Surplus Direct, Lord Selkirk Furniture and Top Pro Roofing Total Loss in Main Street Fire

Surplus Direct took over 843 Main Street and a discount furniture store in 2007. Prior to that it had been Kern-Hill Furniture Co-Op from 1963 up till when they moved to Nairn in 2005. 

In truth the building as a furniture store pretty much since 1945 and the end of World War II. However, in the years following the war Main Street was filled with businesses. Banks, jewelers, furniture stores and the like lined the streets in between all the hotels. 

In 2023, more and more For Lease signs line the street. Or worse, there is nothing but an empty space lining Main Street. That one block just north of the underpass has hosted successful businesses for decades that brought people to the area. Surplus Direct, Lord Selkirk Furniture and Top Pro Roofing.

Dozens of people are out of work this week and owners of these businesses scramble to survive. The cause of the fire may take some time to find out. However, if it is an arson, it points to a problem that cannot be solved simply by re-building. There have been a lot of suspicious fires that have later been identified as arson. No business or resident can count themselves safe if this continues as it has. People have already died and millions have been lost to damage.

The commercials that ran on TV and radio for Kern-Hill Furniture Co-Op cemented 843 as the place to be for the list of furnishings that Nick Hill said we needed to check out before shopping elsewhere. And whatever feelings people had for Main Street, they were prepared to overlook to go 843 Main Street where Nick Hill's number 1 son left the sofa-making machine on.

Like Honest Ed's discount store in Toronto, people were ready to come in and get lost. Winnipeg people like a bargain or shopping for one. Surplus Direct owned by the McDonald family knew that he address alone made people think shopping discounts and they too found sound success in the same spot.

Lord Selkirk Furniture has already opened an alternative site and the owners have support from the Polish community. The owners Kathy and Andy Gadgamowicz announced they are on Selkirk Avenue which is extremely fast to be up and running considering the devastation wrought on their business. The owner of Top Pro Roofing  is likely assessing how much of his fleet and equipment outside is salvageable The Bialowas family and employees were helpful to those affected by the fire in moving things away in the aftermath.

Even with insurance, it seems a difficult talk about rebuilding on this site, Harken back to fires in the middle of Osborne Village and it takes years to get insurance to agree to build and almost never over one storey. Will this soon to be demolished site remain a parking lot for ages? Will the businesses simply move on and not return?

The tragic aspect of this fire is how long it will last in terms of suffering. The demolition has to be soon because the wreckage poses a traffic hazard from a lost lane and sidewalk. A fire hazard is still a possibility and an apartment and housing nearby can't afford to be unnecessarily endangered because of a long debate about what to do with the pile. Lastly, a fence is possibly going to be needed to prevent the site from becoming a parking lot for a lengthy time or an encampment of people living on it.

The homeless situation has grown so difficult that any open area can be where tents and make-shift shelters will be. The Manitoba Metis Federation found this to be and had to fence off the area and parking lot. Several fires have resulted in total loss of some encampments and people have been hurt or have died as a result. Some adjacent buildings have burned as well. To say it is a crisis is an understatement. Housing has been too slow, too expensive and too few.

There are other businesses across the west side of Main Street still going. The Northern and the Yale hotels and a number of other shops are present although a few for lease signs are there too. Without a doubt though, a big gap across the street is going to hurt. And having a longtime empty spot could perpetuate further loss of business.

The west side has not been immune from fires either. Winnipeg has far too many fires. Accidental or otherwise, it is a reflection of age of the structures, occupancy of them and how quick they can spread. Throw in deliberate arson and we have a problem that has no easy fixes and poses a danger to any building business or residential.

Heartfelt support to the owners of these vital businesses. Let's hope they get back on their feet and that the location on Main Street doesn't become an unhappy reminder of past businesses that are gone forever.

Bed, Bath and Beyond Closing in Winnipeg and Across Canada

In a page that we have seen used several times over the last years, an American retailer with operations in Canada heads into bankruptcy and no matter how viable the operations are north of the border, the receiver just wants to liquidate the Canadian assets to pay creditors.

And so it is for Bed, Bath and Beyond. The one location they have in Winnipeg is north of Polo Park next to Marshalls and Mark's. As early as 2017, there was some indication that the U.S. retailer was not taking Amazon seriously and their online sales strategy was lacking. The stock buy backs and sales coupons ensured they were ill prepared for the Covid outbreak.

