June 2025 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

WFP Column: Righting Portage and Main wrong first step on way to a better downtown (Jun23'25)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jun '25

23 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Righting Portage and Main wrong first step on way to a better downtown OPINION https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/22/righting-portage-… WINNIPEG is poised for one of the most important do-overs in its long and storied history. If all goes to schedule, Portage Avenue and Main Street will — finally, thankfully — be open to pedestrians this week. The intensive work to remove the brutalist concrete barriers is, rather remarkably, approaching completion. After having debated it for so long, Winnipeggers can now stop talking about if it’s going to happen and start asking themselves what it means. That is an incredibly different question to answer, given there is still likely a deep divide between those who think this is a good idea and those who consider it to be a colossal waste of money. Regardless of which camp you’re in, let’s consider what it could mean. The closure of the intersection to pedestrians was an enormous error. However, it was an error that was very much in lockstep with urban-design thinking in the late 1970s, when the barriers were erected. At that time, cities all over North America bent over backwards to make it easier for cars to move in, about and back out of downtown areas. The Portage and Main barriers, along with the Winnipeg Square underground mall, were considered best practices for helping vehicular traffic and giving pedestrians a safe and warm place to go. Today, we can see rather easily that this kind of approach to downtown design was deeply flawed. Making it easier for cars and trucks to move around is not conducive to a livable neighbourhood. Nor are measures that take people off the streets, even in a city such as Winnipeg, where harsh weather makes going outside a somewhat challenging concept. Cities of all sizes are undertaking do-overs for this kind of design thinking. Boston, San Francisco and Milwaukee have completed projects to remove downtown freeways built as monuments to the automobile. Even Halifax recently replaced its infamous Cogswell Interchange — a multi-level highway that bisected the downtown — with a more traditional street grid design that sought to restore pedestrian traffic and improve active-transportation links. That makes the decision to remove the Portage and Main barriers, which was undertaken rather courageously by Mayor Scott Gillingham and council last year, very much in keeping with current thinking. However, before anyone questions whether this contemporary mindset is, like its predecessors, doomed to be abandoned within a few more decades, consider that we’re quickly moving to a model of downtown pedestrian and vehicular traffic that has proven to be both successful and enduring in other countries. When you don’t spend money on building bigger, longer, wider roads, you have a lot of additional money to spend on other things, including walkability, active and public transportation and promoting densification of residential development. These are the building blocks of sustainable, livable downtowns. In fact, if we should hope for any single consequence from the reopening of our famous intersection, it should be that it’s just the start of more courageous decisions to make downtown more welcoming for foot traffic. The city is already inching closer to this idea in other areas of downtown. Graham Avenue, for example, will undergo an initial conversion, losing its designation as a dedicated bus route and allowing car traffic, albeit with a much lower speed limit. Longer term, Gillingham has talked about the possibility of turning it into a pedestrian mall and cycling route. The same conversation needs to unfold on the future of the west Exchange District. Bannatyne and McDermot avenues, along with Albert and Arthur streets, are ripe for a pedestrian mall. As it stands now, parts of all of those routes are closed periodically during the summer to accommodate music and theatre festivals. Those closures provide valuable insight into how a permanent pedestrian mall would impact that area. Just about everyone who lives or works in the Exchange knows that in the first few days after the barriers are put up for a festival, traffic is a hot mess as drivers get trapped on the area’s network of one-way streets. After the initial shock and awe, however, they choose different routes to avoid the most-affected streets and intersections. It’s proof that like rainwater, traffic that is stopped from going in one direction will eventually leak out and find another way to get where it wants to go. Our aversion to permanent pedestrian malls is one of the mindsets that prevents Canadian cities from taking downtown revitalization to the next level. In the United Kingdom, for example, it is rarer to find a town or city that has not closed its core to vehicles. Sometimes, vehicular traffic is allowed in these areas during business hours but is blocked during the evening and on weekends. Combine pedestrian malls with robust and accessible transit hubs — as is almost always the case in the U.K. — and you’ve got a tried and true way of pulling people into the core. On its own, reopening one intersection isn’t going to transform the downtown, but as an incentive for local government to continue pressing for similar innovations, it could be transformative. dan.lett(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Pedestrian-only corridor to replace bus-only zone in pilot project (Jun21'25)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Jun '25

