The Recovery of St. James

There have been gaps in the commercial and residential retail and businesses on West Portage Avenue the last 10 years. Sometimes it is a natural cycle. Business operators start up and some run years while others just don't catch on. Some close as there is no one left in the family or employees left to carry on.

In 2026, the vacancies are filling in. A number of convenience stores focused on the ethnic community have opened up. A number of new restaurants have opened up. And more importantly apartments are under construction between Polo Park and the Perimeter. 

As the population grows and ages, the housing needs change. New people needs their first apartments and the older population doesn't need oversized houses with too much yard care. Young families are coming back to the area as houses become available and can be more affordable.

I single out St. James because there has not been this much activity in the area for decades. It is possible the area became stagnant as some landlords just held on to properties without sprucing them up. The Costco has encouraged a lot of store improvements inside and out of businesses big and small. Facades are being spruced up all over. It is easy to see why. A few retail strips have had long time vacancies and the ones that made improvements saw space filled.

It is shocking how some landlords just hoarded property for years without filling the space. Many likely didn't want to lower the rent to lease space. Obviously taxes were not high enough to encourage a change in behaviour. Whatever the reason, it is obvious things have changed. And even with slow post Covid growth and Trump causing chaos for business, there is clear indication that change is afoot.

Where there is a slow response to upgrades is the street experience the city presents. Hydro lines down Portage, no trees for the most part from Moray to the Perimeter. The two years of street repairs and some sidewalk work has not made the street nearly as walkable as it should be. Walking down the street in summer in no shade is pretty uncomfortable. Sitting outside Dreamland or Dairy Queen can be pretty hot but you can tell people want to do it!

As far as the neighbourhoods go, many are leafy green and dotted with schools and churches and lately other religions. People how much industry is located in the area west of the airport. Plus, it is very likely we will see growth on the military base and military families for a few decades now. It is what helped build St. James in the past.

Now St. James isn't the only place to see a recovery. They city has to thrive all over to succeed and we have seen several neighbourhoods go through improvements. Some of them were planned a long time ago and are only now coming onstream. Costco itself at Headingley (actually still inside city limits) is creating the most housing in the St. James area and the commercial development along with hotels is substantial. 

The upcoming city election will see numerous new councillors as many are retiring. However, even St. James could be competitive. The councillor candidates who focus on raising the livability of the community will likely make good headway. Most people won't pay attention till after the Labour Day weekend on what the future looks like. However, they will notice issues of crime and neglect. It is why areas of improvement as we have seen in St. James need to be nurtured.

New Restaurant Tahini's Opens in St. James

Crestview Place over the last few years had a façade upgrade. Many places along West Portage Avenue have seen some sprucing up. Gaps that have been in place for some time, even years, are starting to fill up. As mentioned here in other posts, we have seen some infill apartments, service industries like dentist and doctor offices, new convenience stores and restaurants.

McGavin Bread's old location has been empty a long time but that seems to be at an end. A former University Manitoba graduate is taking his London, Ontario restaurant idea across Canada and the U.S. with the first Winnipeg location in St. James. The Mediterranean/Jamaican fusion restaurant with a little bit of Asian tossed in features Shawarma and ramen and all sorts of other dishes.

At 1,400 square feet at Cavalier and Portage Avenue, it should have enough traffic and large residential base to attract people looking for variety in their restaurants in the area. The 70 store location across Canada, can expect at least one other location in Winnipeg across town in the next months. Each store employs 15 to 20 people.

Restaurants are a tough business but it looks the city has been on a sustained build up following the pandemic. The diversity of the palate reminds me of the late 1960s/1970s with the explosion of Portuguese, Greek and Italian places that opened up. Many still operate today although a generation or two is retiring so we are seeing more Middle East, Mediterranean, African and Caribbean opening up.

Winnipeg is growing and the next five years should indicate how we fit into the world. There has always been appreciation of new offerings in food and it is a primary way for many new to Canada to become entrepreneurs. The vitality of the economy depends very strongly on job creation of small and medium sized businesses. Internal trade is where Canada needs to gain greatest growth.

Taking over a space that has been empty nearly 10 years in a refurbished property with a new restaurant niche is very exciting.

Rumours of Stores Coming to Headingley Costco Site

The Costco is already having an impact along Portage Avenue in terms of retail renovations and filling in some of the empty spaces along the street. The landlords with property sitting idle might get some calls of interest. Still, renovations to update tired spots is accelerating. Safeway and Walmart have renovated. Uncertain if other grocers such as Sobeys on Portage have renovated but most stores may require a re-fresh to compete. As mentioned, Costco 's imminent arrival will change traffic patterns and attract other retailers as well as residential.

This is an important thing to note about the Headingley Costco compared to the others in the city. The west Winnipeg one will have so much housing on site. It is only now, decades later, that apartments are going up on McGillivary are within walking distance of the Kenaston store. The problem is that there will never be enough housing around that store unless they decide to take over something like Rona property or build up vertically. And that wouldn't be instant.

Headingley has already seen a lot of residential building quite separate from the Westport Festival where the Costco is to reside. As seen in the plan above, there are a ton of apartments within walking distance of the store. Mixed developments are what every retail area tries to achieve now. The vulnerability of big box and regular malls to major retail closures has become all too apparent. The United States has found that even having a grocery store is no recipe for success for a mall since so many grocers are closing locations.

The rumours about what will join the Costco have been flying in the last weeks. Are announcements coming soon? The clues can possibly be seen once again in the plan above. There are two large retail spots that look suspiciously like a Red River Co-Op or a Save on Foods. Neither of these two have stores in the west part of the city. It is unlikely both grocers move in but expect an announcement of at least one of them coming. The other rumour is that now that Rona has rationalized their Lowe's Home Improvement stores into their national group and closed stores literally across the street from one another, they are looking to build a Rona in west Winnipeg. It could be that Home Depot might try to usurp Rona in their plans but they might be happy with the amount of stores they have now.

