming in –35 weather. She loved it, couldn't believe all the amazing food and quality attractions. She said she had formed her opinion on what other people had told her, but was blown away.

The reason I said in the past above is there's been a changing of the guard here. I'm 28 and feel like I'm in the bridge generation – a mix of people who love and hate Winnipeg. The generation below us missed the terrible 90s. They've only seen Winnipeg on the rise – and they are proud to champion it. There's some incredible young artists and entrepreneurs putting Winnipeg on their backs right now, instead of leaving, and they're the ones driving a lot of cultural change. City council has been getting younger, and I believe will continue to. We may have a late 20-something or early-30s mayor in the next 10 years, and it'll usher in a big change that will leave old complainers behind.

Oh and we're taking your pensions too, thanks.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

About Winnipeggers/ Whinypeggers...Do nothing, No good. Do something, no good.Sick of the whiny A_holes.. Yes..My late grandfather told me when I was a kid.. The major reason why Winnipeg was not over a million people decades ago was for the large minority or small majority of sourpuss, nasty small town minded people with tunnel vision..and so many of their offspring still think backwards today. The negativity is their own lack of self confidence.. many positive people leave for where the pessimism is dialed down. I used to hear how MTS Place will be a loser complex .. 3rd Busiest in Canada, 19th busiest in N America 50th in the world.

The most ignorant of all is the many who trash our city to potential visitors and investors from elsewhere. It tells a lot about them.
People in much smaller places do not take us seriously or realize what great attractions we have until they visit due to the pessimistic tone of the same who trash any new development here.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The reason I said in the past above is there's been a changing of the guard here. I'm 28 and feel like I'm in the bridge generation – a mix of people who love and hate Winnipeg. The generation below us missed the terrible 90s. They've only seen Winnipeg on the rise – and they are proud to champion it. There's some incredible young artists and entrepreneurs putting Winnipeg on their backs right now, instead of leaving, and they're the ones driving a lot of cultural change. City council has been getting younger, and I believe will continue to. We may have a late 20-something or early-30s mayor in the next 10 years, and it'll usher in a big change that will leave old complainers behind.

Bravo! I really hope this is true (except that bit about the pensions).

I've been pondering the past negativity in the city. While some people point to the old "Panama Canal" bugaboo, I personally reject that idea. I'm not an historian or a psychologist, but my uneducated opinion is that the city's past distrust of development is rooted in it's relatively broad-based participation in the labour movement. From the 1919 general strike and on, it seems like there has been an overall distrust of anyone with power and money. Not that it has been entirely unfounded, there have certainly been many examples of worker's rights being trampled, and unions have often been critical in securing positive social gains.

HOWEVER....I feel this has led to an general attitude that anyone with money who has a proposal for change must, somehow, be untrustworthy and hiding an evil agenda. The attitude that people must oppose new projects in order to "show those rich people we can't be pushed around" was, I believe, quite prevalent.

Now, as buzzg has suggested, that is changing. Fewer young people are working at "the factory", and more seem to be taking control of their work life. Change happens so fast, the attitude that one is automatically threatened or victimized by change is dissolving. New is great, whether it' new technology or new buildings. It looks like positive change to me, and I hope it continues.

Just don't touch my pension.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by pspeid

I agree that negativity gets magnified in forums like this one. Anywhere people are given the option to offer their viewpoints like forums or on-line surveys) the results show only the extremes, and people with axes to grind tend to dominate (that is why on-line surveys are not considered statistically accurate).

I also agree that there is a tendency towards negativity in Winnipeg, but I disagree that the "men in grey suits", which I am assuming are the city's business leaders, are to blame for silencing people who want to make a change. If you look at any of the big developments lately, pretty much all of them have been spearheaded and/or financed by the city's wealthy families; the Chipmans, the Pollards, the Richardsons, etc., who have seen a need in one area or another and have addressed it. Are the Pollards ever going to see their money back from the Fortune Block/ Winnipeg Hotel redevelopment? Will Mark Chipman make a bundle off of spearheading an addictions/recovery centre? I think the "grey suits", if that is who are being referred to, are the only one's leading the city.

I think where the city fails is in it'c civic leadership that is way too sensitive to the shifting and fickle winds of public opinion to make good decisions, and the NIMBY ethic. Yes, there has always been loud opposition to any of the civic improvements over the last couple of decades, but our politicians have refused to learn the lesson of history that, once the improvements are made, most if not all of the opposition melts away. I strongly feel we need a public campaign against the NIMBY ethic in the city. I think I will look into starting one.

By "men in grey suits", I was referring to city council and even the provincial govt, not the business leaders.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Pinus

By "men in grey suits", I was referring to city council and even the provincial govt, not the business leaders.

Ah I see, thanks for the clarification. I agree with you.

[Peg forever]

HI
I've been watching this forum for years. I'd like to remind all of us to go back to
the first page of Wpg Construction X and see the progress that's been made, and what's on tap. I've been a skyline fan for almost 50 years, and a Winnipeg booster for the same time. (Had to move for training reasons 30 years ago, and couldn't get back)
I get a buzz from offering Winnipeg travel tips to GTA people who are going for biz or pleasure, and hearing their reactions on returning. Almost universally positive, and some genuinely surprised. (Same with surrounding areas - Gimli, Whiteshell, etc)
It's also interesting that so many passionate posters weigh in so often on what's being planned, developed, created or changed in the REAL centre of the country. Sure, transit needs urgent sorting out, and progress on a lot of projects is slow. WPS building, BRT line about 20 years late, etc.
But I invite you to go sit in the daily parking lot on the QEW. 2 hours each way to work in winter, in spite of 4x the number of trains deployed in the past 5 years. Or be late every time you're supposed to go out to meet friends.
And these guys around here are Leafs fans from birth. Sad.
Bottom line: Winnipeg continues to improve. The challenges there aren't unique, but the solutions can be.
Thanks to those who post the pictorial updates.