One of the reasons Bed, Bath and Beyond was successful in the past was local manager had a lot of say in how the branch operated and stocked what they needed to be happy customers. The company had been profitable and used it to purchase companies like buybuy Baby. A branch of that company is on St. James Street. According to reports 51 Bed, Bath and Beyonds are closing and 11 buybuy Baby stores. Total Canadian employees are just are 1,500.

In Winnipeg, the square footage could total 60,000 back up for lease whenever final inventory is cleared up. Linens and Things and Home Outfitters in years past have also collapsed. It is a tough market. The former location of Home Outfitters/Linen and Things is Oomomo, the Japanese lifestyle store.

As mentioned in other posts, there are no long line-ups to lease spaces anywhere in the city. And large box spaces are some of the hardest to fill.

Expect topsee liquidation of stock at the Polo Park location of both Bed, Bath and Beyond and buybuy Baby. It will be interesting thereafter to see how long both spaces remain empty.

Aqua Essence Changes What a Mall Can Be

One of the lasting problems from the pandemic has been the shortage of trained professional teaching and lifeguarding in swimming. Covid itself closed pools up for a very long time. Kids often were not getting those valuable lessons which statistics have shown can lead to drownings. With 100,000 lakes and retention ponds, creeks and rivers everywhere, learning how to swim is so important.

Aqua Essence started off as business using city-owned pools. It also happened at people's pools and Winnipeg Beach's Camp Massad outside the city. The pandemic though meant a lot of kids got swim lessons through Zoom in the family bathtub with help of instructor. Not easy with 40 instructors prior to closures working all over and then suddenly nothing.

Owner Rishona Hyman looked for over a decade for a location for her business.  Oddly enough, it arrived when SmartCentres Winnipeg Southwest tried to figure out what to replace some of the closed big box stores with. A long waiting list of retailers was not in the cards. Addition-Elle closed 74 stores in 2021 and those leave gaps not easily filled.

The opening of the Outlet Collection mall down the street has seen a few stores migrate and relocate. Innovative thinking was required but many landlords had to be convinced. And in some cases, desperate enough to listen.

The pool in the 8,000 square foot former Addition-Elle is L shaped and stainless steel. A first for Manitoba. The fears of mould due to humidity is less and the chance for deteriorating of infrastructure diminishes. Most landlords present an empty shell with services connected so the fear that drastic changes could not be reversed weighed on the decision.

In the case of privately owned pools, Winnipeg is way behind Toronto where you find many of them. We have been lucky to have large indoor pools like Pan Am and Eldon Ross, which also has a 1,500 square foot basin pool. But swimming lessons have been left to more private means with non-governmental organizations like Canadian Red Cross getting out of the business.

The convenience of an instructional pool in a big box mall is not the least bit counter-intuitive. And on cold winter days learning to swim in 34 C heated waters with a parent near by or in the water makes sense to a landlord if it fills a spot and brings people to the area.

This is a great Winnipeg business story and an indication of what malls can become. There are still empty spots to fill which will require more innovative thinking. I have a feeling though that many of these malls have more parking than they require. Don't be surprised if some density is added with some residential in the near future.

The Exodus from Winnipeg

Winnipeg experienced a net loss of 7.140 people July 1 of 2021 to July 1 of 2022. It is the worst drop in 20 years. Even before the pandemic in 2019, the number was 6,607. It only dropped in 2020 when people were not easily able to move because of Covid 19. Statistics Canada has reported in its latest data that Winnipeg has seen more people leave for other provinces for 20 years straight. While this could be blamed on the city of Winnipeg government, keep in mind that Brandon last year lost 981 people and Thompson 163.

The numbers have worsened in recent years but under NDP and PC governments provincially, it has been consistently bad. Were it not for immigration and birthrate, Manitoba would be in steady decline. There are no studies of why people leave. Anecdotally, the media will quote reasons from those who have left but there is no break down done from post-exit interviews that could assist in changes to government and businesses policies. Good data means better response to get people to move in or move out.

If crime data is all people see, it is not putting our best foot forward. We have our own Bureau of Statistics, we should be compiling data to act on. So much information is buried or requires freedom of information request and money to get a handle on. In many cases the government seems incurious after 20 years and collects no data. They don't want an answer. It is easier to blame past governments although the same results follow the new government.