There is at least one hotel listed as going up. Rumour it was some kind of Hilton but  given the proximity to the iceplex, Assiniboia Downs, Red River Ex and the city of Winnipeg. A hotel, as opposed to a motel, is very much needed in the west part of the city. Large hockey tournaments consistently fill every motel along the strip. Two other motels on that stretch of Portage are usually jammed with hockey parents. It is not inconceivable that more hotels might be added to the plan given the attractions nearby.

Lots of restaurants were being added. It appears McDonald's to have a place by the roadside. They have a location at Walmart nearby but the nearest drive-thru is at least several minutes down Portage. There has also been talk of everything from an Earls to a Moxie's to a Joeys locating on the site. As far as new restaurants to the city, rumour has been Jersey's Mike's has been looking at the site. Also on the list has been an additional city location for Freddie's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. In addition Shake Shack, Fazoli's and Chick-fil-A have all been mentioned as possible. Not on the list at all is Cheesecake Factory which has no Canadian expansion plans.

As far as other retail, it is likely some sort of sports store is likely although SportChek closed down just down the street. However, one story going around is they didn't want to sign a new lease if they were interested in the site near Costco. 

Another interesting rumour has been that a major gym will build a large fitness center in the shopping area. Whether this is Goodlife, Altea or a re-located Shapes or maybe something else entirely. 

Coscto's completion is expected this year so it is very likely a flurry of announcements comes soon on what joins it. It is worth noting that much like Seasons of Tuxedo, it could take a decade or more to fill all the space. Given the rumours though, it appears there is huge interest in the site.

Polo Park Billion Dollar Development Stalled

It should come as no surprise that Polo Park developer Cadillac Fairview along with Shindico went to great trouble to change the zoning around Polo Park to allow high rises. The airport opposed and was overruled so the go ahead to proceed to the planning phase began. And then nothing.

I suppose they might be forgiven in that other major priorities have them occupied which they are reluctant to say. For Cadillac Fairview, it has been to fill the second floor with the new London Drugs. The former Zellers site as been a frequent site for changes and London Drugs is an anchor worthy of the mall. The next task is to fill the huge empty space left by the closure of the Hudson Bay Company.

For more than a year, Polo Park and St. Vital Centre has girded themselves for what was to come if and when The Bay closed. They both have filled spots in the former Sears locations but it can't be easy to backfill constantly major retailers that have collapsed. Sears Polo Park was a major anchor and it required some innovative thinking to fill the spot. Likewise, St. Vital Centre also needed so do some thinking to fill the spot left by Sears closing. 

Cadillac Fairview would probably like to develop the properties they own where the old arena and stadium stood but is constantly having to work on the mall itself. While it remains the largest mall in the city, it is has lost some luster to Seasons of Tuxedo which continues to see more stores, restaurants, hotel rooms and and housing built. Presumably, all the things Polo Park wants. St. Vital Centre is pressed to expand anywhere. It is as hemmed in as you can get. Once they find something to fill the HBC spot, it will be interesting to see if they look to something different such as build up.

Polo Park's location along Portage Avenue and next to Route 90 could not be more well positioned for growth. Cadillac Fairview probably has another year or so till get their mall in shape. Once London Drugs is in place and The Bay filled in, I expect they will look at building the multi-unit housing that is in the plans. It is all so painfully slow.

As for Shindico, the actual construction of Costco after years waiting for the announcement is sure to trigger more of the development surrounding the big store through 2026. There are already large blocks of apartments and other residential units going up either side of Winnipeg and Headingley. Nearly all land preparation and traffic lights have been put in to support this development. One can imagine though that it is likely not enough. Already, Coscto has triggered Walmart Unicity to conduct a massive hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrade to their store. It is a huge improvement there.

All this development emphasizes the point that hundreds of millions are being spent on areas that have been waiting for years for work. The Costco in Headingley has been in the planning stages since before the pandemic. Now, it appears they are moving with haste on it as well and at the North Main Street location. The Polo Park location will become a Costco Business Centre.

The developer indicated that the new lower immigration rate, tariffs and other factors were contributing to the stall. There may be some clarity on the tariffs soon but it may be difficult to get to where we were in the last years with tens of thousands arriving each year. The truth is that immigration has been lowered because there was no capacity to house new arrivals. And capacity was a problem long before immigration was increased.

The federal accelerator program is now building affordable homes across the country that are shovel ready. This should be helpful as many projects, such as Polo Park, are more market driven and will not be viable for real affordability unless they receive some part of accelerator program money. The list of applicants is long. It is shocking how long projects take to get done. World War II was won in six years but building an apartment in Winnipeg can take a decade.

So much is happening in 2026. Portage Place becoming Pan Am Clinic, the Downtown Bay conversion, the old BMO Portage and Main becoming a museum, two Costco's being built and apartments all over the city. And Kapyong likely to take the next step on development. If Polo Park waits to long, they are likely to be passed by.

Second New Costco Coming Off North Main

The Costco at Kenaston seen in the above picture never has this empty a parking lot. This was taken during the Covid period. Built in 1992 and expanded, it was the biggest of box stores to go up in the area and attracted Walmart in 2000 and many other stores over the years. Costco parent company Kirkland said during an event honouring their CEO in Winnipeg that the city was on track to get a fourth Costco soon. Well, the last five years have been difficult ones with the pandemic, supply chain issues and now tariffs but the Winnipeg region has seen announcements for a fourth Costco and now a fifth Costco as well.

Two new Costcos in the 160,000+ square feet size in the west and north of the city are gamechangers. In truth, the city will have little say about the one on North Main as that is a block or so into the West St. Paul Municipality. Approvals are likely to speed through there. It is possible the province might have something to say about urban sprawl or traffic along Main. Meadowland and Main could become exceptionally busy.

I don't think there is anyone in Winnipeg who will deny that the three Costcos in Winnipeg now are packed to the rafters. Kenaston's store can be a nightmare at any time in the next and on any day.  Getting to the store along Kenaston is just as bad and those coming into the city or across the city to get to any Costco must dread it. 

It is without a doubt that people in the west and north parts of the city will make the new Costcos their chosen location. To be sure, it will relieve some of the strain on the other locations. However, the business is growing even now so people should not expect wide aisles with no one around to be annoyed as you stroll slowly with your cart sideways.

