Putting people before cars — finally

The first time I encountered the barriers at Portage and Main was in September of 2004 when I was visiting Winnipeg for research interviews. I walked from my hotel to city hall after consulting Google Maps (remember those?), feeling confident that it was a straightforward jaunt down Main Street. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I was confounded when I was forced to go underground into a dark, nearly empty mall that had me going in circles to find a way out and finally in desperation, with the clock ticking, I gave up.

I got out, above ground on the east side of Main, pulled my skirt above my knees, carefully watching for traffic and jumped the barriers, to cross safely. That was my introduction to the famous Portage and Main.

I, for one, am not sad to see those barriers go. I say this as a longtime resident of this city, living in the south end. I regularly drive downtown. I will be happy to cross the intersection come Friday as a pedestrian, without having to hike up my skirt. I have never understood the logic.

In 2014, former mayor Brian Bowman pledged to open Portage and Main within five years of winning office. Of course, he failed to do that. Instead of championing the opening as a way of reinvigorating the downtown, he turned it into a plebiscite question in 2018 — with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers supporting the status quo.

Fast forward to 2024. A new city report revealed that carrying out repairs on the intersection while maintaining the underground walkway would cost $73 million and disrupt traffic for up to five years. Much of the work would involve repairing a leaky membrane that prevents the underground from flooding.

That changed the ball game. Closing the underground mall and opening up the intersection became a no-brainer after that.

The problems with the leaks, by the way, were no surprise to the Vote Open group advocating for the barriers to come down. It was well known at the time of the plebiscite that the membrane was going to cost considerable dollars to fix but just how much was not clear.

As Dan Lett has already argued in a column earlier this week, Winnipeg has made it to the “bigs” now — following in the footsteps of other major cities like Boston, San Francisco, Halifax and Milwaukee that have also deconstructed their monuments to the automobile and envisioned a downtown that’s people-friendly. Even when it’s -50 with the windchill.

Ian McCausland was a tireless advocate for the Vote Open Team in 2018 and has become a voice for making this city more accessible and less reliant on vehicles in the years since. Does he feel a certain degree of satisfaction now that the historic corner is opening after all the debate?

“While I would have loved to see the Yes vote win in 2018, I am still very excited to see the changes happen now. Winnipeg doesn’t change very fast; sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it’s a frustrating thing, it’s very much a Winnipeg thing.”

Yes, it’s a Winnipeg thing. In 2014, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce unveiled its “Bold” campaign outlining policy initiatives that it hoped city leaders would implement to — in part — transform the downtown into a livable, organic neighborhood. It seems that more than 10 years later, it’s finally starting to take place with Portage and Main opening and other new initiatives like the closure of Graham Avenue to create a pedestrian mall.

McCausland sees this as exciting. “I think we’re seeing a beginning, a move toward a more walkable, friendly and equitable downtown. As the city continues to grow in population, we have to find ways for everyone to get out of the ‘one person/one car commute.’ These are positive steps towards that.”

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Also part of the 2014 “Bold” vision from the chamber was the implementation of active-transportation initiatives and that goes directly to how we can become a more inclusive city.

McCausland explains: “Since 2018 I have learned so much about how transportation is a reflection of our community. How we move round each other is just as important as when we get there. Transportation equity is where we factor in the 25 per cent of the population that doesn’t own a car and make efforts of inclusion and accessibility.”

This week marks my 20th anniversary in this city. I am still somewhat baffled yet enraptured by all its proclivities. And I am glad I am living here as it makes its “Bold” transformation. And just like most things Winnipeg, I also know there will be a ton of naysayers on the sidelines telling us it will never be successful.

That too is a Winnipeg thing.

Shannon Sampert is a political scientist. She can be reached at shannon@mediadiva.ca