Waving the flag for downtown Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/10/2024 (593 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A series of redevelopments and a unique focus on reconciliation have Downtown Winnipeg BIZ executive director Kate Fenske excited about the future of our city centre.

That optimism is exemplified by the BIZ’s recently launched Choose Winnipeg Downtown campaign, which is both a promotional exercise and a contest that will amplify the stories of the growing number of people choosing to live and work in the heart of the city.

“In headlines and in conversations people have, there’s a focus on the negative,” Fenske said. “Yes, it’s hard. These are challenging times, and individuals are struggling on the street. Some small businesses thrive, and some struggle.

“I’m hearing lots of good stories about what people love about downtown. We want to share what goes untold. People are saying why they live, work and attend events here. We knew these stories existed and want to give them a voice.”

Fenske shares the hope that a long list of major infrastructure, development and redevelopment projects will dramatically change downtown Winnipeg over the next few years.

First, the Southern Chiefs Organization and True North Real Estate Development are redeveloping the former Hudson’s Bay Building and Portage Place Shopping Centre with a combined $850 million investment. The former, titled Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn (“It is visible”), is expected to add close to 300 housing units, restaurants, a child care centre, and a health and healing centre incorporating Western and traditional practices. The latter will bring more than a quarter-million square feet of multi-family, affordable and student housing, community services and spaces, a health campus and initiatives to alleviate downtown food insecurity.

In addition, the Manitoba Métis Federation continues to increase its downtown footprint through the acquisition of 200 Main St. and 165 Fort St., which will house its operational departments, affiliates, and a culturally focused child care centre. The MMF’s National Heritage Centre is currently being created in the former Bank of Montreal building at the southeast corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street.

“Our downtown is in a transition,” Fenske said. “What it is leading to is an economic reconciliation that is not happening in other provinces. Winnipeg has a chance to show what reconciliation looks like.”

This special opportunity could only happen when all levels of government and stakeholder groups work together with the community’s best interests in mind, Fenske said. As one, they are collaborating in new and exciting ways to transform downtown Winnipeg from a central business district into a vibrant and diverse social gathering spot.

Thousands call the area home, and multiple planned developments promise to grow those numbers in the coming years. The key to that vibrancy, Fenske said, is providing a mix of housing options — everything from luxury apartments at market rates for those downsizing and wanting to be in the centre of it all to affordable, deeply affordable and social housing. The range is intended to and should encourage a diversity that infuses the community pulse.

The above projects, along with those at 175 Carlton St., 138 Portage Ave. E, and 300 Main St., should help. There is a strong foundation already in place, as 30 per cent of downtown residents are between 20 and 24, and some 35 nationalities and almost 120 ethnic and cultural origins are represented. One in six downtown Winnipeg residents is Indigenous, and 36 per cent are immigrants or Canadian newcomers.

The good news continues. Fenske said a pair of buildings some feared would remain vacant will soon be revived with new purpose. A stalled apartment complex at Donald Street and St. Mary Avenue has resumed, and the former Canada Revenue Agency building on Broadway will soon become a 140-room Hyatt Centric boutique hotel, the first in Western Canada.

Fenske also highlighted several smaller moves which will also contribute to a reinvigorated downtown Winnipeg. A new public plaza at Burton Cummings Theatre allows the site to host more events. Downtown Winnipeg BIZ worked with the City of Winnipeg to realign the street to make it a reality. A community space at Main Street and Henry Avenue will offer Indigenous-led healing. The Market Lands project at the former Public Safety Building on Princess Street will include 100 mixed-income housing units and 20,000 square feet of creative and public spaces.

Even though the work has only just begun, it is generating positive returns. In 2023, 27 businesses opened downtown, with 75 per cent retail or eating and drinking establishments. Forty per cent were street-facing and ground level.

Fenske said that, in 2023, general visitations to the area rose 9.4 per cent, paid on-street parking hours increased by 25 per cent, and hotel bookings more than doubled, increasing 106 per cent. Downtown Winnipeg hosted 41 large events, resulting in an estimated $60 million impact. The RBC Convention Centre hosted 550 events, 33 per cent more than in 2022, and The Forks saw 3.8 million visitors, 16 per cent more than in 2022.

The momentum has continued into 2024. In the second quarter of this, 23.5 per cent more visitors came downtown compared to a year earlier. Donald Street and Portage Avenue saw 14.2 per cent more pedestrians, while Donald and York saw 7.5 per cent more traffic. Seventy-five per cent of Winnipeggers spent money downtown over the past year. With so many improvements on the way, Fenske expects that number to rise.

“This is a downtown for everyone,” Fenske said. “This neighbourhood matters to the city. It can be an economic driver.”

For more information on the Choosing Downtown Winnipeg campaign, visit downtownwinnipegbiz.com