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Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Watchdog investigates man's death after detox stay
Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after an assault victim had a medical emergency while being held at a detox centre in downtown Winnipeg and later died. The Winnipeg Police Service said officers were called to a report of a man in his 20s being assaulted by a group of people on the 100 block of Mayfair Avenue shortly before 5:15 a.m. Friday. The suspects fled before police arrived. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES The Independent Investigative Unit of Manitoba is investigating after a man died at a detox facility in downtown Winnieg on Friday. In a news release, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, a civilian watchdog that is investigating the incident, said it was told the man was assaulted by five people. Officers requested an ambulance for the victim, who police said was medically cleared by paramedics and declined further police involvement in the assault investigation. The man told police he was struck on the head, the IIU said. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Police said officers detained the man under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act due to his 'level of intoxication' and for his safety. He was taken to a detox centre at the Main Street Project, where he was medically cleared again and lodged, police said in a separate news release. About five hours later — shortly before 10:40 a.m. — the man had a medical emergency while still held under the intoxicated persons Act. After Main Street Project staff called 911, paramedics transported the man to St. Boniface Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the IIU said. The IIU asked witnesses or anyone with information or video to call investigators at 1-844-667-6060.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
People, profit intersect at Portage and Main
Opinion Since 1862, the intersection of Main Street and Portage Avenue in Winnipeg has been a space split between the competing forces of people and profit. During the early years, there were fights about how to build roads large enough so people could travel through the area while accommodating the competitive interests of businesses moving in and blocking the thoroughfares. In the end, the then-governor and council of Assiniboia chose a balance between the two, declaring the intersecting roads would follow the original oxcart paths, parallel to the rivers, and be 'a full two chain (132 foot)' across. The decree also stated that any business blocking the paths in and out of the intersection would have to make way by 1882. This idea though, was not new; a balance between multiple interests has always been how Portage and Main works. For centuries, the area was a stopping place along a north-south trading route traveled by Cree and Anishinaabe peoples and a west-east route journeyed by Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota peoples — all of whom joined together to reside in a vast city the Cree called Nestawaya, or 'Three Points.' MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Portage Avenue and Main Street has witnessed bustling crowds, paths of streetcars and exponential economic growth — all of which inspired infrastructure and jobs that helped build a city. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Portage Avenue and Main Street has witnessed bustling crowds, paths of streetcars and exponential economic growth — all of which inspired infrastructure and jobs that helped build a city. Here, Indigenous peoples lived, traded, and forged treaty — conducting business with one another for centuries. Life in Nestawaya wasn't perfect (Anishinaabe and Dakota peoples were well known for their wars, for example) but, at the best of times, the nations in what is now Portage and Main found ways to forge peace. It's no surprise, then, that balancing competing interests solved Portage and Main's first conflict. Over a century, compromise, commitment, and inclusivity has been how Portage and Main has functioned the best. The corner has witnessed bustling crowds, paths of streetcars and exponential economic growth — all of which inspired infrastructure and jobs that helped build a city. In the decades after Winnipeg was founded in 1873, the area saw the building of nearby Union Station in 1911, Eaton's department store in 1905, and the Hudson Bay building in 1926. At Portage and Main, there came the Bank of Montreal building on the southeast corner (built in 1913), the 34-storey Richardson building on the northeast corner (1969), the Commodity Exchange Tower on the northwest corner (1979) and the five-storey Scotiabank building on the southwest corner (1979). KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES The Bank of Montreal building on the southeast corner of Portage and Main was built in 1913. KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES The Bank of Montreal building on the southeast corner of Portage and Main was built in 1913. At the same time, the area was the meeting place where citizens celebrated the end of wars, met kings and princesses, and the Winnipeg Jets signed superstar hockey players. Finding the balance between people and profit was always the way of Portage and Main — until one side was chosen over the other. Starting in the 1960s, city planners sought to create a downtown economic hub, based on the idea that forcing foot traffic to travel underground into a warm, enclosed, commercial concourse would increase vehicle flow and support economic development. That idea became real with the Circus, an underground circular facility that connected all four corners of Portage and Main. After the vision was passed in 1979, all overground movement in the intersection was closed, with barriers built to force citizens below. Well, some of them. There was no longer any place for the poor or racialized at Portage and Main. Profit became the only language of the primary intersection of the city. For decades, downtown became a transactional place. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. For the wealthy, it was a place for business, not a place to live, love, and foster relationships. Those who did live there were met with a lifeless set of barriers, concrete, and freezing cold wind. This was especially true of Portage and Main's first inhabitants. In the 1960s, Indigenous peoples began to return to the space after suffering for decades under brutal policies that controlled movement and commerce — instilling poverty and marginalization in their lives. Unwelcome in the Circus, Indigenous peoples became the primary inhabitants of the overground, creating a stark divide between societies below and above. This separation caused division and a deep sense of difference and denial — until the decay caused by both became too much. Portage and Main became a symbol of what it means to choose one interest over another, money over relationships, and profit over people. That is, until this unsustainable vision ended. Now, the intersection has reopened, and, with it, new questions on how to balance people and profit. A new path for an intersection in a very old centre; a place that has thrived by finding balance, not choosing one path over another. Niigaan SinclairColumnist Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Future of the underground concourse weighs on biz owners' minds