21 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Pedestrian-only corridor to replace bus-only zone in pilot project ‘New life’ for Graham Avenue https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2025/06/20/graham-avenue-stretch-to… THE city will turn a four-block stretch of Graham Avenue into a living lab when Winnipeg Transit’s network overhaul pulls buses off the downtown street. It will be cyclists and pedestrians only between Carlton and Garry streets in an indefinite pilot project scheduled to begin after June 29. “In July 2025, buses will be removed from four blocks, creating a rare opportunity to transform the street into a safer, pedestrian-first space. “With a focus on recreation, public gathering areas and cultural programming, Graham Avenue can become a dynamic hub of activity in the heart of downtown,” a city document states. Without changes, the area risks becoming a neglected corridor with minimal foot traffic once buses leave, it warns. “This is our moment to bring new life to Graham Avenue and downtown as a whole. By testing ideas and shaping long-term designs, we can lay the foundation for a permanent transformation into a thriving public plaza and park,” the document notes. The plans include adding street art, street paint, lighting, street furniture and planters, a competition to add an art installation and public seating to create a “once-in-a-generation” vision. Council’s public works chairwoman said she expects the changes will be “fantastic” for the area. “Because the buses come off, it will be bike and pedestrian…. It’s going to be a great little pilot project for downtown,” said Coun. Janice Lukes. “We’ve got more people moving downtown. Downtown needs neighbourhoods, downtown has (existing) neighbourhoods and… we want to put some green vegetation in, paint benches and just create a really interesting pedestrian space.” Lukes (Waverley West) said she did not know when the pilot will end but believes the decision on whether to make the change permanent will depend largely on public feedback. “Depending on how it plays out… maybe it will expand,” she said. Earlier this month, council’s public works committee approved additional changes to Graham Avenue, which still await a final city council vote. Those changes would reduce the avenue’s speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h between Vaughan and Carlton streets and remove its full-time truck route designation. “We’re creating a more livable street,” said Lukes. Council previously approved $250,000 to revamp Graham Avenue, part of which can be used to cover the pilot project costs. There was a mixed response to the plan among Graham Avenue business owners Friday. John Dang, owner of Hue Shoe Repair, said he hasn’t seen as much foot traffic in the area since the pandemic and is concerned losing the bus-only section of the street could further reduce visits from Winnipeg Transit passengers. “Not a lot of people live in downtown…. So, we have to make everything convenient. Transportation is the first priority,” said Dang. And among people who do live in the area already, many reside in apartments and don’t have cars, relying heavily on buses, he said. Daniel Equbazgi, owner of Dan’s Cafe and Lounge, said his shop benefits from people at bus stops who visit while they wait for their next ride. “They come for coffee or whatever until their bus is coming. We were getting good business…. If they change (this), we’re losing business. I am not happy with that change,” said Equbazgi. By contrast, Eric Saniuk, owner of Blazing Chicken Shack, said he’s excited about the pilot and said he’d like to put some tables outside his restaurant. He hasn’t seriously considered it until now because of the noise from constant bus traffic. Saniuk said he hopes the pilot leads to more events that will drive more foot traffic. The general manager of Rudy’s Eat & Drink at Carlton and Graham also welcomed the change. “You see a lot of other major cities across the world that have those pedestrian and cycling streets designated to them in the core and heart of their cities and I think this could be a really great positive change for downtown,” said Mackenzie Robb. “As a business with a 150-person patio that faces right onto that beautiful street, I think the more foot traffic, the better for us.” Calls to “reimagine” Graham Avenue were first introduced as part of CentrePlan 2050, the city’s vision to guide the development of downtown, which aims to attract more residents and visitors to the area. City council approved that plan last year. CentrePlan noted the street could incorporate a “shared zone” with more room for pedestrians, cyclists and patios in the future. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: Nearly five decades after forcing people underground, crosswalk traffic is about to return to Portage and Main (Jun21'25)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Jun '25

