- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Nov 10th: City of Winnipeg Community Climate Action Plan Launch
by Beth McKechnie 06 Nov '17

06 Nov '17

You are invited to the launch of Winnipeg's Climate Action Plan: Planning for Climate Change, Acting for People. *The kick-off event is scheduled for Friday, Nov 10th at the University of Winnipeg; doors open at 6:30pm. Please RSVP here *www.climateactionwinnipeg. eventbrite.ca For more information, please see the attached poster and visit these links to related websites and reports: * The City of Winnipeg news release that announced<http://www.winnipeg. ca/cao/media/news/nr_2017/nr_20171026.stm#2> Winnipeg's Climate Action Plan and the invite to attend the kickoff event. * A link to our Sustainability and Climate Action website< http://www.winnipeg.ca/Sustainability/PublicEngagement/ ClimateActionPlan/default.stm> for more information on how to get involved * A link to the technical report describing the City of Winnipeg Community 2011 GHG Inventory and Forecast<http://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewDoc.asp? DocId=15709&SectionId=&InitUrl> Lindsay Mierau Environmental Coordinator Urban Planning and Design Division, Planning, Property and Development City of Winnipeg Phone: (204) 986-8598 Email: lmierau(a)winnipeg.ca<mailto:lmierau@winnipeg.ca>

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Why we can't have nice things: dockless bikes and the tragedy of the commons
by Charles F 05 Nov '17

05 Nov '17

Sad; Why we can't have nice things: dockless bikes and the tragedy of the commons https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/05/why-we-cant-have-nice-thin… ⁣

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Fwd: Cycle of Giving 2017!
by Dave Elmore 03 Nov '17

03 Nov '17

Please pass this along. Please note that The WRENCH is still short of kids bikes for the event. Please drop off any bikes to either of the 4 R Depots (Brady or Pacific) as space at th shop is also a bit tight. Thanks Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Cycle of Giving <cog(a)thewrench.ca> Date: Fri, Nov 3, 2017 at 1:28 PM Subject: Cycle of Giving 2017! To: [image: Inline images 2] *The Cycle Of Giving 24 hour kids bike building marathon* is bringing volunteer mechanics together to build over 300 bicycles for kids in need. We aim to raise $15,000 to support free bike programming for children and families in 2018. >From *12 pm December 2**nd** to 12 pm December 3**rd*, the Orioles Community Centre will be transformed into a magic workshop where salvaged and donated used bicycles are turned into holiday dreams come true. Help us give to more kids than ever before! *You can be part of the Cycle of Giving!* *Volunteer * <http://thewrench.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/volunteerLINK.pdf> *Donate* <http://thewrench.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Donate-to-the-Cycl…> *[image: Donate online] <https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-wrench-the-winnipeg-repair-edu…>* *Tell a friend or Like **WRENCH* <https://www.facebook.com/theWRENCHwpg/>* on facebook*

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Report: Food deserts connection with AT, transit, mixed use neighbourhoods
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '17

