Progress Report on Metis Renovation of Bank of Montreal Building

The design of new Metis headquarters in the Bank Of Montreal building at Portage and Main had become clearer. It will be very well lit and features both the old architecture and new. The completion date still says 2027 but a work left to do. They have good company because the Fairmont Hotel's $120 million renovation will be complete around the same time.

The truth is hundreds of millions of dollar are being spent up and down Portage Avenue and beyond. Portage Place, The Bay and the former Bank of Montreal building as well as various hotels. It takes a lot of time for big projects. And a heritage building takes a long time to renovate versus a new build. At least the Portage and Main removal of barricades has really opened up the space and even critics have come around to the fact that the traffic is not backed up to Portage la Prairie. 

Step by step things are shaping up even as the issues surrounding encampments, drug addiction and mental health issues loom. Connecting the dots of the developments will be the key to success. At Portage and Main, the Richardson building and the former Trizec building across the street are all getting new tenants. The level of activity is probably the highest it has been in a few decades. It is encouraging that there is so much private investment as well. The government money has been mixed in but none it works without a lot of private cash.

I don't just buildings too much by the renderings. When I first saw the the drawings at the Inn at The Forks, I thought it was too dark and foreboding but it has been a success from the start and looked far better in person. We'll get a better idea of the BMO makeover soon. However, momentum has to be kept up. As so often happens, the focus shifts such as it did with apartment building. Going nearly two to three decades of slow to non-existent starts and zoning that the surpasses a decade or more is crippling. Both the city and the province have been guilty of this. They hoard land, take forever to make decisions and delay year after year. Worse, they let private companies do the same with vacant or underused buildings.

In about 24 months Portage and Main will look quite different. It is already look bright and more open and will soon have new attractions with a museum and spanking refurbished hotel. In future, the city needs to looks at building signage and lighting. We have some spectacular buildings but lighting and pizzazz will go a long way. We can be pretty boring in North America. We only have two video walls at the arena and Portage and Main. And they are low down and nothing like what you see in the UK and in Asia.

The MMF will be increasingly responsible for the look and feel what is downtown and are engaging the best designers and artists to it. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Portage and Main Open One Year 2026

Hard to believe it has been one year that Portage and Main has been open but here we are. I think we can agree that it hasn't backed up traffic to Portage la Prairie as some critics once thought. Was it wrong of them to think traffic chaos would happen? Who can tell? So many infrastructure projects have been messed up so that this could have indeed been the result.

A number of people were upset because a referendum rejected opening it and many believed that a new one had to be called to change that. The same people who that believed this also believed that no referendums needed to be called for other infrastructure projects such as Kenaston. It is easy to see why. Citizens might reject any project not in their immediate area.

Referendums that bind future governments can cripple governments. If it isn't in the Winnipeg Act set by the province, there is nothing in law that keeps it from being overturned. Or even ignored. It is the electorate who should vote for who they want and not govern by referendums over. At best, a referendum might be useful for finding a direction and seeing what support it has. But it is only as good as the facts before it. There was a lot of missing information such as the cost of maintaining the Concourse and water damage sustained and future damage. The other information missing was just how much the cost of opening the intersection would be and what sort of traffic problems it possibly could create if the barriers came down.

The information that was provided suggested that no action was required and there would be no cost for it. This was resolutely not true. However, even now we don't know the costs for fixing the Concourse. We did know that there was at least a cost of either fixing or removing the barriers as they were decaying along with the road at the intersection. Ultimately, it cost $21 million to remove the barriers and restore the corner. The $73 million estimate for the Concourse repair could be less or more. Hard to say. No one running for Council wants to loo under that rock.

So what has been like after one year? The truth is the flow of traffic is not terrible and the sightlines are are so much improved. It is worth noting that assaults and sexual assaults were able to happen at the corner because no one could see from the buildings or the road. Now the intersection is so wide and open. The lanes and the pedestrian crossings are clearly marked and there appear to be enough turning lanes. There is still a lot of construction beyond the intersection but the corner itself seems to flow nicely.

And there seems to be some life in the corner. The Richardson Building has been getting upgrades and a new tenant in the form of a law firm is moving into three floors. The Fairmont will close this week for near a year for $120 million in redevelopment. The Manitoba Metis Federation is busy working on the former BMO location to turn it into a cultural center. Easier pedestrian access will go a long way for tourism. 

 All in all, the opening has not resulted in the chaos at Portage and Main. Some of this can be attributed to better turning lanes, fewer buses shunted through, well lined car and pedestrian lines on the road and probably fewer people working at the corner than in 1976. Also in the mix is the fact that the Concourse remains open through the hours of 6.30 AM to 10:30 PM daily. The cost of filling it in could be around $11 million so the city is weighing the options which won't come till 2027. Still, in 2026, the corner feel fresh and works well and the critics are melting away/

Fairmont Hotel and Fort Garry Hotel Undergo Multimillion Dollar Upgrades

The Richardson Family repurchase the Fairmont Hotel in 2024 after selling it in 2010. Since then they have been upgrading mechanical, plumbing and heating and cooling systems. The 1970 built hotel was part of the overall Richardson work that included their headquarters, a hotel, parkade and another office building. In 1979 it also included the Richardson Concourse connected to the main Concourse and Winnipeg Square. 

The hotel was originally called the Winnipeg Inn and was the foremost luxury hotel in the city and has remained such for decades. Even now, it is the main hotel for Hollywood stars and NHL players because of the king-sized beds and two secure floors. It hasn't been without its critics. Some NHL players have been critical of Wi-Fi, the isolated location away from things and that isn't as posh as some of the hotels they stay at. The accelerated pace of the long delayed Sutton Place Hotel and the very low vacancy rate of hotels has hastened the Fairmont to upgrade now.

They are not the only downtown hotel to upgrade. The Delta has also upgraded so that it has captured some of the NHL, AHL and officials bookings. The Fort Garry Hotel has had $5 million dollars of work since 2020. Yuk Yuk's was one addition in the old Club Room. The Oval Room was completely upgraded. The Sunset Terrace outdoor patio was built as well as the Vida Cucina Italia formal dining room. The latest work is nearing completion for April and involves first floor rooms being turned into suites and luxury Regal rooms for about $1 million. These 15 rooms are possibly the poshest and largest in the downtown.

Mid-range hotels have also been upgraded and in some cases expanded in the downtown and beyond. The Best Western Plus was re-branded as Hampton Inn and had floors added. The Holiday Inn and Suites Downtown was also renovated. The Holiday Inn Airport West was re-branded to Birchwood Inn. The Hilton Garden Inn by Seasons is expanded a few floors and unknown amount of room. The Holiday Inn on Pembina Highway is getting a full renovation.

All 340 rooms at the Fairmont will be upgraded. Every restaurant and ballroom will get the same treatment. At $120 million, it could be one of the biggest investments in a hotel in Winnipeg ever. It is unclear what the price of the Sutton Place Hotel near the arena will be. The overall cost is listed for True North towers and the like was $400 million but there has not been a breakdown of what cost what.

Many downtown organizations and businesses are nervous about the Fairmont being closed for nearly a year. Some of the media comments make it clear that some small restaurants get a lot of customers referred by the hotel. The hotel also serves a lot of guests for concerts and entertainment in the area. I'm sure the Richardsons considered just doing floor by floor but it sounds like this will be far bigger in scope for piecemeal work like that. 

Between 2026 and 2027 so many big projects for hotels are planned that the city will look very different when they are complete. Another noteworthy project is a Hyatt Centric Hotel on Broadway. It is being built where the former CRA federal building was. It is surprising that it took this long for another hotel to join the Fort Garry Hotel on Broadway considering the government and business offices on the street.

As for the Fairmont, it will be ready for a real revival of Portage and Main when the Metis museum and apartments just down the street open in the next years.

Is the Fairmont Hotel the Issue for NHL Players?

The digital sports newspaper polled 111 players in the league about what city was on their no trade list. Just under 50% said this. Many of the seven cities were listed with the general consensus that it was cold living there. An actual Jet said the ride in from the airport is underwhelming. 

This was a direct quote from the self-identified Winnipeg player.

"I don't think that hotel meets the criteria for the league, but it would be better than staying downtown."
 

This hotel being the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg.

Not the first time we have heard criticism of the city by NHL players but when food and hotel are talked about, it feels more like this could be a Fairmont Hotel issue.

In fairness, the Richardson family has repurchased the hotel and it is understood to be under renovations now. The word dated is used by many business travellers so Richardson investment will be appreciated. 

Post Covid though the area around the hotel probably feels deserted. The words "nothing to do" came up often. From the perspective of a young NHL player visiting the city from elsewhere, they are in a hotel where few people are on the street, have limited food options super close to where they are staying and unknown entertainment options in the short time they are around.