21 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Pitter-patter, pedestrians, it’s time to get at ’er Nearly five decades after forcing people underground, crosswalk traffic is about to return to Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/2025/06/… SINCE immigrating to Canada two weeks ago from Romania, Andrew Vlad and Vanessa Chira have been impressed by their newly adopted home of Winnipeg. But on Wednesday afternoon, the engaged tech workers stood at one corner of the city’s most famous intersection, attempting for the first time to solve the riddle of crossing Portage Avenue and Main Street. Vlad shook his head, overwhelmed in confusion: he could see from 201 Portage Ave. at the northwest corner his ultimate destination — the CIBC branch on the other side of the street — but for a building so close, it was still so far out of reach. The pair of new Winnipeggers were experiencing a rite of circuitous passage that will soon be eliminated for all downtown pedestrians. The following morning, Mayor Scott Gillingham announced pedestrians will be able to legally traverse Portage and Main in all directions at controlled, street-level crosswalks in a matter of days. For the first time in 46 years, a pedestrian won’t need to play chicken to cross at the juncture of this city’s most iconic roads. “June 27,” Gillingham told CBC during his monthly radio interview. “There will be a media event, but as I’ve said all along: Portage and Main, it’s important to Winnipeg’s history, it’s important to our future, but as I’ve said all along, at the end of the day, it’s just an intersection.” In a literal sense, the mayor is correct, but that simple intersection — below grade, on the sidewalk and in downtown boardrooms with an eagle-eyed view of the thrum below — has been the source of intense multi-generational debate, taking on an almost mythic stature at the heart of city life while defining the tenor of civic conversation. ●●● AS early as 1971, Jack Willis, the chairman of Metro Winnipeg, was advocating for the closure of the intersection to pedestrians, should the city begin construction on an underground walkway. Eight years before the intersection’s eventual closure, legendary Winnipeg Tribune columnist Val Werier was already sounding the alarm — or honking the horn — considering the idea of barring pedestrians as a harbinger of a car-centric city to come. “I have no quarrel with Mr. Willis’ proposal that an underground connection is required, for it is the busiest corner in Winnipeg and traffic will be more hectic with new buildings planned. In addition, pedestrians need some protection for the weather,” wrote Werier, who died in 2014 after 70 years covering the city for the Tribune and Free Press. “However, I would like to make a plea that instead of banning pedestrians, we ban the cars,” he continued. “Instead of designing a city based on the needs of the car, we should think of people. Unless some dramatic action is taken in these terms, Winnipeg will be like other large centres where the car determines the downtown character. “If anything is to be banned, it should be the cars,” he concluded. “After all, people are far more interesting.” The decision to shut down sidewalk traffic was preceded by a protracted debate, with the city council’s executive policy committee submitting a proposal for the total ban in September 1975, nearly four years before the underground circular concourse (officially called the Portage and Main Circus) opened in February 1979. While the change was considered a concession to the growing needs of vehicular traffic, it wasn’t met with unanimous support. Among the loudest — and boldest — detractors were the participants of the burgeoning disability rights movement, who argued the erection of concrete barriers and the funnelling of pedestrians into underground channels were violations of their rights to an accessible downtown. In the winter of 1979, wheelchair users and their allies breached the barricades to bring traffic to a standstill in protest. “Portage and Main is an iconic, symbolic place,” the late disability rights advocate Jim Derksen told this reporter in 2018, when the re-opening of the intersection was considered by plebiscite on the day of the civic election. “If we don’t take measures to update it according to our new values, in a sense we are recommitting the errors of the past,” added Derksen, a multiple barricade-skirting scofflaw. Former mayor Brian Bowman, who supported the idea of re-establishing pedestrian traffic at Portage and Main, vowed to honour the results of the plebiscite, which ultimately ended with a two-thirds majority opposing the reopening despite a vocal “Vote Open” movement. (Analysis showed the bulk of that majority were commuters who didn’t reside in the city’s core). However, a city report soon found that the cost of repairing the underground’s leaky membrane could cost $73 million and result in four to five years of traffic delays. Those anticipated costs were ultimately enough to tip Gillingham, who did not support opening the intersection in 2018 as a councillor, toward crossing the political aisle when it came to Portage and Main. It’s a decision that will not only help to improve the city’s image, but one which will encourage the development of a more accessible, welcoming downtown, says Melissa Graham, the executive director of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities. “It changes who that space is for,” Graham says. “It won’t just be for people who use cars. It will be for everybody.” “This is good for pedestrians, it’s good for businesses and it’s good for the entire city,” says Kirby Cote, the executive director of Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba. “As a city we should be celebrating our ability to be welcomed,” adds Cote, who is vision impaired and cycles through the area daily. “We designed a downtown to move cars through it as fast as possible and that’s not the reality of how it’s used.” WINDOW cleaning supervisor Don MacKinnon has for 15 years enjoyed an unparalleled