03 Nov '17

*Top doctor says Winnipeg could reinvent itself and improve access to healthy choices* * Food options limited in inner city * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/food-options-limited-in-inner-city-… Find report here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/chief-public-h… OTTAWA — Canada’s top doctor says Winnipeg could be a leader for North America, by reinventing itself from a car-dominated metropolis to a city focused on public transit, walkability and affordable food. Her comments come as new research suggests low-income Winnipeggers are using taxis to find cheaper food due to poor bus service and relying on convenience-store shelves to feed their families. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, sees great challenges but also possibilities for Winnipeg, where one-tenth of residents live in “food deserts,” areas where poor people lack access to affordable, healthy food. “I think Canadians can be real innovators in how to be active, even in the most remote, in the most cold or extremes of climates,” she said in a recent interview. “It will challenge people to come up with some really great ideas.” Tam took on the job, Canada’s equivalent to the United States’ surgeon general, in June. Her first annual report <https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/chief-public-h…>, published last week, details how Canadian cities have been built in ways that make Canadians physically and mentally unhealthy. Tam, who’s lived in Saskatoon and Edmonton, says Prairie cities need to get people moving through connected streets, bike paths and good public transit, as well as areas that mix homes, shops and schools. The idea is to build smarter subdivisions and retrofit existing urban sprawl with better transit and walkable paths. “If we could build our environments so people can use what I call the human engine — to walk or take public transport to get to the grocery store, or get to work or school — they’remore likely to be in a healthier state,” she said. “Even within the suburb itself, you can create the right physical environment for people to be more active.”the These interventions might slow the rise of diabetes, diagnosed in almost one-tenth of adult Canadians in 2011, a rate that almost doubles for Indigenous people in Manitoba, including in Winnipeg. Cities can also improve mental health, Tamsays, through recreational features such as green spaces, walking paths and sports facilities. Budding research shows that murals, parks and public space (cafés, parks, libraries) can prevent isolation and promote better mental health. She even suggests building homes with front porches and yards to increase social interactions. Part of the report offers advice for fixing food deserts, which can be affected by grocery-store locations and hours. It says cities can consider zoning restrictions that limit fast-food restaurants and convenience stores, or promote community gardens for fruit and vegetables. Tam said that’s needed most outside of fancy condos and white-picket fences. “Whatever we do, in terms of our community design, must bear in mind that we need to serve the most vulnerable within our populations. If you are in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, we need to pay attention.” Her report comes on the heels of research published by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which found nine per cent of Winnipeggers lived in food deserts in 2014. The research said Winnipeg Transit leaves much to be desired. It found that those living close to downtown struggle to get to suburban grocery stores with more food, as buses “are often sporadic and inconvenient”. Alarmingly, it said some poor people rely on taxis to get cheaper groceries, partially because bus fares don’t offer good discounts for a parent with children. In the peer-reviewed studies, researchers tabulated neighbourhoods’ census-reported incomes, alongside grocery stores. They found multiple downtown areas more than 500 metres from a supermarket and similar problems in the inner parts of Inkster, Seven Oaks and Elmwood. Yet the study found the problem is less severe than originally thought. The researchers noted that previous studies had only included national chains, which incorrectly pegged 14 per cent of Winnipeg residents as living in a food desert. The researchers suggest how to replicate their study and get an accurate sense of where governments can intervene. Rob Moquin, policy manager with Food Matters Manitoba, said the research is part of a growing recognition of trouble accessing food, though experts have talked about these problems for decades. “It’s a combination of built environments and other societal, structural issues,” he said. “Social change takes a long time.” Moquin pointed to previous research on “food swamps” where low-income neighbourhoods can only access unhealthy fast food, and more recent findings on “food mirages” where upmarket grocery stores sell products that nearby residents can’t afford. “People in Winnipeg should have access to a full-service grocer in close proximity to where they live,” Moquin said, something that can only be done if city officials confront the biases that cause food deserts, instead of simply improving grocery-store options. For example, Moquin said that even when food is available, it’s not always culturally appropriate. Immigrants find it difficult to find ingredients they’re familiar with (which can be harder for older, recently arrived family members), while Indigenous people used to country foods pay exorbitant amounts for conventionally farmed bison. Tam describes her report as a call to action, one that must include cities, provinces, grocery stores, charities and businesses. Her 70-page report uses 692 footnotes, walking readers through where decades of research align, and where studies contradict. Her report notes diverging health outcomes for places people live, with cities experiencing lower rates of suicide, car accidents and obesity, but more pollution, stress and isolation than rural areas. The research on suburbs “is complicated and sometimes contradictory,” she notes. dylan.robertson(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Commuting time
by Charles F 03 Nov '17

03 Nov '17

This research takes a light look at commuting as an issue for working Canadians. Small sample, weak conclusions, but a reminder of how big an issue this is, In contrast to all the talk about Canadians loving the suburbs; http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/canadas-spooky-worker-commutes-6524596… ⁣

