‘Impossible situation’

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This article was published 10/08/2023 (814 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tamika Krush has a cliffside view — and it’s hurting business.

“It wouldn’t be safe to have customers come to the door,” Krush said.

She and staff have recently held construction workers’ hands, navigating around torn-up earth to their workplace at Eadha Bakery Worker Co-op.

A single step leading to the front door — one grey slab at the corner of Ellice Avenue and an alleyway— was untouched.

The neighbouring alleyway had become a mess of dirt well below street-level pavement.

“As (bakery) staff, if we’re loading or unloading, we’re one step away from plummeting into, like, a four-foot ditch,” Krush said.

She and colleagues made the decision Wednesday to close their business to the public while the area remains a construction zone.

The choice comes in the midst of Winnipeg’s well-known construction season.

More than 200 road projects are underway. Additionally, roads have closed for work on water and sewer systems, and building construction, among other things.

The 2023 capital budget for regional and local streets is $159 million, city spokeswoman Julie Dooley wrote in an email.

“I understand that the work needs to be done — and we’re very appreciative,” Krush said. “But we’re now kind of in an impossible situation.”

The bakery usually sees 250 paying customers a week. This week — post-long weekend — it opened to the public Wednesday and saw eight purchases.

“As (bakery) staff, if we’re loading or unloading, we’re one step away from plummeting into, like, a four-foot ditch.”–Tamika Krush

“That was us running out to people’s cars to make these transactions,” Krush said.

Six employees, four of whom co-own the shop, have seen their work hours slashed. On Thursday, some entered the bakery for their regular shift, beginning at 5 a.m., but ducked out at 10 a.m. in anticipation of construction.

The shop usually stays open during the day for walk-in customers.

Regardless, the bakery has wholesale commitments, Krush said.

“(This could) put a strain on our relationship with our wholesalers, because we may not be able to provide to them,” she noted, contemplating the repercussions of a couple weeks of disruptive construction.

“As of right now, our plan is to see how the next week unfolds.”

The bakery will likely reassess its closure decision next Monday, Krush said. She hopes to see “at least a pathway” providing safe access to the shop’s front door.

The city expects the open excavation site to be “shored up to a greater degree,” with ramps installed by Friday morning, Dooley wrote on Thursday.

“Our consultants have been in conversation with Eadha Bakery throughout the day,” she continued.

Construction on the alley bounded by Sherbrook Street and Furby Street will continue “at least the next month,” Dooley said.

Meantime, bakery staff will keep creating sourdough breads and pastries during their early morning shifts, Krush said.

“It looks like we’ll be losing a very significant portion of our income,” she added.

At least half of Les David’s walk-by and parking customer traffic has dropped off since construction began in front of Hollywood Toy and Poster Co.

“Why am I sitting here (for) weeks without (construction workers) doing anything?”–Les David

“It was noticeable within a week,” David said. “No one wants to get out of their car and go on a hike.”

A construction zone in South Osborne — which had curbside lanes in mid-construction Thursday afternoon — has caused many local businesses grief, David said.

“Why am I sitting here (for) weeks without (construction workers) doing anything?” he added.

He expressed resignation — “it is what it is” — and noted that if roads and sidewalks aren’t fixed, people will complain.

Steps away, Shania Colin has clocked a slowdown in dinner customers during rush hour. The evening crowd now comes later, the BMC Market employee said.

“Obviously it would be nice to not have (the construction),” Colin said.

“Summertime is… construction season. Every year we have something going on here.”–Evgheni Sipco

However, loyal customers still grab their tacos and quesadillas. So do construction workers on their lunch breaks, and new faces who noticed the Osborne Street restaurant while sitting in traffic, Colin said.

“Summertime is… construction season,” said Evgheni Sipco, the general manager of Osborne Village’s Nuburger. “Every year we have something going on here.”

Construction work outside the eatery has likely led to fewer patio users, and maybe less walk-up traffic, Sipco said.

The company staffs fewer people while construction is ongoing, he added.

Construction generally fits in a six-month timeframe — May through November — so “there is a limited number of days available each year to complete the necessary work,” city spokeswoman Dooley wrote in an email.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreeress.com