City proposal would revive Alexander Docks

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This article was published 07/09/2023 (780 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Forks Renewal Corp. could be instrumental in transforming the long-closed Alexander Docks into a vibrant public space.

A new proposal suggests the City of Winnipeg lease 70 Alexander Ave. to The Forks for $1 a year, for up to 99 years, which would give it leverage to fundraise, consult and complete a feasibility study on revitalizing the area.

“This will provide maximum flexibility to The Forks to determine the future land use,” the report notes.

A city appraisal found the annual rental value of the docks is $27,300.

In 2021, council approved $600,000 to revamp the docks, as part of a larger post-pandemic downtown recovery strategy, along with a goal to fundraise an initial $2.2 million for the project.

The head of council’s property and development committee said the plan marks a significant step toward welcoming Winnipeggers back to the area.

“(Today) you can still see the remnants of what the dock is … (For the future) you can really clearly see a vision of the downtown that is beautiful, that’s really engaged with nature and the river, that sees boating and canoeing and kayaking as active transportation, (even as) a way to get to work sometimes,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins.

Rollins said she supports the lease. She expects revamping and reopening the area would better connect tourist sites and boost economic activity.

In 2015, the Alexander Docks were shuttered and fenced off due to safety concerns with the structure. The site includes a vacant gravel parking lot, an active transportation path and green space. Rather than demolish the structures, council directed staff to study future uses for the docks.

In 2016, The Forks led public consultations on the property, which recommended the dock site be maintained as public space for year-round use with a commemorative place for healing and reconciliation.

Clare MacKay, chief communities officer for The Forks North Portage, said the design will build off extensive consultations.

MacKay noted any design would aim to honour a memorial for Tina Fontaine, which is now at the site. The body of the Indigenous teenager was found wrapped in the river, right at the foot of the docks in the summer of 2014. Her death sparked calls for action on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

“That is part of this space that will obviously be acknowledged and taken into consideration in any plans that go forward,” said MacKay.

She said the lease will help The Forks set up partnerships and seek funding for the project, which must address unique development challenges.

“It is an interesting site: there’s a flood line, there’s hydro lines, there’s riverbank stability, so there’s going to be some constraints. So, I think we want to paint a realistic picture of what could happen here … It is a key driver for the success of our downtown,” said MacKay.

The executive director of the Exchange District BIZ said he expects the lease to help speed up work to restore public access to the docks.

“It’s incredibly important and it’s a long-neglected asset… it’s important to keep access to the water and to leverage it as a site where there can be recreation and to use it to honour (its history),” said David Pensato.

Pensato said reconciliation is an important part of any potential plan, noting the site has Indigenous history that stretches back thousands of years.

“It has likely been used as a dock for as long as people have travelled… along the Red River,” he said.

One city department does appear to have concerns about the lease itself. The Winnipeg Parking Authority would prefer the city retain ownership of the site to help address parking challenges in the area, the city report says.

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Pensato said the parking lot at the docks hasn’t been open to the public in years, so he doesn’t believe it’s likely to solve those concerns.

Rollins said the city would be better off without the surface lot.

Since part of the docks is considered park land, the lease would require support from two-thirds of council members.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne 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.