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Friday read: Which streets need protected bike lanes?
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '17

03 Nov '17

>From PeopleforBikes: At its annual conference Tuesday in Chicago, the National Association of City Transportation Officials <http://nacto.org/> released a new, free-to-access 16-page document that makes one of the first comprehensive attempts to answer a seemingly simple question: *Which streets need protected bike lanes?* In advance of NACTO’s full digital rollout (coming in a couple weeks), we’ve got a sneak peek at the contents. http://peopleforbikes.org/blog/sneak-peak-nactos-new-guide-advises-when-to-…

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OurWinnipeg Review - November 8 is World Town Planning Day
by Beth McKechnie 02 Nov '17

02 Nov '17

*** Please share widely with your networks. Thanks! OurWinnipeg is important for AT as it contains the overarching policies that guide the city's development. *** [image: City of Winnipeg - SpeakUpWinnipeg.com] <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/90/10/> November 8 is World Town Planning Day! Every year around November 8, planners around the world host and attend events that highlight the importance of planning in our communities. We know that planning for the future is important to Winnipeggers, and we want to hear from you. You may already know that the City of Winnipeg has begun a process <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1447/18/> to review and update *OurWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1448/19/>*, a plan intended to guide everything the City does. It provides a vision and policies that influence the delivery of City services, and decisions about how we get around the city and how the city grows. To celebrate World Town Planning Day, we want to hear your visions for Winnipeg. On Wednesday, November 8, please stop by the Millennium Library lobby (251 Donald Street <https://maps.google.com/?q=251+Donald+Street&entry=gmail&source=g>) anytime between 12:00pm and 8:00pm to let us know what you envision for Winnipeg’s future. Chief Planner Braden Smith will be on hand from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, and Councillor John Orlikow (Chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development, Heritage, and Downtown Development), will be there from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. This event will be followed by a series of pop up consultations in all areas of the City throughout the month of November. Please check our events <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1455/20/?81f01ab2=aHR…> page at speakupwinnipeg.com for updates, but confirmed locations include: - November 20, 11:00am-1:30pm: St. James Civic Centre - November 25, 10:00am-1:00pm: North Kildonan Community Centre Craft Sale. There are also other ways to get involved: we recently put together a workbook <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1450/21/> (which is very similar to our online questionnaire <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1398/22/>s <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1398/23/>, but can be printed out and completed as a hard copy), and are asking those who are interested to host a conversation about Winnipeg’s future with friends, coworkers, or networks. Please spread the word to your networks, complete a questionnaire <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1451/24/> about your vision for Winnipeg, learn how to get involved <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1452/25/>,read our blogs <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1453/28/>, and/or send us an email <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/1454/29/> with your thoughts. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you! ***You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive occasional updates, or because we want to connect with you as part of this review process.* Connect with us Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/CityofWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/182/32/> Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/CityofWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/183/33/> Share this mailing with your social network by clicking on the appropriate link: [image: Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3a%2f%2fcowsvpelms01%2ecityofwinn…> [image: Twitter] <http://twitter.com/home?status=http%3a%2f%2fcowsvpelms01%2ecityofwinnipeg%2…> Related SpeakUpWinnipeg.com <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/90/37/> OurWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/91/38/> Planning, Property & Development <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/92/39/> Winnipeg.ca <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/93/40/> Unsubscribe If you do not want to receive these emails anymore, unsubscribe <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/86/41/>. Please *do not reply to this email*. This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address and replies are not monitored. Mailing address: City of Winnipeg, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3B 1B9 <https://maps.google.com/?q=510+Main+Street,+Winnipeg,+Manitoba,+Canada,+R3B…> Privacy Statement The City of Winnipeg values your privacy. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties. You are receiving this email as a result of your signing up for the SpeakUpWinnipeg.com newsletter list offered on the City of Winnipeg website <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/94/45/>. You may unsubscribe or change your subscription options <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/591777/334114/86/46/> at any time.