Amid the fanfare surrounding the reopening of Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrians, questions remain about the future of the underground concourse and the businesses in it. The Portage and Main Circus has many shops and restaurants and is connected to a larger underground network downtown. The concourse has a leaky membrane that no longer protects it from above ground moisture. The cost of repairing it is estimated at $73 million, said Mayor Scott Gillingham. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Haley Yurman, brand and marketing leader for Empty Cup, holds up a sign reminding people that the business still exists in the Circus. Speaking to reporters after opening the street-level crossing, he stressed a decision has not yet been made over whether the circus will remain open or be fully or partially closed. City officials are awaiting for engineering reports and consultations with business owners, he said. 'The underground concourse will not close anytime soon. We are still doing some work related to that,' Gillingham said. The mayor said reintroducing pedestrian traffic to the intersection will not have a negative impact on the businesses below ground. 'There's still winter months coming… I believe that people will still frequent businesses below grade.' Kate Fenske, CEO of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, echoed that sentiment. 'They have their long-term customers, and (the underground) is still a critical piece of infrastructure that allows connectivity,' She said. 'We've actually heard from workers and property owners, the businesses there, that it is so important it stays open… and I think there are going to be options to look at that.' Haley Yurman, brand and marketing leader at Empty Cup, said she's not concerned. The Winnipeg-based coffee shop has a location in the underground concourse. 'It's good for business to have more people out and about downtown,' she said. Yurman and her colleagues joined a crowd celebrating the reopening of the intersection. They carried signs that read 'Still brewing one level down' in large, capital letters. Harveer Chahal and Murtaza Mehdi were among the customers who stopped by the coffee shop as the crowd gathered above. Both men work in a high-rise linked to the underground circus and shop at the stores multiple times a week. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Business owner Eric Chi said he expects little impact to his business because most of his customers come from the buildings and companies attached to the underground mall. 'We don't really go outside,' Chahal said. 'We get our food, coffee, A&W sometimes, or sushi. It's much safer here, I'd say, compared to outside.' Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Business owner Eric Chi said he expects little impact to his business because most of his customers come from the buildings and companies attached to the underground mall. Chi has sold sushi and snacks from his store, Eshel Tree, in the underground for more than one year. He signed a five-year contract with the city, and was told at the time there was no immediate plan to close the concourse. Since then, rumours and speculation have been swirling among business owners in the underground concourse, as they await news on whether the city plans to keep it open or shut it for good, he said. 'Of course it's concerning, but I just want to know as soon as possible so that I can take my next step,' he said. 'Whichever decision (the city) makes, I support it. I'm not against the decision, my only hope is they decide something for the better, for the community,' he said. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Opening of intersection proof that ‘Peg can change
Opinion Only in Winnipeg could something so ordinary — so pedestrian — as crossing the street become a historical event witnessed by hundreds. And yet, on Friday morning, that's exactly what happened. The day many Winnipeggers have been waiting — and hoping, advocating and voting — for had arrived: the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street, the Crossroads of Canada, the iconic, debated, maligned, politicized, romanticized heart of our city, was finally opened back up to pedestrians for the first time since its closure in 1979. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Several hundred members of the public and media gather for speeches for the official opening of the pedestrian crosswalks at the historic intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg. I was born in 1985, so for longer than I've been alive, Portage and Main has been for cars, not people. Our most famous intersection became our most infamous — for its concrete, bunker-like barricades, for the almost comically convoluted way one had to get across it. For too long, the heart of our city was a hard, closed, inaccessible thing. And then, on a gorgeous morning in June, it opened — both ceremoniously and unceremoniously. Hours before the 'official' opening at 10:30 a.m. — before Mayor Scott Gillingham crossed Main Street to Randy Bachman's Portage and Main (the slow version) — when the pedestrian signals were still covered and the temporary barricades were still in place, people were, in fact, crossing Portage and Main. As if they've been doing it every morning. As if it were any morning. Office workers carrying takeout cups of coffee unknowingly made history by being among the first to traverse the freshly painted zebra crossings. A crew of construction workers in their neon safety vests crossed it — Abbey Road-style — to sweep away the remaining construction debris. It wasn't long before a large crowd formed to hear the mayor speak, filled with Winnipeggers eager to be part of their city's history. So large, in fact, it threatened to spill onto the streets and people had to be reminded to move away from the road. And then, there they were, without fanfare: walk symbols, illuminated, on Portage and Main. A thing like that. Every day and historic. Ordinary and extraordinary. Unremarkable and remarkable. Under a big blue Prairie sky, reflected in skyscraper glass, we didn't have to imagine a vibrant future for our downtown because, for the first time in a long time, we could actually see a glimpse of it. I suppose, technically, Portage and Main is just an intersection. But it's always been more than that — even when, for a long while, it felt like even less than that. Portage and Main has always represented vision and potential and possibility — both realized and unrealized. If historical editorial cartoons are any measure, people were as vociferously opposed to its closure in 1979 as they were to its reopening in 2018. Witnessing the reopening was a joyful, energizing experience, because Winnipeggers were excited to be in a place that, for so long, they really couldn't be — save for under very specific, usually Jets-related circumstances. There was applause and good-natured honking, hugs and shoulder-slaps. Business people and babies, dogs and bikes. Walking on Sunshine blaring from a speaker and sirens blaring from emergency vehicles because it's still a city centre, after all. A woman, positioned in full view of the bank of media cameras, held a bright green sign that simply read 'Finally!!!!' Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Portage and Main is just a starting point. There are other projects and plans that are changing the city. And that's just it: Portage and Main is proof that Winnipeg can, indeed, change. Under a big blue Prairie sky, reflected in skyscraper glass, we didn't have to imagine a vibrant future for our downtown because, for the first time in a long time, we could actually see a glimpse of it. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Mayor Scott Gillingham, along with several city council members and stakeholders, cross Main Street to mark the official opening of the pedestrian crosswalks. As the festivities wound down and the crowd started to disperse, Portage and Main began its new life as 'just an intersection' that will probably never look that clean again. But Friday showed us what's possible. Look toward any corner and you could see the parties and protests and pop-ups. The people. We wanted to be able to walk through Portage and Main, that's true. But maybe being there — actually being there — felt so good because now there's a place to be. Jen ZorattiColumnist Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the weekly newsletter NEXT. A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the Free Press in 2013. Read more about Jen. Every piece of reporting Jen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Curtain rising on long-overdue transit overhaul; will traffic-weary drivers hop aboard?
Opinion Big changes are coming to Winnipeg Transit this weekend. And depending on who you are and where you live, you'll either love or hate them. The city is launching its new Primary Transit Network on Sunday, a reimagined bus system that aims to simplify routes, improve frequency and make using transit more reliable. That means straighter lines, faster service and buses arriving at least every 15 minutes along major routes. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Under the new system, the total number of bus stops will drop by just over 1,200. But it also means fewer bus stops, more walking for some, and uncertainty about how much will really change — and for whom. Transit officials say it's about building a 'network that works.' After years of plummeting ridership, sluggish service and outdated routes that tried to be everything to everyone — yet wound up serving few efficiently — it's hard to argue they're wrong. The system, as it was, didn't work well. Buses were frequently late, often so crowded drivers couldn't pick up new riders or, in some cases, didn't show up at all. The question now is: will the new spine-and-feeder network, as it's called, improve things enough to convince more people to get out of their cars and into buses? Maybe. The Primary Transit Network is based on a simple concept: people are more likely to use transit if it's fast, frequent and reliable. That means fewer spaghetti-like routes snaking through neighbourhoods, and more direct — and faster — service along major corridors. Instead of trying to get the bus as close as possible to people's front doors, the city is focusing on moving riders quickly and consistently along high-demand corridors — Pembina, Portage, Main, Regent — and building the rest of the network around that. The overall number of service hours will remain the same. But there will be more hours of service on major routes and fewer hours on others. Done right, it could be transformational. Winnipeg has long lagged behind other Canadian cities when it comes to modernizing transit. While others have moved toward grid systems, rapid transit and frequency-based service, Winnipeg has been largely stuck with a downtown-centric model designed for the 1970s. The new grid system shifts that. There will now be more direct routes along major lines that will be faster and more reliable. That kind of change matters — especially for low-income workers, shift workers, and students who can't afford to be 20 minutes late because their transfer didn't show up. But change of this magnitude is rarely painless. Under the new system, the total number of bus stops will drop by just over 1,200. There are currently about 5,200 stops throughout the city. Transit is removing approximately 1,700 of those, and adding some 460 new ones. That's going to frustrate some people, especially seniors, people with mobility issues and families who have relied on a nearby stop for years. They may have to walk a few minutes longer to get to another. In a city with harsh winters, icy sidewalks and patchy snow clearing, that's not a small issue. By contrast, others may have a bus stop where they didn't have one before. Transit is also promising improved bus-stop infrastructure — a critical improvement in a cold winter city such as Winnipeg. Transit's position is that greater frequency and reliability will more than make up for longer walks. If people can trust their bus will show up and get them where they need to go on time, more of them will use it. The overall goal is to get more people to see transit as a viable alternative to driving. That's been a tough sell in this car-culture town where transit has long been viewed for many as a last resort rather than a first option. Will the new network change that? It could, over time. If buses show up every 10 to 15 minutes on major routes as advertised and get you where you're going on time, that's a pretty compelling argument to leave the car at home. But if people are still waiting 20 minutes (or more) in -25 C only to see their bus sail past because it's full or running late, they won't come back. The new network is a necessary — and bold — step toward building a modern transit system. But it won't succeed on maps and slogans alone. It needs political will, stable funding and a commitment to making transit more than just a backup plan. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Winnipeggers should give this redesign a chance. It's the most thoughtful reform to the city's transit system in generations. But it's just the start. If the city wants to win back riders — and build a transit system that works for the future — this has to be the beginning of a much bigger investment. Transit has pledged to make adjustments to the system after one year and continue tweaking it thereafter. It sounds good on paper. We'll see how well the rubber meets the road next week. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