As for the smallest Costco, it will be closed a few months to become a Costco Business Center. It is very likely we will see a publicity push to explain what that is. For all intents, it will be a bulk supplier of goods and more suitable for a restaurant than say a family kitchen, better for an office manager than printer cartridges for the family office and so on.

In essence though, by the end of 2026, Winnipeg will have four Costcos and one Costco Business Center. They will cover all four quadrants of the city and the more central Polo Park area. The new locations will transform the north and the west retailing when they go up. That is to say that retailers who sell gas, do car repairs or sell services will have to better match prices. No more premium on gas sold on west Portage or north Main. Competitive prices on tire sales, tune-ups and the like. 

Grocery stores in the area will have to keep watch on prices at Costco. And restaurants will want to locate near Costcos. This is true for retailers as well. I can't imagine a liquor or cannabis store will want to be too far away. Just think what Costco did for the Kenaston area. In short, could Costco on west Portage result in Moxie's, Earls or Joeys opening nearby? Expect there to be a rush.

Hundreds of jobs will be created in construction and hundreds more employed at the stores. All in all this is a very good news story for Winnipeg as well as West St. Paul. This will hopefully add more competition to the grocery, gas and merchandise market in the city. The Unicity location should be up by October 2025 and the other location is expected in 2026.

3081 Portage Avenue Platinum Auto Closes

One moment it was there and then the next it was empty. Platinum Auto Sales, an independent car dealer has moved to Transport Road, an industrial area across town. So far I have heard nothing on what will go on the land but it being commercial property on Portage, you figure it would be big. Given the apartments nearby, perhaps that is what will be built. I hadn't noticed any zoning signs up so it is unclear if the property was sold and re-zoned.

Right up till late 1970s large areas of St. James were still undeveloped. Portage Avenue all way out to Unicity was low density and just behind the street itself was literally open fields. The site where Platinum Auto Sales had been once had the Amazon Motel situated on it. It was pretty common for motels to be on streets such Portage and Pembina Highway. Most were family owned.

For many decades though after its motel days it was been an auto dealer site . Many will remember it as the Holiday Chevrolet Oldsmobile location, a family owned dealer. It had been part of the Haddad family holdings till at least 1983. he used to market himself as the Mad Arab. He co-founded Birchwood Auto with Robert Chipman. He was well know for charitable work in Winnipeg.

As was common for much of Winnipeg's history, there were dealerships down nearly every commercial street in the city. Now, most have moved to dealer parks so that buyers can peruse several dealers and collision centers. Portage still has a few dealers left on their southside near Unicity.

In the post Covid period, the gaps in St. James as a result of business closures is slowly filling up. In many cases, developers are building up from the low density one or two floor buildings. The spot where Platinum Auto sit would be ideal. It looks like it backs right out to Sturgeon Creek. A few auto dealers have closed recently but it is not beyond possibility that someone might looks at the space. However, given its value, it feels more likely we hear a plan for this property soon.

Will Chi Chi's Return to Winnipeg?

Excitement in the U.S. about the return of Chi-Chi's had a number of people remember when the restaurant opened on Maroons Road and St. James in Winnipeg in 1982. The above grainy picture shows Chi Chi's, Fingers and the large McDonald's that were popular places to go to when shopping at Polo Park or attending Jets and Bombers games or the Red River Ex which for many years was called Manisphere.

While the Polo Park location wasn't the only place in the city that Chi Chi's was, it had that reputation that it could be open till 4 AM on game days. The Mexican menu was a hit, the deep fried ice cream was a treat and the birthday party liquor flowed. It became very popular for hockey and football players to visit Chi Chi's. It was a very different time as smoking was permitted in restaurants but not permitted at the sporting venues except in designated areas. It meant that people went to the lounges at Chi Chi's and Fingers and smoked like crazy. Add to that legal happy hours. A smoking ban would not come till 2004. Around the same time happy hour limitations came into place.

Since Chi Chi's closed in 1992 in Winnipeg, the name has been by Hormel Foods in Minnesota which has licensed food products with the restaurant name with some success. The last restaurants before bankruptcy in the U.S. were around 2004. A Hepatitis outbreak pretty much defeated them at that time. 

The son of the former owner from Minneapolis has been given permission to start opening updated versions of Chi Chi's. At it's height, over 200 locations were across North American and beyond. They key of course is updated versions of what worked way back and none of what didn't work out and won't now. For example, most restaurants now have to be part of the pick up and delivery system. Perhaps not a drive-thru but an area of the restaurant for takeaway. We see it less in Canada but it is everywhere in the U.S.

Cost is having a huge impact on the restaurant industry. Chili's has made a bit of comeback because they have been very price conscious. TGI Fridays has struggled. And so it goes in the restaurant industry. The novelty of Tex Mex isn't a thing anymore. Shredded lettuce in abundance might have worked in the past but an improved Chi Chi's menu with some of the faves and a new offerings is probably the only thing to avoid a repeat of the previous failure.

The Polo Park Chi- Chi's was simply the biggest restaurant in all of western Canada with 400 seats. That title eventually went to the IKEA restaurant in Winnipeg which has 650 seats.

It is shocking how any people can point to work experience at Chi- Chi's, a birthday event or pre or post sports attendance at the restaurant. If two Chi Chi's are planned for Minnesota, I expect we'll see quite a few people from Manitoba visit those locations. And I fully expect there will be a few enquiries from Winnipeg on franchise opportunities. The big question is where. Polo Park no longer has the sports facilities that made it is a triple threat. Close to the football stadium seems unlikely. If it didn't work for Earls, why would it work for Chi Chi's? Downtown is possible with The Keg building a new location. Would a Chi Chi's near the arena where Jets, Moose and Sea Bears games are? Or is Polo Park still king even without sports?

Planet Fitness to Move into SportChek Unicity

The SportChek wasn't closed for long at Unicity. The location seemed destined to be split up into two spaces since it seemed too large for an easy replacement of the same size. That turned out to be wrong. Planet Fitness has indicated they will be opening soon in the old spot.

In very recent weeks Orange Theory closed nearby and SpecSavers opened in the space. This means there is no other gym super nearby. Portage Avenue does have Fit4Less by Goodlife, the Y, Shapes and some boutique gyms. Most malls are quickly discovering that if you want to have people in hours before or after mall hours you need a grocery, pharmacy, gym or restaurants.

As mentioned in a previous post about Unicity Smart Complex, it is a number of box stores with a few anchors. Restaurants are out more to Portage Avenue although a few are mixed in with the other retailers. It is bleak and and not very green compared to newer developments. However, having more people at a Planet Fitness will make that area of the mall far busier than it has been in recent years.

Portage has had some empty storefronts along it for a few years. Things have been very slowly filling up and malls like Unicity are in need of upgrades. Recent closures on Portage Avenue have been RnR Restaurants and Pets 101 and Crystal Clear Water Centre. The restaurant will be converted to apartments, some affordable housing. The pet store will become massage therapy business and the building was sold to the owner of that business.

The post-pandemic recovery has had many retailers think about what businesses are in the mix. In the past, restaurants were always sought to give a retail complex earlier morning and later day activities adjacent to stores. However, many restaurants are simply closing earlier because traffic patterns have changed. In recent weeks restaurants like Sushi Park in Charleswood and Earl of Sandwich have closed at Seasons Tuxedo.

Many gyms like Snap and Anytime Fitness closed as well during the pandemic. Some that have opened like Crunch Fitness in the old Goodlife location have struggled with getting out the gate. As mentioned, the Unicity mall area had an Orange Theory that recently closed.

The new Planet Fitness opens soon according to their website. It will be interesting to see if it attracts the growing population of apartment residents nearby.  St. James is going through changes where it will attract more density along Portage Avenue. We have not the seen the final development around Unicity. I suspect we will see more in 2025.

Apartment and New Keg Restaurant Back on For Downtown

In 2023, a 14 storey apartment town and new Keg restaurant halted construction as economic supply chain issues and inflation raised its $40 million price up beyond $60 million. The developer was local Keg owner Gord Howard who still owns the three restaurants in the city. The apartment at Donald Street and St. Mary's Avenue was 30 per cent complete when it went into creditor protection.

It is now back on under Carrington Real Estate and called DSM (short for the street crossroads). A Winnipeg developer that is new to the downtown but with projects all over the city. The design has been reconfigured for 160 units including 40 affordable ones. The developer is hoping to access the accelerator program from the Fed in the next intake. That fund was over subscribed all over the country from developers keen to build housing. There likely be a 2025 intake but there is no guarantee that a new government will renew the program.

Parts of south Portage have been surface parking lots for decades. This is what Toronto looked like in the 1980s. Massive parking lots surrounded the bank towers of the major Canadian banks. It is pretty much been in the last 20 years that condos went up on all available space they could find. And those banks looks small compared to them. However, for all the towers in Toronto, affordability has not come.

I have said a few times here that the affordable housing for today is usually built 20 years earlier. Shortages of housing raises what those houses can go for. Cutting immigration and student visas can send those housing prices down. But it can also send Canada into recession as the universities topple on the edge and employers can't find critical workers. 

The very long period of almost know multi-unit housing going up and the slow pace of detached homes going up. Winnipeg went for quite some time with nearly no apartments going up or at such a slow pace that it is reflected in soaring house prices. Supply chain problems continue to slow down today's construction. Higher interest have had an effect but keep in mind that low interest rates didn't help on prices or supply either.

Building capacity in the system is something all three levels of government, private industry and consumers need to work on. Oddly enough, the federal and provincial governments have sat on the sidelines about building for years. And consumers often want the door shut on further building in their area once they have moved in. This eventually becomes a problem because people require different types through the course of their lives. Also, housing often needs to be rehabilitated or rebuilt. In Winnipeg, the housing stock is rapidly aging. In some cases, houses get knocked down and what is left is an empty space.

This is the story of a lot of downtown Winnipeg. Houses, offices, warehouse, hotels and other buildings have been knocked down and turned to surface parking. The corner of Donald and St. Mary's Avenue has been a parking lot for decades. It is kitty korner to Cityplace and walking distance to Canada Life Centre. It is without a doubt going to be very attractive as a destination for Jets, Moose and concert goers with a Keg there.

Once upon a time there were two Kegs downtown. There was a large location where Pony Coral was and the longtime location on Garry Street. The latter location remains and it uncertain it stays open although no one has said anything to the effect that it will close. It probably has enough of a base to continue forever. That being side, the new Keg on the ground floor of the Donald/St. Mary's location will be 10,000 square feet. To put that in perspective the Keg location on Portage Avenue is 8,000 square feet. The one of McGillivray is 12,000 square feet.

This will be the second steakhouse locate on the first floor of a downtown apartment of office in recent years. The first was Hy's when it moved to the first floor and basement of the Richardson building in 2005. It has taken quite some time for Hy's to be joined by 529 across the street in 2024. And now sometime in  2025 The Keg will up.

The new building will be called DSM which stands for Donald St. Mary's. It is a good news story for more housing on a surface parking lot and the return of a large Keg to the downtown area.

Kenaston and St. James Bridge Reconstruction

The St. James Bridge is getting to the time where maintenance every year will not cut it. Much like the Arlington Bridge, it might reach a time where one if not both of the spans will be closed. Crumbling infrastructures closed the Civic Parkade and made the Public Safety Building a danger. It is a pattern with the city that something becomes completely broken and then it takes years to do something about.

The changes to the St. James Bridge alone are massive and will be in the tens of millions and likely take at least two or more years to do. It is difficult to see what the city has in mind, especially around Portage Avenue and the fire department structure. Some other work around the Viscount Gort and along Portage is a bit of a mystery as well.

As the St. James Bridge proceeds south into River Heights and Tuxedo, it actually curves west and hits a stretch where the speed drops to 50 kms. It is a narrow stretch right off the bridge and has houses on either side. A few have been bought by the city and removed but there many others that the plan calls for their removal. It appears all access roads to Kenaston from Academy to Willow will only be service roads with no turns at Route 90.

If this was the only work done for the bridge and the approaches, it would a huge job. However, the fear is that traffic would bottleneck further down Kenaston and especially as it gets to the more commercial areas further south. The Kapyong development probably has all of the planners nervous. It should. If any street looked in need of a transit corridor, it would be this one. Six lanes of traffic is what is being planned. It will be even wider at intersections further up. Moreover, it doesn't indicate what changes even further south will have to be contemplated.

There is an indication of what the cost benefit analysis shows for the road and it is pretty thin soup. It will be about only a few minutes in saved time but at $730 million plus that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Moreover, the mayor says there is the Peguis extension that he says is also a priority. Both projects could cost $2 billion. It is hard to imagine where the money is going to come from. The federal government already commits money to the municipalities for infrastructure. The province has their own priorities which might not go to roads that cannot be sustained by the city after.

The city already spends about $100,000 a year to maintain Kenaston/Route 90. Fewer large trucks use it now that the Tuxedo Yards is no longer a container port. It is a busy stretch of road and can get bottlenecked. A big concern is that if the road is expanded that it encourages huge development just outside the perimeter. That is no idle concern. One of the last provincial government's objectives was turnpikes on the Perimeter Highway that was to facilitate exurban growth.

Part of the design as Kenaston heads south involves blocking road access except at major intersections like Corydon and Grant. At those intersections, there is considerable widening for turning lanes. Also part of the road will be berms and walls which we see in the Bridgwater section of Route 90. This has led to late night racing in past years since it seems no one is there to stop it.

Kenaston is indeed a mess the money spent might be a case of: if you build it, they will come. In other words, it could bottleneck even more and not get people to use other modes of transportation. There will be buses up and down Kenaston and in one year, the entire system of Transit will be changed. The goal is not to have to wait longer than four or five minutes for a bus. It is sure to be confusing at first and may require some adjustments along the way. However, the goal should be to increase density of residents along these routes. In other cities, use of a car is less of a need because of the consistency and safety of public transit. 

Most other cities, including American ones, are establishing light right, subways, trains and busy routes as it increasingly looks like roads cannot be expanded any further. Winnipeg has managed just one route for the Southwest Transit Corridor. The rest will probably come decades later. That's how slow the process is. It will be likely the federal government will wonder why huge amounts will be spent on roads in Winnipeg whereas Transit is low priority. 

Even before Kenaston is worked on, the First Nations will be working on the re-development of the now empty Kapyong site. It remains to be seen whether they leave one lane on either side open for road expansion while they build their hotel and conference centre. At some point road access will have to be considered. But will it be on a standard two lane road with some turning lanes. Once the development is built out to curb-side, the chance of having six lanes quickly fades.

As mentioned, there is no budget for anything to do with Kenaston or the St. James Bridge. The city will literally go cup in hand to the province and the feds and might come up empty. If they try to bear the costs themselves, they might not be able to afford anything after including repairing other falling bridges. As long as bridges like Arlington are permanently closed, it is hard to imagine not thinking about the costs of new infrastructure. 

The city is asking for a new Core Area Initiative from three levels of government for downtown but with all the requests for money being asked for by mayor and council, they seem to think tens of billions will flow to various projects. Big road projects are likely down on the list with the federal government. Even a new Conservative government next year is unlikely to be forking over billions to every municipal government with huge shopping lists. It seems unlikely the new NDP provincial government will be not so keen on two highways getting huge provincial funds either.

The only way of the above project gets money is if it is part of a public transportation component. Having a few bus stops doesn't seem to cut it. As Kapyong ramps up, the options on adding lanes might end. It may start to create some desperation at City Hall as buildings go up at the new development. However, with no budget and no fairy godmother, it is hard to see where they get the money for this.

Birchwood Terrace Evacuated St. James

The Birchwood Terrace is a sprawling apartment of 171 units built in 1962 at 2440 Portage Avenue when the St. James area around Moray Street was booming. The apartment was one of many that were going up along this stretch and with a Safeway at the time just down the street and bus stops able to take people downtown, it made for a very busy area. Ladco owned by the Borger family owns the apartment as well as the Holiday Inn Airport West.

Many apartments in the area have been undergoing renovations so it should not have come as a surprise over the months to various vans outside from companies appearing to working. For those living in the building, the attention looked like the underground parkade. Little did anyone know the engineers were increasingly alarmed by the stability of the structure.

Late Thursday a decision was made and at 7:30 and through till 8 PM, people were told they had 12 hours to get out because there was a fear of collapse. How anyone could make arrangements then is anyone's guess. Most stores were getting ready to close, most rental truck places as well. Could you pack everything you own in 12 hours?

In a meeting last night, over 100 residents listened to the developments that led to their leases being terminated and being told to leave. Many seemed numb with shock, sleeplessness and a range of emotions. U-Haul has given a few month of rent for those displaced at their facility on Notre Dame. Where so many people will move to is a mystery.  The shortage is rental accommodation has gotten critical even though there are buildings being constructed all over the city. 

Winnipeg is 150 years old this year. Buildings, houses and infrastructure are a growing refurbishment need. The city let its own Civic Parkade and Public Safety Building deteriorated to the point where they had to be demolished. The Winnipeg Square parkade was in need of refurbishment and the city sold it. And the Millennium Library parkade is in desperate need but it looks like they will actually fix it.

The point is that a lot of places in Winnipeg require maintenance.  Even the city lets things slide until the only option is to close. It isn't a good look and in this case, could have led to people being hurt. It still might in the case of Birchwood. It is hurting in terms of the terrible displacement of people.

The collapse of a residential building in Florida is still fresh in mind. Some of the thoughts on the engineering failure was thought to be that it was by the ocean but there was a lot of focus on the swimming pool as well. Birchwood Terrace has a swimming pool but there doesn't seem to be any engineering focus thus far other than the parkade support beams. 

Fencing went up around the building Saturday. It is apparent by many balconies that quite a few people have not been able to clear their belongings in the short time allowed. Security is present. Owners gave a time limit since once work begins, it is not safe to be inside. It is a big question whether people just leave items and hope the building stays okay so they can return in however long it takes. Some said till next year.

Boyd Autobody Now Open on Portage Avenue

Since 1963 there has been something auto related at Moray and Portage.  And that was before the Charleswood Bridge. Birchwood Auto made the place it's first home and it has been serving auto dealers for decades. Robert Chipman or Bob as he was known to many, set up shop at the spot where Portage Avenue turned into a curve following the Assiniboine River.  Birchwood is now the largest autodealer group in Manitoba and the basis of the Chipman fortune that led March Chipman to be majority Jets owner.

Once Birchwood moved out to the autopark down Portage Avenue, Mercedes set up shop for many years until they too moved to their most recent location on Kenaston. For a time in very recent years, the building bore the Birchwood name as their credit offices. And now another big autogroup in Boyd Autobody has taken over.

It has been a very long construction period in part because of their new paint centre which has equipment from out of country which requires all sorts of approvals not to mention a much better ventilation system which is installed on the roof. Unlike other Boyds, this one has kept the showroom windows so you can see the workers repair cars from the street. If you walk across the parking lot, you can still still see the carved Mercedes branding.

Boyd is very much a Manitoba success story and opening a new shop on Portage is another investment in jobs and work here. There are a few unleased spots in St. James along Portage Avenue but slowly things are filling in the post pandemic build up. Below is a picture of Portage Avenue in 1965. It is immediately in front of the present Boyd business. The Holiday Inn is not yet built but the bowling alley was incorporated into the hotel.

Long and McQuade to Move to Polo Park Area

 

Long and McQuade, a Canadian national music store, started off pretty small for its Winnipeg location. They were the third location in Canada to open in 1971 and took over Winnipeg Piano, a city institution on Portage. Business boomed at Long and McQuade moved to Osborne the following year. By 1978, they had moved to Corydon.

My impression of Corydon was that it wasn't a big store but I was not sure how deep the store went or if it included a basement. One thing is clear is that the move to Stafford was one of constant expansion as they took over large swaths of the old Videon building in 1997 until there was little left that they didn't operate from. The move to Pembina Highway was a purpose-built store of 25,000 square feet in 2016. 

There are three locations in the city now at Wall Street, Henderson Highway and Pembina Highway. It is the Wall Street location that is moving to Polo Park because there is very little room to expand at their present location. At one point there was a very music shops all along Portage and Wall Street but pretty much the only one left is St. John's Music. The Pembina location boasted it had the largest curved wall of guitars in the world. At 400 guitars, they might be right.

The old Wall Street location used to be Gorden Price/Mother's Music and became a Long and McQuade in 1993 and full renovation in 2014. Mother's Music used to be right across from University of Winnipeg in the 1980s.

The Henderson Highway location is fairly new at 2019. It was a former location of River City Sports. Henderson Highway is filled with music stores.

The location for the relocated Wall Street/Polo Park location is on Ellice just east of Empress Street. It is a multi-million purchase of the whole 9 acres and 120,000 square foot building where Long and McQuade will occupy 50,000 square feet of what is presently Bianca Amor's Liquidation Supercentre.

In 2007, the whole complex was purchased by Cabela from Sidney I. Robinson who used to operate S.I.R. Warehouse, a business not dissimilar to Cabela's. Prior to that, the building was used by MTS for their fleet vehicles. 

Much of the area around Polo Park was industrial right up to the 1980s.

For those wondering what happens to Bianca Amor's, it has found a smaller spot on St. James.

The new Long and McQuade's is modelled after Halifax and Calgary which feature a store and distribution centre. The company has quite a bit of product going from place to place and at 50,000 square feet of space, the new Polo Park location can handle that.

This is a massive investment in the city and evidence that music lessons and musical instruments are big business. There isn't a company that I know of quite as coast to coast in their field as Long and McQuade.  An employee increase for the people hired for the distribution centre and for music lessons is guaranteed. Total numbers are not known. And of course, the construction and millions spent will help the economy here in 2024.

Civic Election Debate 2022 - Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood/St. James Debate

 

Kudos to Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce and to the Holiday Inn Airport West for sponsoring and hosting the candidate debates for for two city council wards at the same time.

Video of the whole event is here:

https://www.facebook.com/AssiniboiaChamberMB/

Each ward had 5 candidates for the open seats left by Scott Gillingham in St. James and Kevin Klein in Charleswood. However, only four candidates each came. Word was Covid kept someone away although that was not conveyed in any announcement

A big hall was needed for those in attendance. Thanks to Holiday Inn Airport West. People were truly needing a final look at before deciding who to vote for. Certainly, I was in that category.

I voted the last next day after the debate based on what I heard and saw. Election day is Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

The format let each candidate have a few minutes before and after to make statements about who they were and why they were running. After a moderator, covered a host of topics from crime, to taxes. I will let people judge from their own viewing of the event if they are undecided.

Brad Gross was absent from the Charleswood side. Shawn Dobson was absent from the St. James side. It has not been easy finding details on candidates and I have tried. I have received flyers, I have checked out the community papers and I have searched online. I have not seen a lot on policy and this is what the debate tried to inform the public on.

Candidates who have been slow to release policy, donor info or were late getting to people at the door will find that thousands of people have already voted. And it might not be for them. Those running come from varied backgrounds but there have been several community activists and volunteers, a number of those who followed the Freedom slate of ideas, former candidates, business people. And as far as council, sadly, no women.

Like a lot of people at the debate, I wanted to hear policy. Moreover, there was a hunger to hear workable policies. Beyond the introduction, some candidates did get into policies and stated where they stood on tax. Some had innovative ideas but there were some focused on narrow areas. Experience campaigner were able to get their points across more clearly. Those that stood got more attention than those that sat.

There was a criticism in the St. James side about a candidate who works for IKEA. The association of of the person to the corporation's store location and sprawl was an unexpected spark of criticism. Candidates did interject on policy statements but that was an attack based on where a person works. 

On the point of IKEA, their land development was a brownfield redevelopment, The land was industrial. They paid for the intersection changes at Sterling Lyon and Kenaston. They built sidewalks when the city built none. The Outlet Collections Mall included a bus loop and residential development was included in the overall plan and non-stop housing has been built the last 10 years. IKEA itself has the most advanced geo-thermal plant. More housing has gone up at a former railyard and value added to the tax base inside city limits than almost any place else in the city. They are a $100 million business here and prior to arriving, people from the province ordered from the catalogue and had it shipped. There are 400 full and part-time workers employed.

 

IKEA doesn't owe any apologies to anyone in Winnipeg. And no one working there does either. If only every mall built the last 50 years included that much housing. The mall could easily be in Headingley.

There was some talk on infill which has been an issue in the city. IKEA above could be considered retail and residential infill. Certainly Kapyong will be infill of a military base. One candidate said there should be a three floor limit on Charleswood multi-unit development. Sadly, that likely won't be enough for those aging in the community to remain there. Is it is wonder they are moving to Seasons of Tuxedo?

On the issue of crime, there was a lot of talk of prevention, addiction and poverty. With two candidates from Justice and police, there was some interesting talk on reform and budget in that area.

Audience questions were written in and we were told that an email would come back with candidate responses. In my case, it will be too late. Based on the information I did have, I voted already.

Here is how I came to my decision on my vote:

What was the driving force that led them to running?

What connection did the candidate have to the ward?

What was their grasp of the issues?

Did they seem to be able to articulate a vision?

Did they seem to have the temperament to be in office?

Every election there are candidates for mayor, council and trustee who fall into categories unfit for office. One of those is the candidate that is there to get publicity for their brand. Prime example of that is Donald Trump who even his admirers know was there as much for his business brand and to make money. We had a mayor like that in Winnipeg.

Without guardrails, such a person in office will always run afoul of where their interests lay and where the public's lay.

Another type of candidate is the one that doesn't start in the mail room but believes they are are suited for the CEO's office.  Now, not everyone needs to work their way up from trustee to premier. But there ought to be an indication of life and work experience that might suggest a higher position. For example, Brian Bowman had no Council experience when he ran. But the feeling was that his job as a lawyer and life experience along with his platform was suitable for mayor. Even still, his lack of experience led him into political traps that any Council experience would have informed him on. Case in point: Portage and Main.

Another type of candidate is the one where Council seat is her first step to being Prime Minister. We have seen short term people move right on up including former mayor Glenn Murray.

Lastly, there is the firebrand candidate. We have a few Freedom Convoy types running, we have a few pro-Labour or pro-Commerce types, we have some special interest types running. We seem to have a few people running who would like to get into culture warfare. Invariably, this seems to be a recipe for fighting all the time. 

If one thing was clear, the Charleswood and St. James wards seem to want someone to commit to longer than 4 years, who knows the ward well, who is engaged in policy, can work well with others and is approachable.

I can't really vote for candidates I haven't seen or heard much from. In St. James, former Councillor Shawn Dobson seems to have the lead in signs. But I don't know his policies except he has talked about potholes a lot. For those in Charleswood, Brad Gross probably needed to do more to make people aware of him and what made him the best candidate.

I voted in St. James ward. There were four trustee candidates. One of them was caught on a Ring camera and was going through the mailbox. Not good and not easily explained. The other three were either incumbents or new and seemed intent to do the job of trustee. I voted for them. 

For council, I saw a few people running in St. James who were earnest, educated and community minded. Given that I think that crime is a leading issue, I considered police and changes in policing to be critical. For that reason and because of much experience in the Winnipeg Police, I voted for Tim Diack. He talked police reform and I think his knowledge there is unmatched.

For mayor, I looked at a number issues. Three of the present candidates, I have voted for in a number of elections in the past. However, I look at a host of things that had me evaluate this election if I could vote for them again. With inflation as big an issue this year as it is, with a number of collective bargaining agreements about to be decided and with infrastructure such as water and sewer and roads needing to be fixed, I looked at any tax freeze as possibly a double digit cut in city spending. Even committing to a 2% rise with inflation means an 8% cut.

Some candidates for mayor were not being candid about what cuts they were about to make. Or realistic they could cut wages or benefits and run afoul of the law. Again. And making proposals that depend of the province making your dreams come true is unrealistic. And while there will be federal money every year, it won't pay for all city functions.

I like Shaun Loney quite a bit but feel he is going to run smack right into fights because of other Councillors. Being able to work with Council is not overrated. It is an imperative. I am not completely happy with my pick and not even sure if he will win but I voted for Scott Gillingham. But I did think his proposal on taxes was most realistic even if I think there is no predicting on tri-level government support of his idea of Peguis and Kenaston expansion. Let's just say that is a while lot of negotiation still to happen.

Lastly, I can't vote in Charleswood but lived there many years and after attending the debate, I can say Evan Duncan is exactly the person that you like to see in office. His Justice experience, his long time community involvement and disposition overall should make him a valued member of City Council.

So to review, I voted for:

Mayor: Scott Gillingham

Councillor: Tim Diack

Trustees: Rachelle Wood, Craig Glennie, Michael Cabral

I'm just one voter. If you are more progressive, more conservative or want radical change or no change, you might choose someone different.

Whoever wins, I wish them well. And those not successful this time, remember that many candidates who did not succeed in being elected at some point often were elected some other time.

Burger King and Khab Tapioca Coming to Polo Park Area

Burger King has slowly been expanding their footprint around the city. Considering how important the Polo Park area has been for decades, it is surprising that the restaurant has not tried for a location close by. A&W has had their drive-thru for decades the street and McDonald's has been on one side of St. James street across from Polo Park and then on the same side. Both times just not of the mall.

The old McDonald's was a two floor monster with a play area downstairs. It featured one of the first drive-thrus for the restaurant in 1976. It became a favoured place for families over Grant Park. It would take a remarkable expansion for Burger King at 10 restaurants in Winnipeg to come close to McDonald's 30. For some fast food places like Arby's, they have closed all their stores altogether and left the market here.

Above, the sire of the old McDonald's on St. James in 1988, a year after Polo Park expansion.

The new Burger King will be immediately beside Chapters bookstore and will also feature a drive-thru. Next door will also have a restaurant called Khab Tapioca. It is one of many in the proliferation of sweet drink shops that have opened all over the city.