vantage point of the intersection. At the end of their shift, cleaners often give in to the temptation to snap photographs from their platform outside the highest floors of the Richardson Building, which anchors the intersection’s northeast corner at 1 Lombard Place. “I never thought in my lifetime they’d open it up again,” says the 53-year-old swing stage supervisor, who was too young to remember crossing at the time of the closure. A longtime Jets fan, MacKinnon says he eagerly anticipates a Stanley Cup celebration at Portage and Main next season. For some downtown workers, the reopening is something they’ve been looking forward to for years. On her lunch break at her usual spot outside the Fairmont Hotel, just a stone’s throw away from the intersection, Joanna Oznowicz reflected on how much better the downtown looked without the barricades. But she also thinks the reopening will make life safer for pedestrians, so long as drivers give them proper attention. “I see people walking in the middle of the street before and I think, you’re going to get killed,” says Oznowicz, 60. “So I hope there will be caution on both sides as we get used to it.” PARALEGAL Cheri Harasym is less optimistic. “Horrible idea,” she says. “Too busy. There’s a reason they’ve been closed for 46 years. The drivers are already looking for too many things, and that’s just more distractions. (Around the office) we think people will end up getting hit, that there will be too many accidents.” Harasym also expressed concern about the status of the underground circus, which she says downtown workers rely on for relief from the harsh winter weather when going from corner to corner. “The long-term future of the concourse has not yet been determined,” says Julie Dooley, the city’s acting manager of corporate communications. “We have hired a consultant to assess any requirements of potentially decommissioning it.” For businesses operating in and around the underground concourse, there’s been very little clarity as to when such a change might occur. “The unknown is tough,” says Donavan Robinson, a co-owner of Pop CoLab, a corporate creative workshop business that opened two years ago in Lombard Place. “I don’t know that anyone really has an answer.” Still, Robinson says crossing at street level will help businesses such as his because pedestrians will have an easier time accessing the Portage and Main nexus as a whole. “Right now people just get confused,” he adds. Outside the former Bank of Montreal building, now owned by the Manitoba Métis Federation, road crews were putting the finishing touches on the pedestrian island at the midway point of Main Street. Standing next to them, a young woman stared across to the southwest corner. Seeing no northbound traffic, she ran to the median and, a few moments later, arrived at the opposing corner. “I had to run my errands,” reasoned Elsie Isiche. It was thrilling to watch. Come next Friday, it’s an experience every pedestrian can legally enjoy for the first time since 1979. ben.waldman(a)winnipegfreepress.com<mailto:ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com>

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What's happening on Graham Avenue
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Dear Graham Avenue owners, tenants, and friends; You are receiving this email because you are located on or close to Graham Avenue, and/or you have been involved in conversations related to Graham’s future redevelopment and this summer’s pilot project. Please share widely with your staff, building residents, tenants, and anyone who might be curious about what is happening with Graham Avenue. We need your help to spread the word. Graham Avenue is transforming! Some big changes are happening on Graham this summer, and we want to ensure you have all the information you need. When Winnipeg’s new bus network launches on June 29, 2025<https://www.winnipeg.ca/services-programs/transportation-roads-parking/tran…>, buses will no longer run along most of Graham Avenue. The section between Vaughan and Carlton (which currently allows cars) will mostly remain the same. The stretch from Carlton to Garry—currently restricted to buses and bikes—will become a pedestrian-focused area. Between Garry and Main, transit will still operate, but with added features for bikes. This marks the beginning of a larger vision to turn Graham into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly corridor in the heart of Downtown Winnipeg. Whether you're walking, biking, or enjoying art and greenery—Graham Avenue is becoming a space for everyone. What is changing this summer? 1. Street use and traffic * June 22-27: Protected bike lanes and a bus lane will be installed between Garry and Main. * Westbound vehicle traffic will no longer be allowed from Main Street to Fort Street. * June 29: Buses will be removed from Graham between Vaughan and Garry. Only the two blocks between Garry and Main will continue to have bus traffic. * Shared lanes for cars and bikes (with parking and loading zones) will remain between Vaughan and Carlton—just like it is today. * The current bus lane on Vaughan will become a two-way bike lane. * Graham Avenue will be removed from the designated truck route, and the speed limit will be reduced to 30 km/h between Vaughan and Carlton. * Cycling will continue to be permitted the full length of Graham between Vaughan Street and Main Street 2. Pedestrians, art, and events The four-block stretch from Carlton to Garry will become a pedestrian-first zone, featuring: * Street murals supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative * New artistic lighting and places to sit * Art installations * Planters, picnic tables, and ping pong tables * Custom-built street furniture * Festival space for events like the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Championship Weekend Expect more art and activities to pop up along the street throughout the summer! This pilot project is being delivered in partnership with several local organizations and guided by feedback from the community. We are testing ideas ahead of any permanent reconstruction, so your feedback is important and welcome. In the meantime, come explore Graham Avenue this summer and help spread the word! Learn more: winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham<http://winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham> Questions? Call 311 or submit a request at winnipeg.ca/311<http://winnipeg.ca/311> Thank you, Karin Kliewer Project Manager Reimagining Graham Avenue Learn more: winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham<http://winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham> Questions? Call 311 or submit a request at winnipeg.ca/311<http://winnipeg.ca/311> [A map with red circles and black text AI-generated content may be incorrect.] Thank you, Karin Kliewer Project Manager Re-imagining Graham Avenue [Winnipeg 150 logo]<https://winnipeg.ca/150years> Karin Kliewer, RPP, MCIP (she/her) Senior Planner (Downtown) Urban Planning & Design Planning, Property & Development City of Winnipeg Connect with us: [Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/cityofwinnipeg> [X (Twitter)] <https://twitter.com/cityofwinnipeg> [YouTube] <https://youtube.com/thecityofwinnipeg> [LinkedIn] <https://linkedin.com/company/city-of-winnipeg> [Instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/thecityofwinnipeg/> Confidentiality Notice: The information contained in this message is intended solely for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any use, dissemination, distribution, copying or disclosure of this message and attachments, in whole or in part, by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and permanently delete the complete message and any attachments. Thank you. I respectfully acknowledge that my workplace is located within Treaty One Territory, on the original lands of the Anisinaabegswn, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Red River Métis.

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WFP: Marion Street upgrade proposal takes back seat (Jun20'25)
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. $133-M plan could take decades to complete Marion Street upgrade proposal takes back seat https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/19/marion-street-pro… A $133-MILLION proposal to upgrade Marion Street has been released, though a city councillor warns it may take decades to fund, while businesses fear it would eat up critical parking. For years, city council has debated how best to improve traffic flow on Marion, including the elimination of a major bottleneck for drivers at its intersection with Archibald Street. The new, unfunded plan aims to add protected bike lanes and multi-use paths, while also completing “major” traffic upgrades at Marion’s intersections with Archibald Street, Panet Road and Lagimodière Boulevard. “There’s great improvements on intersections (with some widening near crossings) … And I think it definitely improves the active transportation component. It makes it safer,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council’s public works committee. Lukes (Waverley West) noted the proposal has been scaled back in scope and price from previous ideas to revamp the key corridor and will no longer separate vehicle and rail traffic. “It’s not over or under the rail line, which still presents a problem,” she said. Trains crossing at the surface level near Marion and Archibald have long been a key source of commuter delay. The Marion upgrade is not among council’s top priorities, so any funding may be decades away and the vision could be adjusted along the way, said Lukes. “We have a plan (at this point). In 15 years, 20 years, when we get money for it, maybe we’ll be tweaking things,” she said. Lukes noted billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects, including the Chief Peguis Trail extension, Kenaston Boulevard overhaul and major sewage treatment plant upgrades have all been ranked as more urgent priorities. The latest plan for Marion is facing opposition, mainly from nearby businesses, with about 50 written submissions posted on the city’s website. The Norwood Grove BIZ estimates the plan would eliminate 30 per cent of parking stalls in the area, which it stresses are critical to the survival of some companies. “Our area, compared to others, is more of a wellness hub … We have massage therapy, a medical clinic … (and having) a lot of seniors’ access and (parking for people with disabilities) is an integral part,” said Sheila Tan, executive director of the biz, in an interview. Tan believes most of her members oppose the proposed Marion upgrades and are also concerned about the location of bike lanes. “If these trucks are going to continue to pass by Marion and then we have those bike lanes, there’s going to be a huge impact on traffic … Customers would choose an alternative location to eat, to shop … It’s going to impact a potential long-term loss of revenue and possible permanent business closures,” said Tan. She stressed the opposition is about locating bike lanes along such a busy street, not adding