Community groups propose plan for Portage Place changes

A group of local organizations is calling for a major overhaul of Portage Place mall in Downtown Winnipeg with a focus on community.

The collective of local groups is calling themselves and their hopes for the mall "A Community Vision for the Future of Portage Place."

The mix of Winnipeg non-profits, think tanks and community groups came together after a Toronto-based developer tried to buy the mall in 2019 before pulling out in 2021.

The group believes the best way to revitalize the space is to convert it into a non-profit community centre where downtown residents can gather.

"We just don't want it to be that thinking or idea that it has to be developed for the business community and ignoring the needs of the people that live here," said Reuben Garang, executive director of Immigration Partnership Winnipeg.

One of the major changes the group is calling for is the addition of affordable housing units -- something Immigration Partnership Winnipeg says the city is in dire need of.

"[Newcomer] families that come with large family size, for example. They don't find places. Sometimes they have to be split where some family members stay in one apartment and others stay in another, which is not good," explained Garang.

The group would also like to see Portage Place include a community grocery store, food bank and vegetable garden to help with food insecurity in the downtown area.

The collective is also calling for a new take on security, noting more policing in the area won't fix current issues.

"Meeting people's needs creates safety," said Andrée Forest from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. "Communities are safer when everyone's needs are met, so focusing on that is a way to create safety."

The group says a community-led or indigenous peer service could also be used to help with security if the development plan is put in motion.

While formal funding hasn't been pledged for the conversion, the community vision for Portage Place says it is in the best interest of all three levels of government to invest in it.

"If governments had tens of millions of dollars to invest in this project with a private developer at the spearhead of it, it should have equal resources to promote community led development here in Winnipeg," said Josh Brandon, a community animator from the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.

The group is now calling on mayoral hopefuls to take the reigns and make it part of their platform ahead of the Oct. 26 election.

"There's been very little engagement, very little vision for Portage Place from any of the candidates so far, but we see this as an opportunity," said Cam Scott from the West-Broadway Tenants Committee.

The plan has seen interest from area MP Leah Gazan, area MLA Uzoma Asagwara and ward Councillor Cindy Gilroy.

"In the spirit of reconciliation, the city was able to work with Southern Chiefs Organization to give new life to the Hudson Bay building and I see this as an example of what we could do with Portage Place. A community space that includes affordable housing, Indigenous and Newcomer voices are heard and one that makes the community the center of all further developments," said Gilroy in a statement.