New Portage and Main Plus Area Pictures

 

The Anger of Conservatives in Manitoba

The Conservatives lost the last federal election and the Progressive Conservatives lost the last provincial election in Manitoba. As far as the federal election goes, the Tories were so certain they were going to, they were figuring out the wallpaper in the prime minister's office. After two years of relentless campaigning they almost saw the Liberals win a majority and their own leader lose his seat.

Polling in Manitoba now shows a majority of Conservatives supporting separation. It is a minority position in the overall poll. Some men are so angry and upset that they are all in on western alienation and separation. It is unclear how that translates into a win with a full referendum. It is worth noting that separation parties in the provincial byelections finished third.

There seem to be a lot of conservatives who embrace the 51st state. Certainly there is anger at the election results and in some cases, those that saw their party lost question the electoral system as fixed against them. And by fixed, the suggestion was that Liberals were changing boundaries and stuffing ballots. No amount of evidence could be presented to convince those that believe that. Thankfully, the actual Conservative party didn't make a call to the battlements over losing both the election and the leader's seat. That didn't mean they were happy.

The Liberals are pretty wily. By changing their leader and proroguing Parliament, they changed the calculus. But some of these tactic the Conservatives had done themselves with success. It think what caught Conservatives by surprise is how fast Liberals changes policy platform. Despite calling it cynical and a lie, it ignores how the Liberals have always had right and left components within the party. It is that right that is in power now.

Men are more likely to be separatist than women. And Alberta and Saskatchewan are more likely to have separatist segments of the population than B.C. or Manitoba. In Manitoba it is likely a rural male who thinks on the line of separation. This closely resembles the rest of the west. Those in the city, especially women, are more likely to be in support of a united Canada.

Polls are often snapshots looking backwards. Many conservatives are still stinging from Trudeau and are still stunned the Liberals won with Carney. The popularity if the Liberals and Carney have steadily risen. Even now though some conservatives are mad about Covid, vaccines, the electoral process on a host of issues social and economic. It is unlikely that some on the right will ever forgive the emergency measures. But then again, there is little sympathy from a lot of Canadians who regarded the convoys as being a threat to health and safety.

Carney appears to be managing the premiers fairly well by being open to projects of national importance. Still, Alberta's default position is to criticize the federal government often as a cover for their own performance. Trudeau authorized a full government pipeline that brought more money into Alberta than before and got no credit for it. Harper had no success getting the pipeline through.

Ontario has 15 million people living in the province. Even with the entire western Canada population included, it is smaller than Ontario. For would be separatists it should be obvious that the population of cities in the west outnumbers all of the rural and northern areas. This is important because a lot of separatists are often saying majority rule is unfair. They don't meant the just eastern Canada but cities over rural areas too.

In Manitoba this often mean rural men are angry at people who live in Winnipeg. Does separation mean separating from Winnipeg? These are legitimate questions. If Canada is divisible, does it not mean provinces are as well? And First Nations can easily say they won't separate. Does that mean the province sends the police in? This easily can lead to a civil war.

As mentioned, this is a snapshot on the past months and the present government is not even a year in. Federal-provincial relations seems to be in a much better place than they were a year ago and nation building projects seem to be a focus. Housing and inflation are also on the priority list. All these things combined are likely to take the steam of the separatist agenda.  As this most recent Canada Day has show, the Canadian flag has been reclaimed by those who want a unified Canada. The majority does not want to break up the country.

Changes to the Bus Routes 2025

Winnipeg is not doing anything by half measures in 2025. Today Portage and Main opens up to pedestrian traffic and on Sunday the entire Winnipeg Transit system changes. It is probably fortunate that school ends today and traffic will be cut over the summer during this time because it is likely we are to see adjustments to say the least.

Some bus routes that have been around for decades end on Sunday. Some in River Heights are mourning the loss of one of on Grosvenor and some in Charleswood are grieving some of theirs. There are few neighbourhoods without some big changes coming. The only one with no real changes is Bridgwater as they underwent the change in 2020. Many people will have to get use to transfers in other parts of the city as well as longer walks.