them in general. The area’s councillor said concerns could be addressed through changes as the plan moves forward. “Many issues can be resolved through engineering design … Sometimes space is at a premium, and there needs to be compromises, but I’ll be talking with the BIZ and with the public service,” said Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface). Allard said he supports the overall plan and believes it offers a model the city could repeat. “If we accept that we shouldn’t be, essentially, demolishing large parts of communities in order to replace them with roads, then this is the way that you do it. You create a complete street that is attractive to all road users and, as you keep doing that throughout Winnipeg, more people will choose to take other modes (of transportation) than the single passenger automobile and that means more space for the people that do drive,” he said. The public works committee is set to debate the plan in July. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main (Jun20'25)
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/19/one-small-step-fo… PEDESTRIANS will legally cross Portage Avenue and Main Street before the end of next week. On Thursday, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the reopening date is set for June 27. “After (more than) 45 years of debating whether it should be open or not, we’ve ended the debate. It’s opening and I’m getting very positive feedback from people in the downtown, that live in downtown, that work in downtown, that own businesses in downtown. I’m getting positive comments from people who live in the suburbs as well,” said Gillingham. At last check, the mayor said the project was within its current budget, up to $21.3 million from $13 million to cover its expedited schedule. The city had aimed to reopen the intersection to foot traffic by the June 29 unveiling of Winnipeg Transit’s new network. “It was very important, all along, that the pedestrian traffic be able to cross at Portage and Main and the construction related to the opening be completed before we make the change in our transit system,” said Gillingham. Pedestrian access was halted in 1979. Reopening it has been debated for decades, with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voting against the idea in a non-binding 2018 plebiscite. Gillingham originally said he would follow the results of that vote but changed his mind after a city report estimated it would cost $73 million to repair the membrane to renovate the underground concourse. He then supported closing the underground, an idea the city is now studying, and reopening the intersection to pedestrians. “My thinking has (changed). When I drive through the intersection now, these days, I can’t help but think how welcoming … the space looks to invite people into all of the buildings,” he said. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said she hopes the debate is over. “Many people have a passion for Portage and Main. It’s a very significant hub in our city.” Opponents of the change argued it wasn’t worth its cost and could create significant traffic delays, while supporters argue the change will help rejuvenate and better connect downtown. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP Editorial: Last-minute cancellations bad look for council (Jun14'25)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jun '25

14 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. EDITORIAL Last-minute cancellations bad look for council https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2025/06/14/last-minute… YOU have to ask if Winnipeg city council actually wants to hear from its citizens, or whether they just want the appearance of listening. That question of appearance versus reality was brought even more sharply into focus when roughly 30 people waiting to speak to the city’s public works committee about bike safety were abruptly told to go home Thursday and come back in July. “I’d like to suspend the rules to not hear any delegations today on that item because we’re laying it over. We’re going to be hearing all the details on July 3,” the committee’s chairwoman, Coun. Janice Lukes, said at the beginning of the meeting. The reason? A staff report on safety measures for Wellington Crescent bicycle users, due since April, still isn’t finished. Getting people to go through the registration process to present to a council committee and have them show up to be heard, only to hold a vote and temporarily cancel public input, is both insulting and counterproductive. It may well be that members of the council’s public works committee are correct that a discussion of bike lane policy would be much more informed if everyone had a chance to review the at-the-moment incomplete report on the issue before registering their ideas and concerns. Certainly, more information is always better than less. But at the same time, the committee had to have known long before Thursday that the report wasn’t going to be ready — and since those who want to speak to committees of council have to register in advance and provide their personal information, those who were interested in talking about bicycle safety on Wellington Crescent could have been contacted and advised of the need for a delay. (Anyone registering to speak to a council committee has to say what agenda item they wish to speak to, and whether they are for or against the proposal.) Instead, the presenters were left to wait until the day of the meeting to be told, in person, that their presentations had been delayed. (Council committees are already not particular respectful of the value of presenters’ time. The rules for speaking at a meeting state “All meetings of council and its committees take place in the council building at 510 Main St. Delegations should be present at the start of the meeting and remain in the gallery until their name is called.”) But this is just part of council’s apparent interest in having public input in name only — or at least in handy bite-sized pieces, easily digested (and perhaps rapidly excreted as well). Council has already cut the amount of time it lets citizens present their concerns from 10 minutes to five, saying that public input was making meetings run too long. (The same strictures do not apply to committee members, clear evidence of “do as I say, not as I do.”) The message is that councillors are more concerned about the value of their own time than they are about the time of the people those same councillors are selected to serve. In a time of growing citizen and voter apathy, council members should be doing absolutely everything they can to welcome and foster citizen engagement. The aim should always be to bring more people into the civic tent, not to make it more difficult and less productive to be able to make your position known to your elected officials. And yes, that is more difficult and takes more dedicated time and planning — right down to notifying people in advance when things change. Because things can change. But letting your guests know in advance that their event is cancelled is really only common courtesy.

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CBC: Makeshift bike lane set up on Wellington Crescent on anniversary of Winnipeg cyclist's death (Jun11'25)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jun '25

13 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-wellington-crescent-diy-bi…

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WFP: Dozens of delegates who planned to voice concerns over active transportation safety turned away (Jun13'25)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jun '25

13 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Dozens of delegates who planned to voice concerns over active transportation safety turned away Speakers furious after city delays hearing https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/12/speakers-furious-… DOZENS of delegates who signed up to speak on active transportation safety at City Hall Thursday were not heard, following a rare, last minute vote to cancel their time. About 30 people planned to weigh in on a delayed report on making bike travel safer on Wellington Crescent. Instead, their presentations were suddenly preempted by the public works committee decision. “I’d like to suspend the rules to not hear any delegations today on that item because we’re laying it over. We’re going to be hearing all the details on July 3,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, the committee’s chairwoman, at the start of the meeting. Lukes noted staff had asked for a one month extension to return with a safety plan for this year. The announcement was met with a few surprised laughs, at least one “boo” and some impolite language from people in the council chambers who were hoping to speak. Committee members asked security officers to step in after someone yelled out “bulls—t!” Couns. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert- Seine River) and Ross Eadie (Mynarski) joined Lukes to vote in favour of the change, while the committee’s third member, Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) was absent during the vote. Linda van de Laar, a nurse who planned to speak, yelled out that she had taken a day off to be there. Afterward, van de Laar said she isn’t able to return on July 3 because of work, and expressed concern the vote will set a precedent. “I wish that our city councillors would be doing this job because they want to represent residents. It seems like they don’t…. They just silenced (us) and it isn’t even the first time that they’ve silenced delegations,” she said. In March, council voted to reduce the time each public delegate can speak at hearings, committee meetings and council sessions to five minutes from 10, a move the city said would shorten meetings that sometimes start at 9:30 a.m. and drag on late into the night. Those who lost their chance to speak Thursday have been pushing for changes to Wellington Crescent since cyclist Rob Jenner was killed in a crash with a speeding driver in the area on June 6 last year. The group has called on council to reduce the speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h on Wellington from River Avenue to the western end of Academy Road, which was rejected last year. Council instead ordered a staff report on options to make the streets safer for cyclists this year, which was first expected in April but has been delayed since that time. Lukes said Thursday’s decision was not the first time a standing policy committee opted not to hear delegates, though she did not offer other examples. She said delaying feedback to the next meeting makes sense, since a new proposal to make cycling safer isn’t available yet. “I thought people would be wasting their time,” said Lukes (Waverley West). The councillor said she’s received 35 to 40 emails and phone calls on the topic over the last few days, which included some “non-repeatable” comments, so feedback is still being heard. “I’m disappointed in some of the things that have been said to me and to the committee members…. (The delegates are) disappointed that we don’t have a plan