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CBC
26-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Carberry residents decry proposed RCUT as 'dangerous and unsafe' at tense forum over future of intersection
Social Sharing Transportation engineers presented their plan for a Carberry-area intersection on Wednesday, pushing forward a controversial design that scores of community members rallied against last month. More than 100 community members confronted officials at a tense public forum at Carberry Collegiate about the fate of the Highway 1 and Highway 5 intersection, where 17 people died in a crash two years ago. The event was billed as a public open house, hosted by the Winnipeg-based firms Landmark Planning & Design and WSP Canada Inc., on behalf of Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure. Some community members raised voices, saying they didn't feel like they were being heard, while others interrupted the companies' representatives as they attempted to answer questions from the crowd. A petition with more than 2,100 signatures was handed to the firms' representatives, imploring the province not to move forward with the RCUT intersection design. In May, more than 100 protesters rallied near the intersection voicing concerns the proposed design would create safety issues and confusion. A restricted crossing U-turn — or RCUT — at that intersection would mean traffic attempting to cross the Trans-Canada on Highway 5 would have to turn right onto the Trans-Canada, then cross the median by making a left U-turn, before turning right to resume travelling on Highway 5. Here's the RCUT design proposed for Manitoba intersection 2 days ago Duration 0:11 Jordan Dickson, who helped organize the May protest, expressed her frustration directly with engineers on Wednesday night, encouraging others to do the same. "Absolutely no one in attendance is in support of the RCUT," she said. "It is dangerous and unsafe for this area of the Trans-Canada. Hopefully the province doesn't actually go through with this and they decide to actually spend some money on rural citizens for once," Dickson said, stressing the RCUT will make driving more stressful for farmers driving large trucks and farm equipment along the highway. Last year, engineers with Manitoba's transportation and infrastructure department shortlisted three potential solutions for the intersection: widening the median, a roundabout or an RCUT. On Wednesday, the RCUT was presented as the department's "preferred alternative." Dustin Booy, the transportation department's executive director of highway engineering services, said the RCUT is their top choice because it reduces the number of "conflict points," or areas where drivers cross traffic travelling a different direction, which could make accidents less likely. "The primary objective of our team is safety. So we looked to the RCUT because its use in other areas have shown quite dramatic results in terms of safety performance," Booy said. Canada's only RCUT intersection is along Highway 16 near Saskatoon. Booy said they have improved safety in some parts of the United States. Wednesday's contentious open house was the third and final public engagement event for this project. Booy said the department will only be presenting provincial leaders with the RCUT as its preferred design for this intersection, but it won't be set in stone until the government weighs in. An exact cost estimate isn't available yet, but Booy says it could cost about $20 million. "At this point, it's up to the government to make a decision about how we proceed," he said, adding that the province typically chooses the department's preferred option, but that isn't always the case. "The local community has expressed a measure of concern with the intersection treatment and that's fair. It's their local community," Booy said. Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead said he was disappointed to see that Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor wasn't at the meeting, after cancelling a stakeholder meeting earlier this week. Muirhead's council is calling on the province to build an overpass, something community members have been asking for since he first joined local government in the late 1980s. "Nobody wants the RCUT. We're all opposed to it. We feel that there should be an overpass," he said. "I think it's time to spend the money and do it right the first time." The government has previously said it's not considering an overpass because there isn't enough traffic to warrant one. Community organizer Dickson said transportation engineers should come back in the fall to see how busy the highway gets during harvest season. Booy said his team plans to return in the fall to collect more data. Despite tensions between engineers and Carberry residents, Debra Steen said this was the first time she felt the community was heard throughout the engagement process. "Our concerns have been dismissed since Day 1. And I don't think they could dismiss us today. I think the message was clear, the petition is there, and we have our MLA on board," Steen said. Opposition Progressive Conservative MLA Jodie Byram, who Agassiz riding includes Carberry, said she agrees that the province needs to consider other options for the intersection. "I do believe that there needs to be further consultation and review of what it might look like here for this community at [Highway] 1 and [Highway] 5," Byram said. Mayor Muirhead said he feels like the RCUT may be inevitable, but he's hopeful Wednesday's community turnout will cut the RCUT from consideration. "I've seen in my experience over the years, that if there's enough of a public outcry … certain situations have changed course. The government seems to find money in certain situations. I'm hoping that will happen here," he said. Engineer Booy said he hopes community members will keep open minds about the intersection. "I truly believe in the safety of this solution," he said, hopeful his team can move forward with the RCUT.
Winnipeg Free Press
05-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Costco seeks to build new store in RM of West St. Paul
Costco has its eye on West St. Paul. The global big box retailer is seeking to build a nearly 162,000-square-foot store just outside Winnipeg's northern boundary. If approved, the site will mark Costco's fifth Manitoba hub. It's proposing 1,070 parking stalls and a seasonal outdoor garden centre. The warehouse — covering 71 and 81 Meadowlands Dr. — would include an eatery and auto service station. 'I think it is a good location,' said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), whose riding neighbours the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul. 'It would be nice if it was in the city of Winnipeg for the tax revenue, but regardless, I still think this is a good location.' Undeveloped multi-family and commercial space lies near the roughly 21 acres Costco has circled. The Meadowlands Drive parcel is inside the Perimeter Highway, at the road's southwest intersection with Main Street. 'Getting people in and out of that area, that's a positive aspect,' Browaty said. Both the municipality and northwest Winnipeg have growing populations, he noted. Costco tapped WSP Canada to represent it during its application process. Its proposal has circulated to the municipal and provincial governments. The RM is holding a public hearing on the matter on June 12. Costco aims to decrease the number of required loading spaces on the property from seven to four, an application notice reads. West St. Paul has 'no comment or concerns' regarding the change, per a memo from Pam Elias, the municipality's director of planning and economic development. Costco didn't respond to questions by print deadline. As a rule, the corporation doesn't comment on new locations until they're almost open. Shovels have hit the ground on a Costco at 4077 Portage Ave. In July 2024, the City of Winnipeg issued Costco a permit to build a 166,894-sq.-ft. store. Winnipeg has three operational Costcos: on Regent Avenue, McGillivray Boulevard and St. James Street. There are rumblings the St. James location will transition to a Costco business centre, Browaty said. 'Having four regular centres plus a business centre, I think, probably is appropriate for Winnipeg,' he added. The current locales are 'jam-packed,' noted shopper Aaron Safioles. He lives in North Kildonan and travels to Regent during his Costco excursions. A West St. Paul spot — maybe four kilometres away from his place — would be welcome, he said. 'It's going to … spread out shopping,' Safioles added, mentioning the congestion around urban Costcos. 'They're ridiculous to get in and out to, even in the middle of the day on like a Tuesday.' Winnipeg Transit doesn't reach West St. Paul. However, most Costco patrons likely don't haul their purchases home on a bus, Browaty said. 'It might've been a desirable feature for … employees that work at Costco to potentially use transit,' he added. Costco's net sales in 2024 totalled US$249.6 billion. Its net income was US$7.4 billion. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle 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.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Northwestern Ontario nuclear waste storage site moves forward as 5 vendors chosen
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has chosen five vendors to design and plan Canada's first deep geological repository — a multibillion-dollar project that aims to eventually store the country's nuclear waste. The NWMO announced in November that Northwestern Ontario had been chosen for the repository. A site near Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation has been identified as the NWMO's preferred location for the project, which will store nuclear waste hundreds of metres underground. In a Monday news release, the NWMO said the vendors chosen are: WSP Canada Inc. Peter Kiewit Sons ULC (Kiewit). Hatch Ltd. Thyssen Mining Construction of Canada Ltd. Kinectrics Inc. "This is an exciting milestone for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization and for the nuclear industry in Canada," Craig MacBride, the NWMO's manager of public and media relations, told CBC Thunder Bay. "It's the next step in the process to permanently isolate and contain Canada's used nuclear fuel, and we've teamed up with five great companies to help us make it a reality." MacBride said the five companies will cover six categories of pre-construction work: design/engineering, above-ground construction design, mine design, underground mine construction design, nuclear management advice and nuclear systems and facilities. Laurie Swami, the NWMO's president and CEO, said the organization is proud to engage with "five experienced and respected companies" to design and plan the repository. "We're excited to work with them to move toward our goal of containing and isolating Canada's used nuclear fuel," Swami wrote in a news release. "While this is a unique project in Canada, the core needs are well established, and the companies chosen have deep experience in mining, construction design and the handling of nuclear materials." Speaking at the November announcement, Stephen Lecce, Ontario's minister of energy and electrification, said as the provincial government "expands our zero-emissions nuclear fleet to meet rising energy demand, Ontario is cementing its position as a world leader in all parts of the nuclear lifecycle. This achievement by NWMO is just the latest example." Construction on the repository isn't expected to begin until the mid-2030s, with the goal of getting the site operational in the early 2040s, the NWMO has told CBC News. The NWMO, which was founded in 2002, says the $26-billion project will create hundreds of jobs.