Winnipeg Transit will have guides out Monday but it will still come as a shock for some that the bus doesn't come down their street anymore. Or that the bus stop on their streets are far away. Literally a thousand bus stops have closed.  Some people moved to certain areas because of bus routes so to have one disappear must be depressing.

One major change is that Graham Avenue will no longer be a bus corridor. The goal is to change the street to pedestrian and bike path but how fast this occurs will be important. If on Monday, the buses just stop coming down that way and people leave, it could end up being degraded and a security threat. Worst case scenario is seeing businesses close if they don't get something in place right away. Or for arsons to take any empty buildings there as we have seen on Main Street.

There is a lot of building that will be coming on stream downtown in 2026 so how Winnipeg Transit works with this will be important. It shouldn't for forgotten how the industrial parks, residential areas and hospitals are served as well. Expect their to be some confusion and possibly complaints. And if security for those waiting at transfers isn't addressed, it could downright ugly.

Applebee's and IHOP Combine on Regent

The first Applebee's in Canada was built in 1994 on Pembina Highway. The restaurant was first started in Illinois in 1980 and continues to operate in around the world. It is part of the same company that owns International House of Pancakes IHOP which has been in Manitoba this last few years at Seasons Tuxedo. There have been quite a few restaurant chains in North America that have struggled.

That is not to say that they have struggled in Canada or for that matter in Winnipeg. Red Lobster and Olive Garden do very well in Winnipeg based on location and the fact that there are not dozens of them in Winnipeg. In fact, there is only one Red Lobster left in the city and two Olive Gardens. And so it is with Applebee's. There are two left in areas where their location has lent to their success.

The two Applebee's are at the Grant Park Mall and near the Kildonan Place. The one at Grant Park benefits from a dearth of restaurants in the River Heights area and the the move theatre and book store in the mall. The one in Transcona benefits from the huge amount of traffic along Regent. Could the city support more Applebee's? Possibly. But location is very important. Pembina Highway has had some of the biggest restaurant groups in Canada on it. The Keg, Earls, Swiss Chalet. All of them have closed because traffic, parking and customer base did not match what these popular places needed to continue.

International House of Pancake IHOP came to Seasons Tuxedo in 2017. Until that time, Winnipeg has been home to its own Pancake House for decades and still is. The Tuxedo development has continued for 13 years building up and has seen many new shops and restaurants. However, not to be outdone Kildonan Place and Regent have had their fair share of new and different places compared to other parts of the city.

To that end, the Applebee's location on Reenders Drive by the mall will be converted to Canada's first Applebee's/IHOP location. The new concept is to ensure longer hours for the restaurant with the ever popular breakfast menu. Whereas an IHOP alone might not have the later day crowd of an Applebee's.

The concept started in Texas in March and Winnipeg will be its first Canadian unveiling. It isn't the first time we have seen combos in Canada. When Wendy's owned Tim Horton's, there were some shared sites like on Kenaston. That one still exists even though it is Burger King and Tim Horton's that are part of the same company now. Taco Bell and KFC are frequent partners as they are owed together.

There will be many eyes on this combo to see if it works. But it certainly should see an expansion of hours for this Transcona location and a menu that appeals to those who may want ribs and pancakes.

The Return of Arby's 2025

When Arby's closed their Winnipeg locations it was heartbreaking for some of their fans. Covid closures took out the last location at Kildonan Mall. We weren't alone in closures. Arby's closed everything in Toronto. Mexico lost all their Arby's years ago and is only now getting them back. Suffice to say that there are huge fans of Arby's in Canada and beyond. 

The restaurant has been open three months now at Season Tuxedo and show no sign of slowing down. Spokesmen for Arby's suggested there were more locations coming. There are still holes to fill along major commercial streets in Winnipeg and around malls. Polo Park comes to mind. Around Kildonan as well.

We'll never see a Hardee's in Canada because the courts have ruled it is too close to Harvey's in name. Hardee's is a competitor in the roast beef sandwiches for Arby's but will never come to the country so long as Harvey's exists. There are a few roast beef places such as Carl Jr's across the land, the nearest being in Regina, but for the time being Arby's it is.

It is hard to find any oxygen when McDonald's has 41 locations alone in Winnipeg. By comparison, there are 14 Burger King's in Winnipeg. If it is any consolation Toronto only has 13. Either way you slice it, it makes for a lot of burger joint. It could be one of the most common foods at restaurants. And yes, that is over chicken and pizza places as well.

It is very likely we will be seeing more diverse restaurants and drive-thrus coming. Certainly there will more Arby's coming to Winnipeg.

 

Portage and Main Re-Opening

In 1979 the most famous corner in Canada was blocked off and went underground. At the time there was about 3000 to 4000 people who worked within a block of the intersection. At every light cycle there were hundreds of people crossing and buses galore discharging riders. Some called it the windiest corner in Canada and they weren't wrong. In the dead of winter, you went out sans your coat at your peril.

The Trizec project of the city demolishing and putting up a massive parkade in support of a private 32 story tower changed everything. The city, cognizant of other cities like Montreal, Toronto and Minneapolis believed that skywalks and underground pathways were the favoured choice for cold weather cities. Some resented being forced downstairs to get across but there was wide acceptance of the development as it also came with a mall in Winnipeg Square.

The plebiscite on re-opening Portage and Main was defeated 2-1 in 2018. However, the issues of what to do about the crumbling infrastructure was never really addressed. For many it seemed like there was no need to do anything despite the fact that water had been leaking for sometime. Eventually, a report came out that fixing the Concourse was likely to be in the $70 Plus millions and involve road closures that could be lengthy.

Some disputed the price or the length of time it would take. The argument from many was that opening the corner would be dangerous and traffic would be a nightmare for the entire downtown as a result. It could get pretty busy back in 1975 at the corner. There were several grain handling companies along Main that seemed to have 500 employees each in their head offices. Truly. The Manitoba Wheat Pool, United Grain Growers, the Canadian Wheat Board and so on.

In the 1970s every major Canadian bank had a regional vice-president based in the city and Portage and Main was filled with banking, insurance and trust companies. The Richardson Building was the only tower on the corner and this had the new Unicity city council looking at proposals for projects all the over the place. One of them came from the Trizec corporation for a development on the southwest corner of Portage and Main.

The city demolished the five buildings already there, built a massive three deck parkade and it still took Trizec till 1978 to built the 32 floor office tower above. Just in time for the worst recession Manitoba had faced since the Great Depression. The year 1980 was as brutal a crash Winnipeg had seen in decades. The Trizec building had dark floors for years after it was built.

As for the Concourse, it largely served its purpose of moving people from corner to corner. Newcomers were often confused but those that worked in the area became familiar with it found it useful, especially to get to Winnipeg Square for restaurants and food court as well as shopping and services. As the Trizec building slowly filled in in the 1980s, Portage and Main adapted to the Concourse that connected it all. Thankfully, the security was such that it was never out of control there insofar as attacks, retail thefts and panhandling. It was the above ground entrances that could be problems. The concrete barricades prevented anyone from seeing someone being assaulted. The stairs to the underground also were places people used to go to the washroom or sleep. This didn't happen right away but over time.

Following the pandemic, the report on how much it would cost to rehabilitate the Concourse shook the Council. While there was some dispute about how much repairs might cost, it was evident that it was not going to be something like the Civic Parkade that you could keep putting up with until an engineer put up a permanent ban of vehicles lest the whole thing collapse. This is standard procedure with the city to let facilities and infrastructure deteriorate until they close. 

In recent weeks Winnipeg has seen indoor swimming pools close all over because they have been neglected to the point of failure. New road construction is the top of every agenda while road repairs sink lower. Begging happens every week with the city asking for more more money for things like the sewage plant while directing millions to new roads. The density has dropped in much of the city while the sprawl has expanded. Speed on the roads to get people out of the city has been a priority and various neighbourhoods suffer as people stream down residential areas above posted limits.

With the barricades now removed, Portage and Main looked nearly naked now. Work continues to pave roads and put up traffic lights.  The opening date still seems to be June 27, 2025. The total costs is just under $22 million to open the road up. It is unclear if the Concourse will require any work to protect it from collapsing.

The four privately owned four corners of Portage and Main have invested a fair amount over the last five years. The Richardson family have done quite a bit to improve the square around their buildings. They have some of the most impressive public art in the province. The who square has received and upgrade and the Fairmont Hotel has been re-purchased by the family and is going through a multimillion renovation.

All of this will coincide with changes to bus routes, the Graham transit corridor and constructions season. Fortunately, the summer break for students will underway so we won't have to bear the full force of rush hour for two months. The bus route changes will cause a lot of confusion. Some stops will be further away. Others are being moved so that merchants lose their street parking. Expect a lot of confusion and criticism during this process.

To that end, how many buses going through Portage and Main will be a challenge. In the 1970s, it was a major bus intersection and the source of complaints. It was also filled with pedestrians at every light cycle. There have always been complaints about people on the roads. Many would like to be able to drive at high speed until they arrive in their own neighbourhood which should be reduced to 30 kms.

It should be noted that Winnipeg now has wider and busier intersections. Kenaston and Sterling Lyon is very busy with up to three lanes turning one way and two lanes turning the other way. They manage this without forcing people under or over the road. Now, some might argue that the bikes and cars are a lot fewer and this might be true but that crossroads appears to be fairly easy to navigate for everyone.

The last item is panhandling. It is unlikely that it will be safe under any circumstances people in the middle of the intersection here. Police and social services will also have to make sure that the site doesn't become an encampment. Around Higgins it just continues to grow. Encampment comes down and is cleaned up and a new one goes up the next day. Transitional housing is coming but it is slow in getting funding, slow in getting built and with demand growing all the time. Compound that with mental health issues and chronic drug use.

It is too early to say good or bad things about the opening. Private business has done a lot to make the corner more inviting and likely will continue to. The new Metis Museum at the Bank of Montreal building could come to be a tourist attraction bringing people to the corner. The two steakhouses on the corner may get more foot traffic. In fact foot traffic might be a thing again.

No one is expecting this to revive retail. Some business like news stands have just stopped being a thing. There are some empty storefronts and it will be curious if landlords are interested in making deals or just leaving spots empty. There could real opportunities for pop-up stores, tiny restaurants and on the corner itself food carts. If Broadway is able to do that year round, why not Portage and Main?

We'll have to see how things go but the truth is Portage and Main is wide enough for people and cars. It remains to be seen how it all flows together. I think perhaps the group that will most have concerns are people on bikes who likely wanted dedicated lanes on Main, Portage and navigating the intersection. It is possible that Graham Avenue might be a more attractive option since with have four blocks on only bike and pedestrians.

Bisons of Roblin Boulevard

We've always been pretty good at public art even the abstract and popular kind. In 2005, the Bears of Broadway art installation took place and 62 polar bear statues were put up. Many of those statues exist today in various parts of the city as beloved pieces. 

In 2025, a new popular art installation is taking place and 26 painted bisons have taken residence on Roblin Boulevard. 

The bisons are painted as a fundraising for kids called Bisons on the Boulevard in support of Toba Centre for Children and Youth, an organization is support of kids and family recovering from abuse.

The bisons are painted on both sides so it is worthwhile to observe if you are on foot. From the road, they are a stunning addition from the park entrance, past the zoo. Statues are on both sides of the road.

Signs at the base and posted beside the bisons give the name of the work and the arts as well as the sponsor.

Winnipeggers love art and the bisons are already a beloved part of a visit to the park and the zoo. 

The artists really used a lot of colour in their work.

For those walking know that the ground could be sloped or close to the curb.

The ground could also be wet.

In other words, there is no sidewalk where many of the bison are on the north side.

I had to watch for traffic as many drivers were distracted and I was pretty much on the curb.

Off in the distance the start of the bisons at Assiniboine Park gates.

It is possible to see all 26 bison up close but it may be a longer walk for some kids. And as mentioned is not exactly set up for strollers.

Assiniboine Park has a fair amount of art in it which is good. The Leo Mol sculpture garden is amazing. From time to time there can be controversy. Case in point is Queen Victoria being toppled and decapitated. There may have been a case to remove it but it is never good to vandalize art.

I'm unsure how long the bisons will be out. There are still a few polar bears around from 2005.

I only got to so many bisons this time. I will take pics of more next time.

I expect people will have a few visits for these bisons and I will take more pictures as there are so many to see.

New Charleswood Sign

It went up just before Christmas 2024 but the final plantings in front were done in last month or so. This is the fourth version of the sign and the third to keep the Suburb Beautiful slogan. 

Charleswood has been experiencing some building south near Ridgewood and some more density along some of its major roads. However, the suburb continues to be one of ditches and roads resembling a small town that what might be seen in some other areas of the city.
 

WSO to Move into Restored Pantages Playhouse Theatre

For most of my life, it was called the Playhouse Theatre but it was one of the early Pantages theatres built in 1913/1914 as part of a vaudeville circuit. It is now a national heritage site and aside from addition built in 1992, it looks pretty much the same as it is did when it went up. Over the last few years, it has not been on anyone's radar. It appeared to be part of a non-profit and private company's attempt to redevelop the corner for arts use but also for housing. Then nothing. Until now.

The Performing Arts Consortium (PAC) and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) have engaged designers and have come up with a $60 million dollar plan to upgrade the building. They have raised $15 million of that money and expect the three levels of government to contribute as well as private donors. The theatres has not seen any activity since 2018. Once $30 million has been raised, a capital campaign will begin and a construction timetable will be announced.

The city has administered Pantages since the 1940s. The WSO has been a managing tenant for a few years before the present closure. Many arts and music groups have made use of the facility through its history. It has had some legendary performers from vaudeville to rock. But it has also host high school musicals over the years.

Pantages would give the WSO a primary home when not performing at the Centennial Concert Hall. With a 1100 seats, it is an ideal size for some of the type of works the symphony would like to do. For full concerts, the 2300 concert hall remains the best venue. However, there is an objective to attract more commercial shows and musicals there as well. Presently, the WSO, Manitoba Opera and Royal Winnipeg Ballet share the hall there and will continue to do so. But a smaller hall might be appropriate for many groups to use more frequently. 

The Manitoba Museum and the Concert Hall have all been going through multimillion renovations. This is not surprising since most of the buildings are near 60 or 70 years of age. Thankfully, the commitment to the arts has been strong throughout our history from subscribers, patrons and government. 

The various arts groups in the area around Pantages make it a very busy area when they are all have events going on. The theatre will be one of three venues from Winnipeg's early day that have had a re-birth. The Burton Cummings and the Metropolitan have all come back from previous incarnations and have owners that care about their wellbeing and keeping them as venues for the arts.

While people in Manitoba have always supported the arts, having endowments is still fairly new. The Winnipeg Symphony has a $11 million endowment. The Manitoba Opera has a $10 million endowment. The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre has a $17 million endowment. Contrast that with the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis with a $65 million endowment and the Minnesota Orchestra has $186 million. Minnesota Opera has $23 million.

Granted Minnesota has more population than Canada and few government supports but no endowments means it is harder for arts groups to achieve what they want in a short time. The WSO has admitted that even if work starts soon, it will be about 2029 before they can move in. Till then they will have to do all performances in the concert hall as well as rent office space and do rehearsals there.

There will be changes to the inside of Pantages to give it a deeper stage with improvements throughout to audio, video systems and general acoustics. The last big changes took place 30 years ago so the next changes should take the venue 30 to 40 years into the future. However, once complete the work should held the WSO earn extra income that they could never earn in the concert hall such as the lounge.

There are other spaces nearby that could see development of the next several years. Despite the setback of homelessness and crime, there continues to be building of housing and a return of some businesses. A critical mass has brought additional security as has been reported this week. The truth is that people need to see security or they simply won't come to the area or any area. The fear that you are heading to or leaving from a performance and running into a violent altercation is all too real.

The Winnipeg Jets have been downtown many years and tens of thousands of people heading to games creates a certain safety in numbers. If an incident does happen, it is very likely there are dozens of people dialing 911. There is also the presence of police and security everywhere. Generally the presence of many people at The Forks prevents episodes of crime happening. However, a recent random attack at The Forks reminds people that even with a large security presence, things can happen and a suspect can get away. In this case though, not before a high definition picture was taken of the suspect.

Pantages will be a real step to continued success for the Winnipeg Symphony. There are very few Pantages theatres across North America left. Los Angeles and Toronto have theirs but most of the 75 theatres have fallen to the wrecking balls. The East Exchange for many years was a mix of culture, warehouse, offices and in recent decades housing. It is these type of investments that will keep the area vital. Let's hope the project can begin soon. The most disappointing thing is when projects take longer than a decade to get underway.

A New Arena for Winnipeg Planned Soon?

The present Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg is not very old. However, it was originally built for an AHL hockey team and not a NHL one. It is the smallest arena in the NHL and even at that, in recent years it has not always sold out. The Winnipeg Jets are trying to increase the corporate seats which has not been a priority when there were so many individuals in the past buying tickets. At just over 15,000 seats, Winnipeg's arena is smallest in the NHL. Most arenas are around 17,000 to 20,000 across North America.

The AHL Moose and the Winnipeg Sea Bears basketball team also share the facility which makes for a pretty full selection of teams calling the arena home. On top of that are concerts and entertainment events. The True North organization has also been building out with real estate. Since 2004, ownership has built out north, west and south of the arena. Across the street, they partnered with others to build restaurants, offices, hotel and parking lots.

The Burton Cummings Theatre is now part of the True North organization. In part, this is to have entry level entertainment in a venue more well suited for some groups and individuals. This builds relationships and street life in the entertainment district. Street parties are held regularly in proximity to the Burton Cummings. This is important as the creation of an entertainment district cannot revolve around one sport and building. This is why True North also does concert/event work as promoter. Not all of it is at the Canada Life Center. In the past, True North has done Cirque du Soleil shows under the big tent on Kenaston. This year they are doing a two day music event at the Princess Auto Stadium. 

The Canada Life Centre has room for more concert/show events on its schedule but clearly there are limits based either on small or larger sizes and whether it can be fit in between the three sports teams that call the arena home. There are also other sports leagues that would like to come to Winnipeg but find there is no facility to host them. In particular, professional women's hockey and basketball. Therein lies the conundrum. It is the downtown arena or nothing. Even a WHL team could not survive in Winnipeg without a facility larger than the Sanford Fleming Arena at the University of Manitoba. 

It is clear Winnipeg needs another arena. But what size? Some say it should be smaller as in the 7,000 seat range. Is that thinking too small? I don't know too many people who thought the Sea Bears would regularly pack in 15,000 people for basketball games. Imagine building a 7,000 seat arena and finding professional women's hockey selling it out and then some. Could they have used a 15,000 seat arena instead?

A scanning of NHL arenas will show Winnipeg's facility is not the oldest. It is nearer to the newer ones as it closes on 25 years having being built in 2004. Many present facilities in the league are from the late 1990s. The average lifespan of an arena is considered to be 25 to 25 years. This would apply to Winnipeg's present facility. 

The next question is the location of a new arena. Some people would love to see it down by the University of Manitoba so that it could benefit Bisons sports programming. There is a good case for that. And there is likely space for it although anyone who knows how much of a crowd Blue Bombers games have and the traffic involved is probably hesitant. The 41 games that say Jets or Moose play and 4the 0,000 university population from fall to spring are considerable numbers in one place. It can be managed but it is worth considering.

The Chipman and Thomson family have put in considerable investments downtown and continue to do so. Their concern just doesn't extend to the bottom line but to the welfare of those living and working downtown. This has been aptly demonstrated in the donations and leadership of the pair over many years. To that end, I'd expect the location on a new arena would be downtown.

