Safety tops list at Exchange District BIZ AGM

Encampments stay top of mind for John Giavedoni.

The long-time Exchange District resident — and head of local group the Residents of the Exchange District — has sent letters about nearby encampments and related crime and vandalism to politicians.

On Wednesday, in a room full of Exchange District entrepreneurs, he wasn’t alone.

An increasing cycle of wellness calls and street cleaning has strained the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone, attendees of a public meeting heard (it’s a new format for the BIZ’s annual general meeting).

“There’s graffiti, there’s lots of garbage, vandalism,” Giavedoni said before the meeting.

“I love the Exchange, and I think it’s a tremendous place… but there’s significant work to be done to make it actually safer and certainly to improve the perception of safety.”

Exchange Community Safety Patrol workers responded to more than 1,600 calls between September 2024 and August.

Calls this past year are roughly 10 times the number received in 2018-19, executive director David Pensato told the assembled crowd. BIZ staff have cleaned 2,600 square metres of graffiti and picked more than 43,000 gallons of litter.

“Some days, it doesn’t look like it,” Pensato said. “You can imagine, if they weren’t out there doing that work, just how much worse it would be.”

(There was litter on the sidewalk near King’s Head Pub, the site of Wednesday’s annual general meeting.)

Challenges associated with homelessness, addictions and mental health crises have seemingly increased since the summer, Pensato later told a reporter.

Encampments just outside the Exchange District appear to have “grown dramatically,” he added.

“The Exchange District has been a bit of a bubble,” he said, noting homelessness within Winnipeg as a whole. “It really felt like, somewhere in July or August, that bubble burst.”

The BIZ could use more patrols, but can’t afford them, Pensato said.

Meanwhile, Exchange District hubs are busy: it can be hard to find a seat at restaurants in the evenings; events like Nuit Blanche draw upwards of 30,000 people. Office workers haven’t fully returned, but daytime is safe; nights without major events are where issues can arise, Pensato said.

Winnipeg police clocked a year-over-year decrease in both violent and property crime calls from September 2024 through August (549 property calls, down from 581; 127 violent calls, down from 155).

Both statistics were above their respective five-year averages. “Other” crimes rose 37 per cent during the September to August period — from 24 crimes to 33.

“I think a lot of business owners in the area are really focused on the safety aspect of the Exchange,” said Dylan Pereira, owner of Darling Bar and VA Cafe.

His business operates near Johnny G’s, one of the Winnipeg companies targeted in a string of arson attacks earlier this year.

The period was “a little bit scary,” Pereira said, but he’s focused on day-to-day challenges: “You’ve seen a lot more displaced people. I think the biggest thing is just making it more inviting and safe for people to come.”

Human suffering experienced by people living at encampments must be addressed alongside the need to prevent property damage and scaring customers, Pensato said.

“I don’t think they’re as opposed to one another as sometimes is placed… in the media,” he said, adding it’s a complicated situation.

City councillors voted in September to prohibit encampments from public spaces like docks and near daycares. Change isn’t happening fast enough, Giavedoni said.

The Exchange District BIZ plans to raise its business levy rate to 3.2 per cent from 2.91 per cent. The move is to boost annual levy revenue to $840,000, which it would log pre-COVID-19 pandemic. The BIZ slashed its fee to aid businesses during the pandemic, Pensato said.

The BIZ received $714,000 in levy funds this year.

“Despite what’s been a challenging last few months, I do think there’s a lot of positive energy in the air,” Pensato said. “You see the commitment of the businesses that are here.”

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Several people at the meeting spoke about new work they’ve undertaken. Concord Projects, which recently opened a high-rise on Bannatyne Avenue, has started a build in Chinatown.

Concept store Two Macaws opened eight months ago; a redesign of Alexander Docks is ongoing. First Fridays in the Exchange — where local businesses showcase art and run events — continues to draw hundreds of customers.

“It’s just a really positive, interesting, fun time to come down and support and look at art,” said Karen Schulz, who operates First Fridays.

The BIZ counted more than 30,000 Fringe Festival attendees watching Old Market Square performances this past summer. It clocked another 30,000 patrons at the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival in June.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.