Proposal to restore some bus service to Grace Hospital called inadequate
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Winnipeg Transit’s proposal to add more bus service to the Grace Hospital has received mixed reviews, after hundreds of residents petitioned for changes to the routes.
A one-year update of the primary transit network includes a provision to alter Winnipeg Transit connector route 22 Portage to stop in front of the Grace Hospital as of next year.
In 2025, St. James residents demanded changes after Transit’s route overhaul cut evening and weekend stops in front of the hospital. Three feeder routes stop directly in front of the Booth Drive hospital and within a block of the nearby Assiniboine Medical Clinic, but don’t run on weekends or past early evenings on weekdays.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
St. James residents demanded changes after Winnipeg Transit’s route overhaul last year cut evening and weekend stops in front of the hospital.
The route being extended to Grace Hospital runs from 5:31 a.m. to 12:24 a.m. on weekdays, 5:50 a.m. to 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays and 6:23 a.m. to 10:43 p.m. Sundays.
“It’s a half-baked solution.”
Fred Morris, who raised the petition calling for regular direct service to the hospital, said the proposed solution would be an improvement, but still falls short of what’s needed.
“It’s a half-baked solution because it only runs from Polo Park … and we wanted (a route) at least from downtown through the West End and St. James. It’s still not serving enough people,” said Morris.
More than 1,300 people have signed the petition, he said.
Morris said he’d also like city reports to note how much transit fares support the bus system, since it does not rely solely on property tax revenues.
Coun. Shawn Dobson (St. James) welcomed the additional service to the Grace, noting access to the hospital is critical for staff, patients and visitors.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
Three feeder routes stop in front of the Grace Hospital, but they don’t run on weekends or past early evenings on weekdays.
“I would prefer it to happen instantly but I understand that it can’t because we don’t have enough bus drivers, we don’t have enough staff to do it. I think it’s a really, really good move,” said Dobson. “(This initial change was) one of the biggest complaints for the St. James area for the transit system.”
The change would require approval in the city’s 2027 budget process. If approved, it would take effect in June 2027 and cost $126,960 for the rest of that year and $251,515 throughout 2028.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
X: @joyanne_pursaga
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.
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