Library branch in Garden City mall closer to reality

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/05/2025 (190 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The city is putting the finishing touches on a plan to build a library in a shopping mall.

The municipal government is set to rent space in the Garden City Shopping Centre instead of spending millions to build a library from the ground up.

“The new library is going to be a great addition for residents in some of our fastest-growing neighbourhoods like the Maples, Amber Trails and Garden City and new neighbourhoods like Aurora and Highland Pointe,” said Coun. Devi Sharma, who represents Old Kildonan and has pushed for a new library in the area for years.

“It means families will have better access to important services right in their own community.”

Sharma said the use of a shopping mall makes sense.

“It will be well-used, easy to get to, and right in the heart of where people already are,” she said.

“I love the accessibility this space offers, being in a covered mall, making it easier for those with mobility issues, and everyone else, to enjoy many services on any day, but also in weather that may not be ideal.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he likes the idea.

“The city (can) provide a library without having to allocate tens of millions of dollars in capital construction,” Gillingham said.

“This is about the people of northwest Winnipeg and providing library services for them that they have been waiting for for a long time.”

Last year, the city issued a request for proposals for space to lease for a library and the only one it received was from the mall.

Gillingham told reporters the library would be in addition to the West Kildonan Library on Jefferson Avenue.

The West Kildonan Library, built in 1967 at 365 Jefferson Ave., is 13,960 square feet while the one in the mall will be 14,490 square feet.

The annual lease will be $210,105 for the first five years, $224,595 for years six to 10, and $231,840 for years 11 to 15. There are options to extend it for terms up to 35 years.

The city will contribute $2.4 million to improve the mall space, while the provincial government will pitch in $2.5 million, and the mall owners will spend $1.9 million on the site.

As well, the city will pick up the cost of property taxes for the area, as well as operating costs and garbage collection, for a total of about $205,468 per year.

The mall will provide up to 40 public parking stalls, including five dedicated to library staff and a minimum of two spots for people with disabilities.

The library would be located at the west end of the mall, just behind the Bulk Barn. Since there isn’t an exterior wall, the mall will construct a 180-foot wall of glazed glass between the library and the mall corridor to allow natural light in.

Washrooms will be built in the library space. If approved, the library would open in fall 2026.

The proposal will be discussed at next week’s property and development committee meeting and, because the total lease cost is greater than $2 million, it has to be approved by city council.

Harriet Zaidman, a member of the Friends of the West Kildonan Library, said they’re waiting for the city to announce upgrades for their branch.

“We are happy a library is being developed for the growing population in the northwest part of the city, and we also want to ensure that the redevelopment of the West Kildonan branch will take place,” Zaidman said.

“Council committed to maintain the West Kildonan Branch as a library after the community spoke, loud and clear.”

A design proposal was chosen after public consultation. There are six schools in the immediate vicinity of the Jefferson Avenue branch.

When the proposal to open a library in the Garden City mall surfaced in 2022, it was intended to replace the aging West Kildonan Library.

After community outcry, the city decided to keep the West Kildonan branch open and find a place for a new branch to serve the rest of northwest Winnipeg.

A city spokeswoman confirmed a report, which was discussed by city council last year, discussed a potential upgrade to the West Kildonan Library, but it was accepted as information and, to date, the project remains unfunded.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca