WINNIPEG

This Winnipeg building may get a historical designation, but not all are on board

Published Friday, September 18, 2020 12:53PM CST

Manitoba Public Insurance in the Cityplace building in downtown Winnipeg. (File image)

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WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg's downtown City Place building could receive a heritage designation, but it's unclear who gets the final say.

On Thursday, the city's committee on Property and Development, Heritage, and Downtown Development voted to add the structure formally known as the T. Eaton company mail order and catalog building, to its list of historical resources.

The building was built in 1916 and 1920, as an addition to the T. Eaton's Company presence in Downtown Winnipeg, according to a report submitted to the committee.

The issue, its current owners Manitoba Public Insurance aren't on board. An MPI spokesperson told the committee yesterday that the city doesn't have legal authority to enforce historical designation on a provincially-owned building.

Now, the committee is formally asking the province to designate the property under its heritage resource act.