There isn't an obvious spot for the new arena to be located. There are quite a lot of surface lots where the beginnings of arena could be. However, it might be like how the Canada Life Center came to be and that was from the demolition of existing buildings such as Eaton's and part of Cityplace.

A big question is on whether the Canada Life Center will be expanded to 17,000+ seats or remain the size it is and another arena built of 17,000 seats. My opinion is the Jets would move to a bigger location as there are changes to what corporations want in terms of season tickets than just box seats. Many businesses are looking for meeting spaces as well attached to entertainment so some new arena designs are reflecting this. Many new arenas are also doing more to become concert friendly and that comes from initial design.

In the picture above, Hamilton's Copp Coliseum is being designed to fulfill a concert mandate in the greater Toronto area. While a single use facility might work in that part of Ontario, in Winnipeg the need is for multi-purpose facilities. There really just isn't a venue of size indoors after the Canada Life Center. An attempt to get a 6000 to 7000 facility for the Winnipeg Ice failed. One of the reasons the Chipmans might go for a new arena is to forestall a competitor such as the University of Manitoba building one.

Another important reason the True North will push for a new arena is that they have an agreement with the province to not fund any new covered facility in Winnipeg for the length of time of the mortgage, This blocked the Bombers from having a covered stadium. When the agreement expires, there is nothing preventing Bombers from going forward with a covered stadium and also getting an agreement preventing anyone from new facilities built with 25 to 30 year terms. This is definitely something the Chipman's won't want.

I don't expect anything in the next two years as True North finishes the work on new asset Portage Place as well as see Sutton Place Hotel built but expect something soon enough. The end of prohibition on government facilities and the desire for more professional teams will drive the timetable.

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.

Birchwood Inn Returns - Converting from Holiday Inn Airport West

In the 1970s construction in west Winnipeg was booming. While St. James had commercial activities all way from Polo Park to Headingley, it was often confined to Portage Avenue. Throughout the 1960s, some neighbourhoods closer to the river were developed but was possible to drive out west and literally see the bald prairie in many places even in the 1970s. The Charleswood Bridge would not be built until 1995.

For more than 30 years, the former Birchwood Inn has been the Holiday Inn Airport West. Prior to Birchwood when it was first built in 1976 and was called the Wandlyn Inn.  It only stayed that with name till 1977. The hotel had been built atop Birchwood Bowl and the bowling alley was part of the hotel for decades. The Birchwood name was hard to lose.

The Ladco Company built the hotel along with several of the apartment blocks along Portage in the 1970s, They still own the hotel today. At fourteen floors with three floors of balconies facing west, the hotel was a landmark. As the avenue curved, it was in a very prominent spot to be seen travelling west or east.

 When the Charleswood Bridge was built, it became even more important on both sides of the river for banquets, relatives and out of town guests. Just prior to the pandemic, the hotels had conducted $11 million in renovations. In 2025, they expect $4 to $5 million more in upgrades. 

One of the things that will have to replaced is signage. The Holiday Inn signage is done. The affiliation has changed to Best Western but part of the group that allows local hotel owners some individuality. With long term employees who have been working for decades, the hotel certainly feels like it. At the moment a temporary a temporary sign with Birchwood Inn over the doors.

A hotel the size of the Birchwood has about 130 employees. The amount of banquets and meetings hosted in the hotels has become part of the fabric of St. James/Charleswood. Hockey banquets, political debates, weddings have all been part of the 9000 square feet of activities in the hotel. 

The next few years will see major residential building along Portage Avenue. The reason is that many retail businesses are going online and the density along a major street like Portage. There will be still be places that can't do online such as medical, dental, fitness, restaurants and convenience and grocery stores. However, retail stores are being squeezed out at everything turn so the gaps will be filled by residential units. And if there is one thing that west Winnipeg really needs is hotels. Motels just don't have the capacity for meetings that hotels do. The fact that the Birchwood is investing millions to be around the next decades is a good thing.