Downtown Bay not as full of asbestos as feared

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This article was published 08/03/2024 (548 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s been a surprising development in the transformation of the former downtown Hudson’s Bay Co. store into a housing and cultural hub for Indigenous people: the century-old building has much less asbestos than project managers had expected.

Jerry Daniels, grand chief of Southern Chiefs’ Organization, which is overseeing the renovation of the site at a cost of $200 million, said while the discovery is a positive step, it’s unknown whether it will allow the project to be completed sooner.

“The asbestos is in the renovations that were made throughout the years,” Daniels said Thursday. “It wasn’t (included) when the building was built (in 1925-26). Truthfully, it wasn’t as much as we thought it would be. It’s mostly around the water pipes.”

Daniels said it’s anticipated the “soft opening” of the building, known as Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn (“It is visible”), will be in time for its 100th anniversary, which is late 2026.

He said once the asbestos is out, crews will begin demolishing the walls and fixtures inside to begin the massive transformation of the 655,000-square-foot former retail outlet into 300 affordable housing units, assisted-living spaces for Indigenous elders, a museum, art gallery, restaurants and businesses.

The project was announced in April 2022.

The retailer gifted the building to the 34 Manitoba First Nations represented by SCO during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then-premier Heather Stefanson and then-mayor Brian Bowman.

The three levels of government agreed to help pay for the redevelopment: the federal government will contribute $65 million, the province promised $35 million ($25 million for historic preservation and $10 million for housing) and the city said it would provide tax incentives.

The project was originally projected to cost about $130 million, but late last year the budget had grown to about $200 million.

Daniels said it’s time to look for First Nations people — skilled trades workers and general labourers — to work on the landmark project. A website has been launched for applicants (sced.ca/miikahnah-connect).

“It really is about getting skilled tradespeople to work here. We want to hire some of our people to help them get their journeyman qualifications. To get it, they need to spend time under someone like an experienced electrician. This will be very helpful for people.”

Once demolition is completed, tradespeople — mechanical, plumbing, electrical, framing, concrete and roofing — will be needed.

Daniels said once a worker signs up on the new online site, they won’t be forgotten.

“This is our centre piece project, but there will be other projects,” he said. “We want to connect our people with jobs.”

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A BuildForce Canada report last year found that of the 38,600 tradespeople who worked in Manitoba in 2022, Indigenous workers accounted for 17 per cent of the province’s construction labour force.

Ramona Coey, executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Manitoba, said it’s wonderful the project will give First Nations people experience in different areas of construction.

“It will provide them with the skill-set to know if they want to pursue a career in the industry. It sounds like a great opportunity.”

Darryl Harrison, a director at the Winnipeg Construction Association, said the Bay is an important downtown project for “and if they can create additional benefits for construction it is good for them, the individuals and the construction industry.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

Every piece of reporting Kevin 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.