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Simple device to turn every sign post into a bike rack
by Beth McKechnie 29 Oct '17

29 Oct '17

https://www.fastcompany.com/3029299/these-simple-devices-tur n-every-sign-post-into-a-bike-rack These Simple Devices Turn Every Sign Post Into A Bike Rack | Fast Company One of the challenges of urban cycling is finding a place to park your bike. A simple design from U.K.-based Smartstreets <http://www.smartstreets.co.uk/> might help: The Cyclepark, made of two metal loops, hooks around existing lampposts and street signs to provide extra bike parking on every block. “By making use of what’s already there, you’re not adding obstacles on the pavement for pedestrians,” says Andrew Farish, one of the designers of the Cyclepark. “And the less stuff you have on the street, the better the street looks.” People already tend to lock bikes to sign posts and railings when they can’t find a bike rack, but without something more substantial to latch onto, it’s easy for bikes to fall over or even be lifted over the pole and stolen. It’s also often illegal to use a street post if there isn’t an official rack. The Cyclepark is a little like the circular racks that some cities have added to old parking meters <http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/01/09/nyc-dot-prepares-for-12000-parking-me…>, but street posts are even more ubiquitous than meters, making it easier to create a broad network of parking. In New York, for example, there are 250,000 posts for lighting alone, and countless other street signs. “This stuff is already there,” says Farish. “Often something like a signpost literally does one thing. They have to have a sign there that explains what parking is, or what a single yellow line means, so they’ve got this post and literally all it’s doing is holding up a tiny little eight-by-eight-inch sign. By converting that into a bike park, you’ve released new value from that infrastructure.” The brightly colored Cycleparks can also double as markers for bike routes around a city, leading cyclists down a particular path. They’re cheaper to install than a typical rack, since the process takes around 10 minutes and there’s no need to jackhammer holes into the pavement (there’s also likely less need for permitting and consultations, since the change is so minor). Farish says the racks are a way to improve the look of a city by reducing clutter. “It’s a rare opportunity to give a visible upgrade to a street,” he says, explaining that much of the work that cities do often goes unnoticed by the public. “It’s really a way of encouraging cycling and doing it a way that doesn’t compromise the street’s aesthetic.”

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WFP: City behind the curve on snow removal (Oct.22'17)
by Beth McKechnie 22 Oct '17

