Sidewalk permit for Bodies venue irritates protesters, councillor

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This article was published 17/11/2010 (5665 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A city permit that allows the MTS Centre Exhibition Hall to control 132 metres of sidewalks during its Bodies exhibit is excessive, says the city councillor responsible for the north side of Portage Avenue.

But promoter True North Sports & Entertainment says it needs the space to park and unload tour buses — and has not asked a single protestor to move along.

From Sept. 17 to Jan. 9, True North has control over the streets and sidewalks outside its downtown exhibition hall under a use-of-street permit granted by the public works department.

Such permits are routinely granted to allow doors to swing out of older buildings, city spokesman Steve West said. Entrances to newer buildings tend to be recessed and do not pose a problem, he added.

However, True North’s use-of-street permit covers 90 metres of Donald Street and 32 metres of Portage Avenue.

Daniel McIntyre Coun. Harvey Smith said he has never heard of such a permit. “It seems to me the sidewalk is a public space,” he said. “We have to do certain things for the necessity of safety, but there is no earthly reason why this has to be done.”

Students opposed to the Bodies exhibit claim the permit squelches protests outside the exhibition hall. Critics of the touring exhibit are concerned the preserved cadavers on display may have been Chinese prisoners.

True North, however, says it respects the right of peaceful protest and has not asked a single Bodies critic to leave the sidewalks outside the hall. True North took out the permit merely to facilitate tour-bus traffic, spokesman Scott Brown said.

“We needed to have the ability to park buses and unload and load large groups of people without having to deal with possible pedestrian traffic,” he said. “This is all about loading.”

Downtown development chairman Justin Swandel (St. Norbert) said he had no concerns with the permit, while public works chairman Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) declined to comment.

The building that houses the MTS Centre Exhibition Hall previously served as a hotel and an electronics retailer. The structure will be flattened if the Longboat Development Corporation, a True North sister company, proceeds with a plan to build a high-end hotel on the north side of Portage Avenue.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca