What renovations are coming to Winnipeg's Chinatown

Fall is shaping up to be a busy time for Winnipeg’s Chinatown as parts of the neighbourhood are set to undergo a renovation that’s been years in the making.

The plan is to renovate the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre through the creation of a public gallery.

According to Ben Lee, the former chair of the cultural centre, it’s taken years to gather enough funds to move ahead with the makeover. He said the goal is to create a space that showcases the richness of Winnipeg’s Chinatown.

“If you go through Chinatown now, there’s a lot of empty buildings, parking lots, but we still have time to capture a lot of the historical elements of Chinatown and have it featured in the gallery for all to see and enjoy,” Lee said.

There are also plans in place this fall for Chinatown to host a night market.

Lee, who is chair of the Chinatown Night Market, said this year’s market will include a citizenship ceremony and an arm wrestling contest. The gallery and night market are all part of a strategy to build the Chinatown of tomorrow.

“We have great relationships with Downtown BIZ, Exchange Biz, the Winnipeg Foundation,” he said.

“I think we have good relationships with Mayor Gillingham and our elected officials in the province and the federal government, so if we all work together we can make this a better place.”

To find out more about the plans to transform Winnipeg’s Chinatown, watch the video above.

- With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow.