Fort Garry Hotel on Métis federation’s radar

One of Winnipeg’s most iconic buildings, the Fort Garry Hotel on Broadway, is next on the Manitoba Métis Federation’s list of acquisitions.

“We are not done with our commitment to investing in Winnipeg’s downtown,” president David Chartrand said Friday, the same day the federation announced it has purchased the former National Research Council property on Ellice Avenue downtown.

“One potential new acquisition we’re considering, if the price is right and the partnership is positive, is the Fort Garry Hotel. It is an iconic part of Winnipeg’s history and its future, just like the Red River Métis,” Chartrand said.

The 113-year-old hotel was co-listed for sale in May by real estate brokerage firms Avison Young and Cushman & Wakefield Winnipeg, but doesn’t have a list price.

The city has assessed the 268,000-square-foot property at $9 million, but industry experts believe the building could sell for $60 million to $70 million. The property includes 60,000 square feet in meeting, spa and fitness space, along with 236 suites.

The hotel last sold in 1993 to Winnipeg businesswoman Ida Albo and her partner, Richard Bel. Earlier this year, the hotel finished a $1-million renovation involving 12 guest rooms, three suites and an executive lounge.

The landmark hotel had drawn “very strong interest” since the property was posted April 27, Curtis Gallagher, principal and Canadian hospitality lead with real estate advisory firm Avison Young, told the Free Press in May.

On Friday, Gallagher and Albo declined to comment on the Métis federation’s interest in the building.

Earlier, Chartrand spoke at the news conference to announce the purchase of the Ellice Avenue site, which is the 11th building to be acquired by the federation in downtown Winnipeg.

“It is an iconic part of Winnipeg’s history and its future, just like the Red River Métis.”

“From my perspective, we have to save downtown,” he said. “So we said to ourselves in cabinet, let’s start seeing these buildings and see if the numbers can work out.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham, who also spoke at the event, thanked the MMF for its partnership and commitment to revitalizing downtown.

“It’s been a priority of mine to see Winnipeg’s downtown strengthened and renewed and revitalized,” Gillingham said. “Today’s announcement is an exciting announcement for downtown Winnipeg. It’s another significant investment by President Chartrand and the Manitoba Métis Federation.

“Downtown is the heart of Winnipeg. You can have a strong community in Sage Creek or Maples or Waverley West… but if your downtown is not strong and healthy, the city’s not strong and healthy.”

Following the purchase of the research council buildings, at 435-445 Ellice Ave., which includes 70 laboratories and an office building, the federation’s downtown portfolio exceeds one million square feet of property.

More than 100 staff who work at Métis Child and Family Services Authority will relocate to the Ellice Avenue site from 2000 Portage Ave. The laboratory building will be repurposed for nurse training, Métis-led research initiatives and could eventually house an MRI machine.

“So we said to ourselves in cabinet, let’s start seeing these buildings and see if the numbers can work out.”

The federation is partnering with the Bioscience Association of Manitoba to make lab space available to industry, researchers and academic institutions at a time when demand for specialized lab facilities outpaces supply.

The federation also owns the Bank of Montreal building at 335 Main St., 333 Main St., and 191 Pioneer Ave. Its headquarters is on Henry Street in Point Douglas.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca