Aurora shining bright
Northwest Winnipeg development has finish line in sight, among ‘several exciting’ projects touted on area horizon
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/05/2024 (520 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A pair of communities with grand aspirations are taking shape in northwest Winnipeg.
Aurora at North Point is in the penultimate phase of its 11-step plan of residential development.
When complete, the 220-acre area, which runs along McPhillips Street and Murray Avenue, and where the Chief Peguis Trail will extend, will feature nearly 1,000 residential homes, 500 rental units and 45 acres of mixed-use commercial space.

“We are satisfied with the progress to date, considering the challenge faced along the way including a global pandemic, rising construction costs and rising interest rates,” said Ross Yaremko, president of communities with Tacada, which is developing the community along with Sunrex.
Construction on Aurora began in 2016. Yaremko said he expects the community to be complete by the end of 2027.
“Our vision with the development consisted of a truly complete community at full build-out,” he said. “This includes commercial and employment land uses in addition to a variety of all housing types, open spaces and a school.”
Mino Pimatisiwin School, a dual-track kindergarten-to-Grade 8 building, is slated to open within the community in September 2026. Another playground will be built by next summer to cater to the influx of children in the area.
Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) said it is impacting the neighbourhood exactly how she had hoped when it broke ground eight years ago.

“Aurora is shaping up to be a vibrant, family-friendly community,” Sharma said. “Whiteland (Real Estate) is developing a new commercial plaza on the McPhillips side, which will bring amenities directly to the community’s doorstep.
“But, we’ve also had to adapt to evolving needs. We are likely going to see an increase in multi-family housing construction, especially on the McPhillips side, to meet the surge in demand for rental housing.”
As for the Chief Peguis Trail, Sharma is in full support of the extension; she said it’s been in the community’s plans from the beginning.
“It will (have) a positive (impact). The Chief Peguis Trail extension will improve connectivity across Winnipeg,” she said. “It will unlock economic opportunities and have a positive impact on more than just the local community.”
Aurora and Highland Pointe continue to be two of the biggest residential developments in north Winnipeg that attract residents to the area.

Data on the area’s population growth was not immediately unavailable, but Sharma assured “remarkable progress” has been made in the last several years, due to the two mega projects.
Highland Pointe, a 400-acre community near the north Perimeter highway, is expected to be completed in 2033.
“The future for our community is bright. There are several exciting developments on the horizon,” Sharma said. “We are experiencing a surge in new commercial and multi-family development. The final phase of Aurora will commence in the coming years, adding more single-family homes and attracting even more families to the area.”
Meanwhile, about five minutes south, on Court Avenue, construction on Templeton South Landings, a 33-acre mixed-use development by Whiteland Real Estate, is well underway.
Amritpal Jhand and Satpal Sidhu, cousins and managing directors of Whiteland, have put several eggs in north Winnipeg’s basket in recent years, with the goal of building up the only area they’ve called home since emigrating to the Manitoba capital.

“This is our homeland, too,” said Jhand. “We live in the same area and we want to grow that area. This area is going quite well, things are very busy over here.”
The project’s first phase — 80 duplex units valued at $30 million — will be completed in October.
The entire Court development, which extends to Pipeline Road, will cost $150 million and include another 500 apartment units and 6.5 acres of townhouses. A soccer field will also be built to serve the community.
“The housing crisis is everywhere, and we have more population on this side because of the employment land. CentrePort is developing, all of the industry is coming over on this side,” Jhand said.
Added Sidhu: “This area, there’s really a huge demand for new housing because there’s the new Chief Peguis Trail coming. We’re getting a lot of inquiries on this development. People are really interested in it.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
X: @jfreysam

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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History
Updated on Monday, May 13, 2024 6:24 AM CDT: Adds headline
Updated on Monday, May 13, 2024 12:03 PM CDT: Adds photo cutlines
Updated on Monday, May 13, 2024 9:35 PM CDT: Minor fixes