Alas, this wasn't supposed to be. The story was that the Sutton Place Hotel would be the new home of visiting NHL players and they'd be within walking distance of all sorts of amenities from their 5-star hotel. Instead we have the slowest construction of a hotel in the history of Winnipeg.  It is now eight years since it was first announced.

The Jets can't do anything about taxes in Manitoba. They can't do anything about winter. No Canadian team can. But they can improve the player experience. Winning is the tonic for a lot a doubters in the league. If a player is interested in winning, they will look for teams that win. If a player is interested in their golf game and not playing in playoffs, they seek something else. And there are players who wanted to be in Arizona, not get media attention and hit the links regularly. Many did not want to go to Salt Lake City.

In terms of playoff experience, the Jets don't get too many complaints about their facility. A team can have a bad facility and still have people lined up to play. Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL have their own players rank their locker room terrible. But who wouldn't want to play on a team that wins?

Teams go through cycles. Chicago and Detroit were the best out there but are rebuilding. For some NHL players, the attraction to play there is less. If they are going to lose all the time, why not play in Arizona? Winnipeg Jets are on an upcycle and we have been able to attract a variety of players. This is a team that pays right to the cap so salary is not the issue. 

NHL athletes are among the elite pay levels that are rarely achievable for the majority in their age bracket. As the theft rings across North America have shown, these athletes are targets so they look for safe and secure places for themselves and their families. There are a number of neighbourhoods in Winnipeg that the players have gravitated to. Those are usually large suburban home with walkable paths. Many players on the Jets have dogs and do walk them all the time. Many are married and have kids who are in the school system so choose areas with schools and sports programs. And there are many Jets who want passionate fans. Some might not care about a quiet church crowd watching but 41 home games and playoffs like this is not what many players want.

Once players are in the Jets system, it has been easier to get them to come back. They see the benefits and are more like to sign contracts. And even when they don't it could be about the length of contract and money. Jets can pay to the cap but they have not been signing crazy contracts like some other NHL teams are for free agents. There are a lot of players getting bought out because they just aren't playing anymore. The Jets don't like burning salary cap that way.

Let's start with the cons that some NHL players have about Winnipeg.

Cons:

Cold

Small market

Higher taxes

Less top retail stores

Less top restaurants

Smaller arena

Fewer sponsorship opportunities

Longer/farther travel schedules

No gated communities

No other big league sports to go see

No year round golfing

No big media

Pros

Passionate fans

A max cap salary team (paying their players right up to the line)

Farm club and NHL club same city

Safe suburban districts

Good schools for kids

Support system for families

A winning team

Good local media coverage

Good coaches

Good health and medical supports

Good neighbourhoods where players live

In terms of the site of the Canada Life Centre, the Chipmans, Thomsons and Richardsons have all done their part to create the entertainment districts between the convention centre and the arena. The Gagladi Family is the builder of the Sutton Place Development which includes a hotel, suites and restaurants that the family own like Chop near the RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre. The family owns the Sandman Hotels, the Shark Club, Moxie's and Denny's. It is this block which has had a prolonged delay in being built. 

This block is key to both the convention centre and arena. Some major conventions are in great need of a luxury hotel connected to the the RBC. Likewise, True North needs specialized rooms for 82 regular seasons games for Manitoba Moose and Winnipeg Jets. Officials require rooms as well. Play-offs are additional rooms. 

The hotel has been delayed for eight years as mentioned earlier. It is without doubt that visiting NHL players would be staying at the new 5-star hotel if it was up. The only 5-star hotel the city has is at the airport and not suitable for hockey players due to distance from arena. To reach top level rating, room size is the difference maker. Fairmont and Delta cannot change the structural size of their rooms. This is a key to the 5-star ranking: room size.

The new Sutton Place Hotel still might be two years away from completion but it is probably something that that could help with impressions of visiting hockey players. The entertainment district in five years could feature enough attractions for a player who is in only once or twice a year. Better food offerings, better proximity to arena and other entertainment. While it might not be golf or the ocean, players do not just stay in their hotel rooms.

The impression should be when a hockey player or anyone travels to the city is that there is something to do, somewhere safe, somewhere convenient and ultimately, something cool. And that just isn't happening in a hotel which is an island away from the entertainment district. At least they seem to have solved the high speed Internet issue.