MMF, community groups try to save Grant’s Old Mill after closure

Grant’s Old Mill, a longtime city landmark, is closed due to structural problems as the Manitoba Métis Federation looks to discuss its future with Winnipeg’s mayor.

MMF minister Will Gooden is a descendant of Métis leader Cuthbert Grant, the man commemorated by the replica mill along Sturgeon Creek. He said MMF president David Chartrand wants to set up a meeting with Mayor Scott Gillingham.

“It’s an opportunity now to see what we can make happen here,” Gooden said Monday. “It is a replica, but it is still very significant, not just for the Red River Métis, but also for that part of town.”

The water mill, located at 2777 Portage Ave., was constructed in 1973 as a City of Winnipeg centennial project and was officially opened by then-premier Ed Schreyer in 1975. It is a replica of the mill constructed by Grant in 1829.

Gooden, who is descended from Grant’s sister, said the leader “was one of the ones who first called us a new nation.

“He flew the infinity flag near Brandon and then in Seven Oaks. He had a great impact — he was one of the very first leaders of our people and nation. It is important to educate people.”

Grant was leader at the Battle of Seven Oaks and founded the settlement Grantown in 1824, where St. François Xavier is located today. He died in 1854 and is buried at a church in that community.

“The mill cannot be repaired… It must be carefully dismantled and a new structure must be built.”

The president of the St. James-Assiniboia Pioneer Association said the group was saddened last year when the city determined the building was no longer safe because of structural issues. It closed in April 2025.

“The mill cannot be repaired,” Tiffany Evans said. “It must be carefully dismantled and a new structure must be built.”

Evans said the estimated cost to take the building down to the foundation and rebuild it is $1.1 million.

“But the costs are going up all the time,” she said. “The sooner we can get restoration completed, the less money we will spend.

“When people ask me when it is going to open again I say probably 2029 or 2030.”

Evans said the foundation itself is OK and a new mill can be built on top of it.

She said a fundraising effort has been launched, with a goal of $600,000. The group plans to unveil the association’s vision for the future of the mill grounds during Cuthbert Grant Day on July 11.

A city spokesperson said the city’s preliminary capital budget has already earmarked $1.395 million for restoring the building in 2029.

Gillingham said the provincial government has also budgeted money to help, but he admits the funding was for a restoration and not a rebuild.

The mayor said the building had undergone some structural analysis, but it was only when some maintenance was performed that they realized the work needed was bigger than they thought.

“For safety’s sake, our staff has said the mill ought to close for a time until that work could be done,” Gillingham said. “I would certainly like to see the work ultimately done (but) we need to know the scope and scale of what needs to be undertaken.

“Grant’s Old Mill has such an important history — the story of Cuthbert Grant and his impact on our community is really significant. That mill continues to tell that story and I believe should for the future.”

To many, especially in St. James, the mill is an iconic landmark. Kara Young knows that better than many.

Young said she picked that location to meet on a first date with a guy who became not only her partner in life, but also in business. They co-own the Dreamland Diner further down on Portage Avenue.

“It was during the pandemic and it felt more safe to meet people outside so we agreed to meet by the mill,” she said. “We sat there and then walked around there for hours talking. He grew up in the south end of the city and had never been there.

“I grew up in the area and I was a Girl Guide leader who brought our troops to the mill. The girls got to know what an old water mill used to do.”

Because of the couple’s relationship to the site, Young said they want to help the fundraising effort.

“It has been such a staple of St. James for years.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca