City Centre committee approves hostel for northern Manitoba patients

River Heights

Fort Garry

Daniel Mcintyre

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This article was published 22/11/2023 (704 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City Centre community committee held its regular meeting on Nov. 15. There were six hearings and a large-scale structural plan in the Fort Garry ward was approved.

Councillors from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation attended a public hearing in support of subdivision, rezoning, and variance hearings for 900-902 Home Street. The applications for the property, located in the Daniel McIntyre ward and built in 1912, were approved and it will be converted into a five-storey hostel — “receiving home” — for medical residents flown in from remote, northern communities. They will then be accommodated with shuttles to-and-from medical appointments.

“It’s been a long time coming for us to have a home away from home for our community,” said Coun. Shirley Castel (Mathias Colomb). “And we’ve been working on this for many years, and we’ve finally found a partner to help us. It’s a dream come true.”

“Most of our patients and family members rarely travel,” Lorna Bighetty added. “So coming to the city (for medical purposes) can be a very frightening experience. We were told 30 years ago that there would be more people with cancer, and now 30 years is up and we’re seeing the downfall. People are coming in and out from our community, travelling because of care that is needed immediately.”

Bighetty said many people travelling to Winnipeg or The Pas have not been treated well or fed properly where they were staying, and she jumped at the opportunity to create a safe, reliable spot for patients to stay.

“It’s very hard — we struggle continuously, but we continue to strive for the best (for the) people who don’t know how to speak for themselves. Not everybody can say ‘yeah, I need help,’ and that’s why so many people are out on the streets,” she said.

The building’s location was an important draw, as it is close to Health Sciences Centre (820 Sherbrook St.) and is large enough for families to stay together.

Additionally, plans for the first-phase of 25 Station Place — to be constructed at Argue Street and Rathgar Avenue — were presented by MMP Architects and met with an optimistic, “emotional” approval.

The mixed-use development, which would contain 156 residential units within a 15-storey apartment tower called Rathgar Tower and three-storey townhouse — 136 and 20 units respectively — will be accompanied by a projected 2,422 square feet of commercial space. The site will also include a lit outdoor plaza.

If completed, the property would also include an extensive parking lot with room for 164 vehicles, an indoor space to hold up to 133 bikes, and an additional outdoor bike lot with 20 visitor spaces.

The plan was also endorsed for its consideration of the surrounding area — which includes McKittrick Park (790 Rathgar Ave.) — and easy access to public transit.

It aligned with the city’s OurWinnipeg 2045 plan, which favours walkability and affordable housing.

“This job is quite difficult sometimes,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort-Rouge East Fort Garry). “And to see just such thought in terms of how it’s going to relate to park space across the street, to public transit, and then the thought in between all the structures you’ve got on this site — the town homes look like Vancouver … there’s such beauty, this will be the highlight of my day, if not my month, to be able to pass this today.”

Rollins asked applicant Kyle Wires-Munro if he was proud, to which he replied yes.

The committee also approved a plan for a detached garage at 485 Centennial Street, in the River Heights-Fort Garry Ward, and granted an extension of time for the subdivision and rezoning of the south side of John Brebeuf Place — a residential street west of Centennial St. and north of Grant Ave. — until December of 2024.