22 Oct '17

*Winnipeg looking at innovative ways to clear roads and sidewalks* * City behind the curve on snow removal * DECLAN SCHROEDER https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-behind-the-curve-on-snow-remov… LAST fall, a one-sentence directive contained within a mandate letter from Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman to infrastructure and public works committee chairman Coun. Marty Morantz, presented a pile of opportunities larger than a Winnipeg snowbank: “Review and research innovative snow-clearing opportunities with a view to finding savings, efficiencies and improvements.” In Winnipeg, swirling snowfalls are simply a reality of existence. Surviving them— and not allowing them to kibosh going to the Jets game or making theweekly grocery run — is a rite of passage for many Winnipeggers, for whomhardiness is next to godliness. Others choose to simply hunker down. One group that cannot pull the blinds and pour another cup of cocoa is Winnipeg’s public works department. After flakes fly, it’s up to city employees and private subcontractors to hit the streets with heavy machines and clear snow and ice. Compared with other cities, Canadian and otherwise— which have found novel and innovative solutions to moving the white stuff — Winnipeg’s snow clearing is behind the times. The report regarding innovation is tardy, too. Jim Berezowsky, Winnipeg’s acting director of public works, was supposed to present a report to the standing policy committee on infrastructure renewal and public works Sept. 11. He didn’t. Snow will likely hit Winnipeg before Berezowsky’s report lands on Morantz’s desk. Morantz said he knew Berezowsky would ask for a 90-day extension, which the councillor granted. Plowing problems came to a head in the city last winter. In December, after Winnipeg got dumped with more than 68 centimetres of snow thanks to two Colorado lows and numerous Alberta clippers, the city proved incapable of clearing it in a timely fashion. Traffic on city streets was snarled for days and sidewalks remained snowed in for longer. “Because we had those two massive snowfalls, it was quite a challenge,” Morantz said. “Basically, most of the complaints that we received after the last two years were around sidewalk clearing.” Berezowsky said when crews plow high-volume streets, they use boulevards to store snow. However, due to “lack of snow storage space,” it often piles onto sidewalks. In Montreal, which has an annual snow-clearing budget of $155 million, crews use an innovative strategy that emulates crop harvesting. Instead of pushing the snow onto the boulevard, a plow with a blower attachment sends the snow directly from the road into a five-ton dump truck driving in tandem. When one truck is full, it peels out and another one rolls up. There are limitations — the blower can make quickwork of loose snow, but can’t move big chunks packed down by the vehicles that venture onto snowy streets. This strategy prevents obstructed sightlines caused by high snowbanks at intersections, eliminates the need for crews to return and remove them later, and ensures snow doesn’t pile up on sidewalks when operators run out of space. That’s not the only innovation Montreal has undertaken. They’ve also been inspired by Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. There, pipes under the sidewalks carry geothermally heated water that melts the snow off of them. The system covers 50,000 square metres, according to the National Energy Authority of Iceland. Montreal is launching a $26-million pilot project with a similar system on 670 metres of high-traffic Rue Sainte-Catherine sidewalk. While that price tag would nearly melt through the entirety of Winnipeg’s $33.8-million snow-clearing budget, quicker sidewalk clearing would save people like St. James resident Cassandra Jones a lot of frustration. Jones, who uses an electric wheelchair, is sometimes stranded inside her home because sidewalks aren’t clear. “It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, because if they don’t plow them very well, it can be really hard to get around,” she said. “Sometimes it’s days and days and days and they just don’t bother. They do downtown really well… but they don’t seem to bother with residential sidewalks as much.” Jones said she’s thankful for her friend John Wiebe. Wiebe, who has one arm, takes his snow blower and clears a path so Jones can get to Sundayworship. “That’s pretty bad when someone has to buy a snow blower just so I can get to church.” In many Canadian cities, clearing the city sidewalk isn’t just neighbourly — it’s the law. In Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Toronto, the onus is on the homeowner to clear walks adjacent to their properties. Homeowners in Edmonton, for example, have 48 hours after a snowfall to clear the snow or risk a $100 fine. Don Turenne, management supervisor of Edmonton’s parks and roads services department, said Edmontonians, generally, have no problem clearing city sidewalks. “It’s been that way for years,” Turenne said. “... I don’t hear a lot either from the media or through complaints. We’ve been doing it for so long that citizens just treat it as one of the expectations.” Turenne’s inklings are backed up by statistics. Troy Courtoreille, Edmonton’s acting director of the complaints and investigations section of the community standards branch, provided specifics. “We see a varying compliance rate that averages 77 per cent during most winters, but it can drop as low as 65 per cent or increase to about 90 per cent,” he wrote in an email, noting variables such as “fluctuating weather, educational campaigns, and enforcement targeting” affect the numbers. “Generally, homeowners follow the bylaw, but there are known problematic neighbourhoods whose compliance rate(s) (are) lower than average.” Winnipeg’s policy, by comparison, is opaque. It doesn’t outlinewhen work should start after a snowfall, and simply says residential sidewalks will be “completed within five working days following the commencement of work” by city crews or private contractors. Berezowsky called requiring homeowners to clear sidewalks an “alternative” and said it doesn’t fit in within the definition of innovation. “Innovation is not putting the responsibility back onto someone else at a cost,” he said. “That’s called service reduction.” Novel ideas don’t end at sidewalks, of course. Many cities use a strategy called “pre-wetting” to help chemicals stick to roads and reduce the amount used. A study on the effectiveness of pre-wetting, done by members of the department of civil engineering at the University of Waterloo, found pre-wet salt outperformed dry salt by between 14 and 38 per cent in 2002-03. In Ottawa, a liquid de-icer is applied to rock salt to help it bind better to the road. Salt usage has been reduced by one-fifth as a result. Starting this winter, Edmonton will undertake a similar policy. Crews will spray roads with a brine solution before snowfalls to prevent it from sticking. The hope — although this remains to be seen — is that pre-wetting can prevent the need to plow in some cases, potentially saving the city from spending the entirety of its $54-million budget. Other jurisdictions have cut down on salt use by using unconventional alternatives, including beet juice (which Winnipeg has been experimenting with for a fewyears), cheese brine and molasses. While Winnipeg’s report on the future of snow clearing is delayed, it’s not moving quite as slow as molasses — Morantz and Berezowsky have been looking at many newpossibilities. Morantz wouldn’t speculate on the final contents of the report, but talked about some approaches that caught his eye. Specifically, he described a plow with a “snowgate” attachment— one that plows the road and clears windrows in one fell swoop — as having piqued his interest. Berezowsky also outlined several potential measures, including tools inside equipment that sense the exact temperatures of roadways, entirely chloride-free ice-melting methods and expanding the city’s limited pre-wetting program. While improvementsmay eventually come, Winnipeggers will keep having to take perverse pride in navigating snow-plugged streets and sidewalks. It may take until 2019 before any of the report’s recommendations are implemented, as it will come too late to factor into the city’s 2018 budget talks. “If there’s additional budgetary requirements, by that time, most of the planning for the 2018 budget will be complete,” Morantz said. “It’s quite possible we’d have to refer to the ’19 budget, which will not be considered until later next year.” Berezowsky warned implementation can be slow. “Industry would never go ahead and fully implement something without a policy change requirement by the city— which would have to be proposed and passed through council.” Declan Schroeder is a senior journalism student in the creative communications program at Red River College in Winnipeg. This article was a product of a featurewriting assignment. dschroeder42(a)academic.rrc.ca

