WINNIPEG — Winnipeg may be in the throws of summer, but it seems our harsh spring could be behind some safety concerns at a downtown dock.
The City of Winnipeg has closed the Alexander Dock after deeming the landing a safety concern, saying ice and flood damage could be to blame after high water levels on the Red River this year.
The dock appears to have sustained damage in recent months and the site needs a full assessment, a city spokesperson said.
“The stability is great, there’s going to be cosmetic stuff like this but the piles underneath the dock are very safe,” said M.S. River Rouge owner Kyriakos Vogiatzakis.
The M.S. River Rouge docks there but according to the City, docking, loading, and unloading passengers won’t be permitted anymore. But Vogiatzakis is defying those rules.
“I’m left to do what I’ve got to do and I’ve got to run my operation, there’s hundreds of bookings we still have to do on this ship and I continue to honour each and every one of them,” said Vogiatzakis.
Vogiatzakis said high river levels from the spring floods already forced him to move the ship to Selkirk for the past few months and putting the dock out of commission will further harm his business.
A spokesperson for the City said they understand the importance of the River Rouge and they’re going to try to work with Vogiatzakis to come to a solution.
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