It is not all bad news. Manitoba, and by extension Winnipeg, has attracted many immigrants through the innovative provincial nominee program. All political parties are agreed on it and it has kept the province from slipping into negative growth. The TV and film industry continues an upward cycle and requires more people each year and all months of the year. Manufacturing, agriculture, energy, financial services and insurance are diverse and strong sectors for the city. Post secondary education and government also contribute to the strength of Winnipeg.

So what are the cons that people outside of Manitoba have towards Winnipeg. In some case, we can't help those impressions and in other cases, we can.

Cons

- Extreme temperatures. Cold or hot, Winnipeg has them both.

- Mosquitoes. Some years terrible, other years tolerable.

- Crime. The numbers don't lie. It is too high.

-Poverty. Some of the poorest census districts are in Winnipeg nationally.

- Homelessness. The numbers are increasing and the housing strategy is too slow, too expensive and uncoordinated.

- Addictions. Winnipeg has a drug and alcohol problem. It is a health problem that can't afford to not have treatment available to those looking to receive it and know there are no spaces. And support has to be more consistent after.

- Downtown, Too spread out with safety issues for those who live and work in the area. 

- Public transportation. Safety issues in recent years and only one rapid corridor after decades of planning. Not nearly enough buses or security to make more people give up their cars.

- Not as senior friendly. While some seniors are able to go to warmer spots and return to Winnipeg. Some are making the choice to move to parts of Canada such as B.C. where they are able to be more independent and face less adversity being outdoors.

- Poor minimum wages, poor professional wages with respect to other jurisdictions in Canada.

- Crumbling infrastructure of roads, bridges, water and sewer makes it difficult to to service the community or expand capacity on existing infrastructure.

- City planning that fails to see sidewalks built of any kind on large lengths of streets like Kenaston or gaps like northside of Sterling Lyon Parkway among other places.

- Falling amounts of affordable apartments or any rentals of any kind. It makes it difficult for people who are students, newly arrived in Canada, those looking to downsize, upsize a bedroom for kids or simply don't want to live in a detached house.

Since Winnipeg grew by nearly 20,000 people, the have to advantages too.

Pros:

- Low unemployment. The city of Winnipeg continues to grow because there are jobs in the city. And those numbers have been steady.

- Steady economy. Other jurisdictions have highs and lows. Ask Alberta. While resources have driven growth, they have had painful times related to world market prices. Winnipeg have a very diversified economy. It has not had such roller coaster times.

- 24 hour airport. There are few in North America and the advantage for Winnipeg has been and will be worth billions. It has triggered the 20,000 acre Centreport which has over 1000 tenants and has air, road and rail connections. If Winnipeg cannot have a port on the ocean, it can have a port on land.

- Post Secondary Schools. They attract tens of thousands of students and the city has four universities, multiple colleges and several training schools. Foreign students numbers are rising all over Canada. Winnipeg needs to make room for the thousands of residential units needed. Many of these students will be in the city for years and in some cases make Winnipeg their home long term.

- More Affordable Housing. Home ownership is just a dream for some in the most active markets of Toronto and Vancouver. There are a number of options for housing with schools and recreation nearby that are attractive to those who might have worked for a number of years and have not been able to buy a home elsewhere.

- Diverse population. For immigration outside Canada, Winnipeg is attractive as there is usually a support system in place of people already calling the city home whether you are from Ukraine, Philippines, Syria of wherever. 

- Strong arts community. Winnipeg has a huge theatre, music, literature and arts community. One of the fastest growing areas is TV and film and with the addition of new soundstages and direct flights to LA. Some of the past productions that took a pass on Winnipeg will have it back at the top of their lists because of the advances in available flights, soundstages and crews. It is possible to work full-time in various aspects of production within Manitoba.

Winnipeg should not feel so bad. Other cities including Toronto and Vancouver have seen people leave. However, in the case on Ontario, Toronto loses to other urban areas of Ontario,

As long as Winnipeg remains attractive to immigration, growth will be in the thousands added every year. Some suitable economic growth areas have received government and business focus. The location for the city as an inland port is ideal over, say Edmonton and Calgary. Calgary is three hours from the border and the biggest cities in the U.S. are closer to Vancouver or Winnipeg. In short, cargo landing in Calgary or Edmonton, which is even farther away, will take some time to reach a U.S. destination.

Winnipeg, by contrast, is one hour from the border and is connected by three rail lines and a major highway that runs through several major cities all the way to the third largest city in the U.S.: Chicago. It is faster in some cases to land a cargo aircraft in Winnipeg overnight, unload it, put it on a truck and arrive faster in Chicago rather than landing in Chicago in the first place. Centreport could attract even greater cargo capacity and therefore employment.

The move to electric vehicles bodes well for Winnipeg since New Flyer and Motor Coach Industries are based in Winnipeg and are at the forefront of electric bus development and manufacturing. In keeping with the climate file, Manitoba has lithium mining for batteries taking place in Snow lake, Manitoba and the processing plant will be built at Centreport for 2025. Manitoba has nine of the critical metals needed for improving and changing technology for climate change. More than one processing plant might end up being built in the city.

One of the fastest ways to decrease transfers of people out of the province is to make sure more people find a reason to come to your province for education. In 2022, both University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba rated very high for student satisfaction in Canada. International students are increasing in numbers at both schools and will continue to if adequate housing, flexibility in work and supports encourage this pattern. For many years insufficient housing has plagued all our main universities.  Inter-provincial student migration increases are possible if something is being offered that is not available elsewhere. Winnipeg has a medical school, a dental school, law school and more. We graduate too few doctors and there needs to be a plan that makes it worthwhile for graduates to stay. Some of the doctors at the medical school are in the top per cent of research papers and cutting edge medical science.

Arts, as mentioned, is a huge booster of tourism and jobs. Folk Festival and Folklorama have in the past driven tourism into the province and contributed to employment of artists, hospitality companies and government revenues. TV and film continues to increase and is in a far more stable and predictable arc than in the 1980s and 1990s. Hollywood wants to save money but keep quality and that fits the bill in Winnipeg. And Canadian TV series are now being shot in the city regularly which is good all around. Thousands of people are employed in the arts and the more work they have, the less need there is to move to do work.

There is not much we can do about the weather but work, wages, advancement in career, training and education and picking our spots for growth will help. Energy from hydro is likely to become ever more important, especially with states like Minnesota making it law that they seek out cleaner energy. Conversion of transportation to electric and lithium processing will also contribute to growth. The deficit the city presently faces and the fact that a majority of it comes from snow removal is proof positive Winnipeg has a lot of roads that we maintain. It isn't wrong to think what ten years from now will look like. You can't park cars on the street and drive them without power supply. Assigned parking will be necessary and if a home has two, three or four cars, they will have to be cycled through charging. And if an apartment has dozens of cars parked on the street, they will have to seek out charging areas and wait. It is safe to assume a paradigm shift will happen. A future Winnipeg might include rental cars when you need them.

All in all changes are happening and an aging population will have to stay closer to home and populated areas as they require home care and beyond. The exodus out of cities like Winnipeg can't be sustained because no one will build a hospital or sufficient nursing homes in exurbia. Already people are making difficult choices when insurance is too high to go to Mesa, or living at the lake in Ontario means too far away from visits to the specialist...in the Thunder Bay.

One hopes the government acts rather than reacts. Short term thinking can hurt. There is some inkling things are headed to a turning point. Planning and stable financing to support that plan will mean vital cities like Winnipeg needs and wants. The future does not have to be grim.

Pizza Express and Submarine Returns to Winnipeg

After 20 years Brandon-based Pizza Express and Submarine has returned to Winnipeg and had taken up residence in old Charleswood at the site of the former Carbone Coal Fired Pizza along Roblin Boulevard.

As posted earlier just down Roblin Charleswood Pizza Depot just opened in the former Little Caesar's. It is a tough business but people are looking for something different and while Pizza Depot has a taste of southeast Asia, Pizza Express and Submarines has both pizza and subs.

Pizza Express and Submarine got its start in Brandon with Vasilarakis family. Working in pizza restaurants till they owned their own in 1982, they turned Pizza Express and Submarine into a western Manitoba fave,

In 1990 in the first incarnation of Pizza Express came to Winnipeg. The Portage location won over customers with Greek pizza fare and submarines. This led to another location on St. Mary's Road. However, by 1998 it was all over and an offer to purchase and a desire to be back with family and their original store and it was back to Brandon. And for years no more Pizza Express in Winnipeg till now.

The family has now grown up and the opportunity to operate in Winnipeg once more was a siren call. It is likely Charleswood is a good place to recapture the west part of the city again.

The pandemic and inflation has been a tough market to survive in but the job market remains resilient and the entrepreneurial spirit of people appears strong. Only a few vacancies exist in Charleswood which should attest to the business and restaurants needed in the area.