The area around Polo Park has been very slow to develop since both the arena and the stadium moved out. As fall progresses, we might start seeing some of the vacancies and open land start to fill up but it is hard to say where the economy is. Even when things were firing on all cylinders in 2019, the area around Polo Park suffered while Seasons of Tuxedo was exploding.

The big question of restaurants opening up beside Chapters is when will the bookstore have a return of coffee shops to their stores? Nothing happening in them yet. So a couple of restaurants opening by Chapters gives book buyers a place to go now.

Stella's Coming to Courts of St. James

 

Courts of St. James towers began in the planning phases 56 years ago in 1965. Construction took place in the years that followed with a real push from 1967 to 1970 when all three towers, recreation facilities and mall were completed. In the beginning it had a Dominion store anchoring the mall along with a bank and restaurants.

Construction costs back then were $12 million and Lakeview and Confederation Life were the builders. The entire 9.5 acre site was a success right of the gates and Lakeview went on to repeat the mixed developed format downtown with Lakeview's Holiday Towers and hotel attaches to the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s a lot was happening all over in St. James. It seemed down every street was new housing and developments. But for years it also seemed like the bald prairie with trees taking years to mature. Still, you hear fond memories for those that grew up in the area and today, you see block and after block being spruced up.

The green belt that follows Sturgeon Creeks was a lifesaver for many in the time of the pandemic. With Portage Avenue looking more empty that usual, it was easy to see how barren as well as how old some store fronts were. There are renovations going on up and down the street and leasing signs popping up.

Some of the activity is driven by cannabis retailers and having a retail strip that looks like nothing has been done since the 1960s or 70s won't do. Many empty storefronts the last number of years have meant no one was interested with either the price, the look or the size.

The level of apartment building in Winnipeg has triggered older developments to put through long awaited upgrades. Courts of St. James is no different. As the pandemic dragged on, many businesses saw it as a time to get ahead of the curve. In recent weeks, the retail side of the mixed development was re-done and with a fresh paved lot. Some businesses have returned. But others are gone for good.

Legends Bar and Grill in the back of the development continues to operate. 

As does Dollarama.

However, the loss of Sal's meant there was room for something new.

It looks like the Courts of St. James has found it in Stella's. It is probably as much needed for Stella's as it is for the mall. The long time restaurant was hurt from labour relations and resulted in a union which the company had no response to other that shutting locations down. Sherbrook and Osborne Village shut among others. Still, locations such as Pembina, Provencher and Portage near Art Galleryn have proven to be lucrative.

The above spot Stella's has chosen is where the old Bank of Montreal was at Courts of St. James. This is deliberate presumably as the wide sidewalks lend themselves to patios. The old sidewalks were too narrow for that. It is why nearly all the former tenants were service companies like denture clinics and law offices.

Stella's won't be the only restaurant addition. Red Swan Pizza has also leased a space which should be welcome to the people who live in St. James.

There are only a few spots left to lease but with high traffic volumes with restaurants roaring back from the pandemic and three sixteen floors towers behind the mall, it is hard to imagine them staying empty for long.

Meanwhile, the view across the street to Woodhave Park and the now red T-33 training aircraft representing the former Red Knights is an attractive scene.

Changes Around Polo Park and Surrounding Area

 Even in a pandemic, the former HBC Home has been converted to other uses. Originally built as Linens and Things, the Bay changed it to Home Outfitters. In recent years they are closed and the ones in Winnipeg have been converted to other uses.

First Oomomo opened. It has not fully operated yet because of restrictions but specialized in sales of Japanese goods. Now next door they have finished painting the red sign of Petland. 

The old Sears building is getting closer to looking complete in the exterior changes.

Hakim Optical across from Polo Park closed. However, they are inside the mall now and down the street at Leon's Centre. Hakim has taken up the type of dominance that Winnipeg-based Shopper's Optical once had. King Optical on St. James once had 200 people producing glasses for all over Canada. It closed in 2014 and few years after all the Stewart N. King/Shopper's Optical stores numbering 74 locations were sold to Luxxotica for $67 million.

Winnipeg used to be a glasses powerhouse.

Sears Polo Park started at Simpsons-Sears in 1959 and was the anchor to around 40 stores arranged in two open air strip malls. It was the second enclosed mall in 1963 and expanded with the inclusion of Eaton's as its northern anchors in 1968. It was in this year that it became entrenched my memory as we became new residents of River Heights. I was probably there earlier but I remember visiting my grandparents on nearby Ashburn and going to the mall and seeing a very new Eaton's.

The Simpson-Sears always seemed to have a busy auto centre and garden centre. I even remember boats being sold. 

The St. James apartments were built in 1969. For years, there was no way to get down Ness to Polo Park because there was no road crossing the rail. This opened the street opposite to Polo Park to things such as the St. James apartments but also for a McDonald's further down the street.

This became the primary way for people south of the Assiniboine to access Polo Park.

Sears has been converted to a mix of offices and retail. It  likely managers never conceived they would ever not have stores leaping at the chance to locate at Polo Park.

EQ3 will be moving into the Sear renovation. This will leave the corner at St. James and Portage empty for the first time in decades. Pier 1 Imports closed years ago and EQ3 has a pop up in there. The re-located store will be larger than what they have now. Even in the pandemic Winnipeg-based EQ3 has done well and this will be a flagship store for them.

Cadillac Fairview wants to put apartments on that corner once EQ3 is gone. Winnipeg Airport will try to stop them. In the next year or so we should see how that turns out.

It is hard to imagine normal after the pandemic. Sometimes we are so busy that it seems like people are back to routine but then it important to point out some businesses have been shut since last March.

And some businesses have been struggling since before the pandemic. The question of what happens to The Bay is an open one. Will HBC survive? I thought no but the store probably needs more revenue streams that it does now. Whatever happened to its restaurants?

Many malls seem to be reeling from filling holes from large retailers collapsing. Some are doing okay. Some are having to do a re-think.

Meanwhile, along St. James some of the stores that have closed in last few years are finding tenants like here where HBC Home has given way to Oomomo and Petland. The sign says fully leased.