in place,” said Lukes. She expects city staff will ultimately recommend creating a protected bike lane and reducing the street’s speed limit but stressed more time is needed for consultations. Another councillor said she was left with questions after witnessing the vote. “I’m going to listen to the rationale because I honestly couldn’t hear for the yelling, but, generally, when people take time off and the standing policy committee is there to hear, you hear them. It’s really important when people take time out for democracy to understand that that costs them time, it costs them money,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry). In an email, city spokeswoman Julie Dooley said members of the public are welcome to speak to each report “when it actually appears on” a committee agenda. “As the report itself was not being presented today, the committee moved to not hear from registered delegates. This is not unprecedented,” Dooley wrote in an email. Committees that made similar decisions have typically done so verbally in the past, so staff can’t search for specific examples or provide the number of times the practice has previously taken place, the city later added. An active transportation advocate who regularly speaks at city hall said this is the first time she’s been unable to speak due to such a vote. “It seems very heavy-handed, and it seems a bit aggressive towards the community who has been patiently waiting for this report…. (You) take the day off work, or you get leave from work, you get child care. It is a big step to come down,” said Mel Marginet, a member of the Green Action Centre’s sustainable transportation team. Marginet said she’s concerned the decision could set a precedent. “It is important for our democracy that people are allowed to come out and voice their support or opposition to things before city council,” she said. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP Analysis: Bike safety changes are overdue (Jun11'25)
by Beth McKechnie 11 Jun '25

11 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Bike safety changes are overdue LINDA VAN DE LAAR https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/06/11/bike-safety-c… JUNE 5 would have been Rob Jenner’s 62nd birthday. Instead of celebrating with him, we gathered where he died — on Wellington Crescent — to sing him “Happy Birthday” and remember a life taken too soon by road violence. This isn’t the way anyone should be commemorated. But for vulnerable road users in Winnipeg, it’s become heartbreakingly familiar. I didn’t know Rob personally. But as a fellow cyclist, I knew him. I’d pass him on Assiniboine Avenue. We’d exchange a greeting, a nod or a wave, the way cyclists are so closely connected, part of a community. For someone like me who cycles to work every day along one of Winnipeg’s major bike routes, Rob’s death is devastating. The city decided that green bike route signs would be enough to protect cyclists, but road signs don’t protect cyclists. Safe infrastructure and traffic calming measures do. As a nurse, advocating for safe infrastructure is my commitment to make this city healthier. I see the toll our car-dominated culture takes on people’s bodies and minds every day — rising rates of chronic illness related to our sedentary lifestyles. Cycling, walking and using public spaces are among the simplest, most powerful ways to build a healthier society. Like how I was connected to Rob without personally knowing him, sharing space through walking and cycling connects us. It makes us move, reduces emissions and builds safer, more vibrant communities. When our streets are hostile to vulnerable road users, we make our population sicker. Since Rob’s death, at least 12 pedestrians and another cyclist have been killed. Many others have been injured. Most of those stories don’t make the news. Like my partner, who lost his hearing because a driver did not stop at a signalized crosswalk. I believe our city leaders continue to fail us. I often feel like they treat parking spots as sacred and human life as expendable. In my opinion, they stall and postpone critical safety improvements like protected bike lanes and lower speed limits. It seems like they are afraid of the backlash from drivers instead of caring about my life and that of other vulnerable road users. I have had enough. I often hear Winnipeg was built for cars. Historically, pictures show that this is inaccurate. Winnipeg had beautiful streetcars, people walking and cycling. Decades of decisions made by councillors and mayors is what made Winnipeg into the car-dominated city it is today. But it is not too late to change this. Lives should matter more than speed. I can’t bring Rob back; it is too late for him. But I can honour his life by refusing to accept the status quo. I am demanding better from the people elected to represent me. I am asking all readers to demand better from their councillors too. Please call your councillors. Ask them why it’s taking so long to implement 30 km/h speed limits in residential neighbourhoods. Tell them to support protected bike lanes on Wellington Crescent. Insist they stop treating road deaths as inevitable, On June 12, two key motions that will make our streets safer might come before public works. I need everyone to show up, speak out and delegate. Together we can make our neighbourhoods places to connect again. These are our streets. And we owe it to Rob to fight like hell to reclaim them. Linda van de Laar is a registered nurse at St. Boniface General Hospital.

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