Charleswood Pizza Depot

After many years as an outpost of Little Caesar's in Charleswood, a change to the strip mall across from Laxdal came mid January of 2023. It was the only location in the Charleswood/Tuxedo location. The chain is in no danger of going out of business in Winnipeg with under two dozen locations spread across the city.

In it's place a Canadian chain is going up founded by Ranjit Mahil, an immigrant from India with a degree in chemistry. In 1992, when he found it hard to get a job in his field, he delivered pizza and eventually got a franchise himself. By 2017, Mahil knew the ins and out of the industry but felt that to be distinct, he would add flavours of India and southeast Asia. Adding store franchises each year in Ontario and Alberta, the concept arrived in Winnipeg with location on Molson, Mandalay and Main Street. Roblin Blvd in Charleswood will be the fourth location.

The opening was attended by Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal MP and covered by the Indian Canadian media.

Charleswood has shown a penchant for different dining experiences in recent years with Japanese, Chinese and fine dining mixed in with well known franchises for fast and casual dining restaurants. But Indian is now starting to expand into suburbs offering well known North American fare with a south Asian twist.

With so many pizza restaurants in Winnipeg, the ability to stand out is a compelling one. And butter chicken pizza could become a favourite for those in Charleswood.

Curry Up Indian Kitchen Coming to Kenaston Village

 

The sign is up, the restaurant is not. It is still being worked on. I was at Bulk Barn on the weekend and saw the sign and figured it was in the spot next to the old Kenaston Walk-In Clinic and it certainly looks like it. Still under construction and a few tables but strongly leaning to counter take-out service.

But what is it? Well, I looked it up and it is Indian food and Mexican food ordered like a Subway where you ask to load up how you like it at the counter. Well, if that doesn't sound like a recipe for success nothing will.

I mentioned in earlier posts that one benefit of immigration knows truly well is the international restaurants that pop up. Syrian and Afghan refugees have opened up up some delicious places all over the city.

Curry Up Indian Kitchen has a location on Regent and this will be the first location on the west side of the city. Curry Up at the location shares a space with the the family's other restaurant Goodlife Foods which is a spin-off from the original Thunder Bay location.

Curry Up Indian Kitchen Kenaston will be less dine in and more take out counter and should be open in next weeks.

Housing at Polo Park 2023

All pictures supplied by Cadillac-Fairview and Shindico.

In 2020 the airport made it clear they did not want any housing bungalow or apartments over a vast area in Winnipeg to protect the 24 hour status of Winnipeg International. They did not want complaints to stop the lucrative cargo trade coming in every 15 minutes after the clock went past the stroke of midnight. Keep in mind Winnipeg was still allows noisy 727s to land up to 2019 when Australia had banned them altogether. Many of the aircraft now are 757s which are far quieter although on a nice August night with the windows open it is still noisier than newer Airbus and Boeing passenger aircraft flying.

This is a price to pay for having one of the closest airports to the downtown in Canada. At 20 minutes to downtown, it even outdoes Vancouver. And Vancouver International is not 24 hours. It is 5 AM to 1:30 AM. The late night advantage is where cargo can land, be sorted and on the road and headed to market faster faster than it can be in places like Minneapolis and Chicago. And one of the advantages to the airport of being close to the city is that the city is able to supply the nearly 20,000 jobs of direct and indirect jobs that bring in a few billion to the region.

The airport has been extremely aggressive in protecting that 24 hour status by nixing anything in terms of housing or other developments till now. Other levels of government had to step up to scale that back. Polo Park and surrounding area is one part of the city where airport restrictions were stringent. And taller residential there exists before the zoning acts came into place. It has stymied most building over a few floors. While aviation flight paths should not have to navigate towers, the restrictions have been centered more on possible noise complaints.

Almost every mall in North America is re-considering their surface parking lots. Over the years they have added restaurants, movie theaters and stand alone retail. The closure of several department stores though as left malls scrambling as the answer doesn't seem to be adding more stores. The truth is that no one out there can take 300,000 square feet up like Sears once did. In the case of Polo Park, they converted some space to offices and the ground floor to the furniture store EQ3.

Make no mistake: Although Polo Park is having stiff competition from Seasons in Tuxedo, it still ranks as the top mall in Manitoba. It is owned by Canada's premiere mall developer and manager Cadillac-Fairview. Million have been spent every decade to ensure the mall and surrounding area attract the most desired stores, restaurants and attractions.

Notwithstanding the problems of major retailers failing, security and remaining relevant to a young generation, malls across North America are spending billions to be different in the coming decades. Even Mall of America has had to change with large stores closing and security. For stores closing, hotels have emerged as anchors. And inside, there are 100 security and up to 16 uniformed police. After the latest shooting death there, metal detectors are being tested. And so it goes with malls, arenas and now libraries. Weapons have no place in them.

As far as Polo Park goes, the security concerns are the same as Mall of America. Keep weapons out, stop theft and strong arm robbery and provide a secure, save space to to shop, go to a movie, have a meal or anything else. On that score, there are have been incidents this year which they will have to address as the mall begins its most bold expansion ever: a $1 billion dollar mostly residential building program on surface lots surrounding the mall.

You heard that right. It is $1 billion. The first focus will be on housing on the former Arena and Stadium site north of Polo Park. There are supporters and detractors of the project. First things first though, the land which was formerly owned by the city has been sold. Road improvements have been made on the St. James and Empress side the last few years as well as St. Matthews right off to Route 90. The area is serviced and aside from converted Target and PF Chang's, the land is much like how it looked a decade ago. It is private land that was supposed to be an outlet mall. Seasons of Tuxedo got there first.

So let's go over what the detractors say:

- Too close to the airport. It will hurt the 24 hour status of the airport.

- Too noisy and busy.

- Who wants to live by a mall?

- Too much crime in the area.

- Housing will be poor quality housing.

- Too much traffic in the area.

- Focus should be downtown.

- Who wants anything but a detached home?

- Where would I park?

- Taxpayer getting fleeced.

- Can't be supported by city infrastructure of water, sewer and drainage.

And here is what supporters say:

- A use of existing of city infrastructure attached to existing water and sewer, roads and utilities.

- Is far enough away from the airport that it won't interfere with flight paths or result in noise complaints that shut down the 24 hour status of the facility.

- Is a reasonable use of some of the land that has sat idle for 10 plus years.

- Is private land owned and managed by Cadillac-Fairview and Shindico so should not be banned from building anything but commercial and retail.

- Any building as featured in the renderings are low-rise residential. No tower appears to be above 20 floors.

- The 84 acres of usable space has no equivalent downtown for space all in one area for development.

- Will convert surface mall parking into added decks on the north side by the movie theatre and on the east side of Polo Park. Two decks each for the parkade according to interviews.

- Will bring around 4000 residential units to Winnipeg at a time when overall rental units of any kind of place is hard to get and rising in expense.

- Brings $1.1 billion of spending to Winnipeg over several years and hundreds if not thousand of jobs.

The airport seems to have come along into believing Polo Park's initiative is balanced. That should be good enough for those worried about the status of Winnipeg International as a 24 hour airport. There does not appear to be any 30 floor buildings planned for the area.

Polo Park/Shindico are looking to relax the rules on 1.4 car spaces for every residential unit built. There is a strong case for this with a bus terminal already on site and capacity for more bus service winding through new stops in the area. The strong uptick of Peg City Co-Op means the car rental as you need them business is a strong contender for spaces in this development. Why have two cars when you can have one and a special rental for for a weekend getaway or when you need a different vehicle for certain tasks.

The ten year time frame of construction means the new electric cars and trucks will be the norm and chargers will be everywhere, possibly every residential parking lot as the development proceeds forward. The days of parking your car on city streets overnight will be over. This is the reality of electric vehicles. Even in the new Seasons development there are cars parked on the street near one of the apartments. It has cars parked free 24 hours a day. This seems highly unlikely here or any street ten years from now if a car is electric. The city won't be putting chargers on every street in front of every home. If you park overnight uncharged, you will have to find a place to charge. And in cold temperatures like Winnipeg, it is best to leave plugged in over night. Below 20% and charging in cold weather can damage the cell.

Electric vehicles will change everything about our residential areas in the future. Imagine having one electric charger in a house for a family with four cars. And most chargers in homes are in garages which many people use a storage. To say that everything changes in the next ten years is an understatement. And for those chuckling that their gas car won't have this problem, think again. There will be fewer and therefore busier gas stations. Costco may lay out there parking lot with high speed chargers and make their gas station just a kiosk...if they keep any at all. So significant the changes will be. Storing your car free on the streets and getting a fill nearby in less than a few minutes might be harder...and more expensive.