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WFP: EPC backs revamp plan of intersection (Oct.19'17)
by Beth McKechnie 19 Oct '17

19 Oct '17

*EPC backs revamp plan of intersection * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/bowman-epc-back-intersection-revamp… A PLAN to upgrade the Portage and Main intersection with the intention of eventually opening it up to pedestrians was endorsed unanimously Wednesday by Mayor Brian Bowman and members of his executive policy committee. The proposal would see the city spend $3.5 million to revamp the areas around the intersection, including: • $1.5 million for further engineering and architectural work needed to allow pedestrians to cross. • $500,000 for new sidewalks, curbs and street trees for the plaza area directly in front of the Richardson Building • $1.5 million to upgrade the underground concourse underneath the tower at 201 Portage Ave. Bowman said he was pleased with the unanimous vote, adding it marks a milestone for Winnipeg city council. “This is four decades to get us where we are today,” Bowman told reporters following the EPC meeting. The vote came after nine downtown business leaders spent more than an hour in the morning urging EPC members to approve the plan. Two early dissenters on EPC — Couns. Scott Gillingham and Brian Mayes — eventually voted for the proposal after Bowman agreed to include minor amendments from both of them. Gillingham wanted a written assurance that the intersection will not be reopened to pedestrians until a report detailing cost estimates and traffic impacts is presented to council. Mayes secured an agreement that the administration will consider the impact of a potential north Main Street transit corridor will have on the project. The proposal requires council to: • Commit to re-opening the intersection to pedestrians through a phased approach. • Appoint a Portage Avenue and Main Street Working Group. • Approve a single-source contract with Harvard Developments for reimbursement of renovation and upgrade costs up to $500,000 for work Harvard Developments is doing in the underground concourse in conjunction with upgrades to Harvard underground property. • Sign an agreement with the adjacent property owners for at-grade pedestrian activity at the intersection, which would include termination of the original lease provisions that prohibit atgrade activity. The proposal needs at least a majority of nine votes at council. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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