The CMHC report on rental housing was pretty grim. While other places fared worse, Winnipeg has major issues even with numerous apartments rentals nearing completion. Only 3% fall in the affordable category. Some residents fall into a category of not being able to afford any home on the market presently for a variety of reasons. Some might be in so need of help for addictions, mental health and poverty that even free housing might not be accepted. So deep the problem has become. Moreover, housing built for those on the streets is so expensive that it would seem like a Tuxedo house given the price.

The Polo Park's 4000 units of housing won't likely create affordable options unless CMHC and the province look do something similar to some other programs in Manitoba. However, the need is so great that if there is not more building soon that vacancies could drop to near zero and rents will soar even higher. Canada's immigration is rising to meet a demographic gap that is already seeing many jobs go unfilled as older workers retire from the workforce. Canada it is not the only county facing this. China and Japan are already seeing rapidly aging populations and in the case of Japan, parts of the country are being abandoned as people move to cities and overall population decline.

The difference between Japan, China and Canada is that this country has an accelerated immigration program to bring people to the country. Manitoba has been one of the most successful provinces with the provincial nominee program. It has matched skill needs of the community with immigrants willing to come work those jobs. They have not taken jobs away from Manitobans. These are jobs that have been there for the taking for some time. Even in communities like Thompson of 13,000 people, they are soon to be without veterinarian services. They need four given the size of the city. Vets can earn a good living and where are the people to do the job.

The government of Canada is expecting 500,000 a year for the next five years and beyond. In Manitoba that is tens of thousands of people arriving each year. The pace of house and apartment building must quicken. And with it zoning, inspections and official approvals. Polo Park has 84 acres to create housing. Debate has already lasted nearly three years. It is time to start now as the need is here now.

Towne 8 to Permanently Close Downtown Winnipeg

The last of downtown movie theatres (save for Cinematheque) have permanently closed down. It was 1981 when Canada's first standalone multiplex went up. With 8 screens and 1,726 screens altogether, the Towne 8 was the shape of things to come for movie halls in Canada.

It was a race to see which multiplex would open first in Winnipeg between 7 Cineplex Odeon theatres in Eaton Place or the Towne 8. Ultimately, it was the Towne 8 in August 21 versus Eaton Place on December 18 in 1981. For many people, especially kids, it was amazing. Eaton Place overall was initially busy combined with Eaton's. The mall also included an arcade which came in handy as pre or post entertainment after a movie.

One thing was clear though and that not all theatres are created equal. Eaton Place theatres were small. In fact, some people's theatre rooms at home are probably larger than the smallest theatre at Cineplex Odeon. While this was good for a foreign film with captions, it was less exciting for a an Indiana Jones sequel. Moreover, the Towne 8 had arcade games by the concessions in the theatre! The biggest box office movie was always in Cinema 1 which had 484 seats and Dolby Stereo and 70mm screen.

The Towne's location at 301 Notre Dame was very close to the Capitol and Garrick Theatres and the Odeon (Walker) was right across the street. In 1981, a Tim Horton's restaurant was next door and down Princess Street was Prairie Theatre Exchange.

The Exchange District was just beginning to take off with the Spaghetti Factory and Brandy's down the block and Chinatown still quite active for restaurants. Many of the surrounding buildings were still being used by the garment industry. It would be years till festivals like Fringe and Jazz Fest would be hosted in Old Mark Square. Young people would come downtown for movies, shopping such as record stores and arcades. And we'd all take the bus.

If there was a new golden area for movie houses downtown, it was probably 1980 to 1990. The Towne 8 was an industrial building site housing Silverwood Dairies. You can still see the Silverwood sign on the wall beside the theatre. In 1980, the dairy moved to a suburban site leaving Landmark the opportunity to build the first stand alone multiplex.

The year 1980 was a terrible time for Winnipeg with major industrial losses everywhere such as The Tribune, Canada Packers and Swifts plants shuttering sending thousands of workers to unemployment and in a lot of case migrating to other provinces. To goose the numbers of people attending during the week, Towne 8 did discounts on Tuesdays and were embraced by full houses in 1982. The rest of the country now in recession started to do the same and not just movie houses but restaurants and others.

To make things more interesting for movie theatres like Towne and others was the video rental business was just taking off. Early adopters of VCRs started in 1982 and by 1983, many Canadian homes had VHS or Betamax machine at home. Some of the older single screen theatres were having a tougher time towards the end of the 1980s. Multiplexes became the chosen way to compete against home entertainment. The multiplex at St. Vital Centre in 1986 instantly drew crowds.

For over 40 years of operation, Towne 8 has been bold, innovative and affordable. Like many businesses Covid killed it. In July of last year, it temporarily shuttered because of the difficulty in getting staff. Remaining staff were transferred to the higher end Landmark at Grant Park. As 2022 drew into 2023, half year gone by, the decision was to close permanently. However, the company will not sell to someone who wishes to run a discount theatre. The building is likely to be bought demolished and become housing. 

I enjoyed many visits to the Towne. The $5 tickets were hard to beat in any movie entertainment. Downtown was once alive on many streets with just 29 screens in the 1980s. People lined up in the heart of the city to see movies. The result was a pretty likely evening and weekend crowd.

Burger King Now Open at Seasons at Tuxedo

If it seems like an overflow of activity from Seasons at Tuxedo, it is because so much constructions has reached conclusion, is nearly done or about to put shovels in the ground. The rush is to complete as much as possible. Polo Park is about to embark on a huge expansion with housing and retail and Kenaston Kapyong Barracks. At the pace Seasons is going, it is not unreasonable that by the end of 2023, there will be no undeveloped land left.

Last year Burger King indicated they were going to be opening more Burger Kings in Manitoba and renovating others. True to their word, two more have gone up bring the number in Winnipeg to about 14. One has gone up on Empress and another at Seasons of Tuxedo. During the pandemic pretty much every McDonald's in Winnipeg renovated. Other franchises are only catching up.

Burger King is looking to challenge McDonald's in Winnipeg. For years, they have been in locations that are less lucrative than the Golden Arches. That seems to have changed only recently.

Above the Empress location with Khab Tapioca and Chung Chun Rice Hotdogs. Expect to see more Asian fast food, casual dining and fine dining in Polo Park area in the next years. And the missing area across the city is curry shops.

As noted about Seasons, it isn't a standard mall. If it was, it would have some of the problems affecting the smart centers across the country. They have waited for some miracle retailer that is just not coming.

Just down the street the Smart Centre is struggling to fill spaces that have been vacant for some time. It is only now they they have freed themselves to seek out businesses that would not have had a chance to be located there in the past. In short, the focus on retail with a few restaurants is far too limited for success.

Contrast this with Seasons with a huge residential area, hotels and non-movie house attractions such as Rec Room. Also, contributing to livability are dentist, vet, pharmacies, fitness studios and banks and financial services. What is unacceptable is after ten years is that there is still no sidewalk from Kenaston to Red River Co-Op Grocery. None.

Presently, there are only internal pathways but none connecting south Sterling Lyon. The city is letting down the community. All of Kenaston in the area not having sidewalks is an embarrassment and dangerous.

One section after another of construction is going on so the community should expect to see people explore what is actually present. More and more people are walking within the area. In some cases, it easier to step out of your residence, skip the car and walk to the grocery or pharmacy.

Not as heavy on the cannabis stores here but I'm assuming the days of 200 locations will come to be a rationalization of them. Seasons has a liquor store and a beer vendor too. Say what you will be you know what Osborne Village and South Osborne don't have? A beer vendor.

The pictures above will be the 5000 square foot Krispy Kreme. It will be clearly visible at the busy corner of Kenaston and Sterling Lyon.

Across from Krispy Kreme is IG Wealth Management. Some of their meetings will feature donuts soon.

Few vacancies remain in completed sections. Hair and nail salons are also present. A large medical tests centre is on site.

Foot traffic and car traffic going by from commuters and local residents will come in handy. This week a few more restaurants have shuttered elsewhere in the city because it has been hard to find workers, people have not returned to office and high inflation. It hasn't easy.

At the moment Seasons has the momentum and Burger King opening should see success at such a busy location. 

Zellers to Become a Shop-in-Shop Inside The Bay St. Vital

Zellers returns to all of Canada and in Winnipeg, it will open inside the Bay St. Vital Centre. Most of Zellers ended in Canada in 2011 with the arrival of Target which took over most of the locations in the country. Some boutique Zellers have popped up in recent years but this latest push in 2023 are stores ranging from 8000 to 10,000 square feet. It is unknown how big the store in St.Vital's HBC will be.

For St. Vital Centre this can only be thought of as an affirmation that it is a second tier mall in Winnipeg below Polo Park and now Seasons in Tuxedo. A fine mall to be sure but one for the Walmart and Zeller-set. That could change with investment the mall but at the moment, the millions of dollars are being spent elsewhere.

More on this as it comes available.