Downtown Winnipeg is getting a bad rap — at least according to those who live and work in the area.
Although the city centre has had its struggles with crime, building vacancies, and other issues — especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — the area’s boosters say there’s plenty to love about the neighbourhood as well.
“I like being central, and downtown kind of has its own scene during the day and during the night,” longtime downtown resident Graham Constant told Global Winnipeg.
“I also really like walking around everywhere downtown. … I don’t drive, and that’s particularly why I live downtown, because it’s easy to get in any direction of the city.”
Although the area still lacks large-scale supermarkets, he said, there are a number of smaller spots to buy groceries — and the access to restaurants and entertainment are top-notch.
As for downtown’s reputation for crime, Constant said he hasn’t experienced much personally over his more than seven years in the area, and that — like anywhere else — it’s a matter of being aware of your surroundings.
“Just keep your eyes open. I’m not saying watch your back everywhere you go, just be aware of the situation or the area you’re going to. It comes down to just being aware of your situation and knowing how to de-escalate or avoid the situation entirely.”
Through his involvement with the new Pitikwe indoor skateboard park at Portage Place, Constant said he’s seen first-hand that having community-friendly amenities can be a boon to the area.
“We recently had our grand opening on Oct. 27, and we filled the building up. We maxed our capacity out and we had people lining up waiting to get a session in,” he said.
“So that tells you that our community needed a space like this, somewhere that was central, somewhere easily accessible.”
David Pensato of the Exchange District BIZ says there are parts of the wider downtown area that continue to be in high demand for apartment-dwellers, including the Waterfront Drive area and the Exchange itself.
“I think the reason you’re seeing so many people interested in living here right now is because the Exchange has got about 35 to 40 restaurants, all within a 15-minute walk,” he said.
“You’ve got the theatre, you’ve got the symphony, you’ve got all kinds of unique retail shopping experiences. … You’re a 20-minute walk at most to the Forks, you’re in proximity to everything, and you’re in this tight little neighbourhood.”
Pensato said the Exchange offers a different experience than many other parts of town, which has a lot to do with how quickly units get snapped up.
“The market is really healthy here. It’s a product in Winnipeg that doesn’t really exist anywhere else.
“In a lot of other cities, you have this sort of urban downtown neighbourhood with a lot of stuff going on, a lot of amenities, a lot of places that are really walkable, and the Exchange District is really starting to fill that gap in Winnipeg.”
New developments in the downtown area are also trying to create that unique vibe.
Frank Koch-Schulte of Edison Properties told Global Winnipeg that his newest building, Smith Street Lofts, aims to make those high-demand amenities available right on-site.
“We found that the type of person who wants to live downtown, it isn’t really an age demographic per se, it’s more of an attitude,” Koch-Schulte said.
“They want to be close to the theatre, close to the arena, and have a lot of options in walking distance.”
Making the building pet-friendly, and offering high-speed Internet through a partnership with Rogers, as well as the inclusion of on-site features like coffee shops and more, are feeding the demand and attracting young professionals to the city’s core.
“I really like (downtown). The more people that we get down here, the better it’ll get. There’s lots of things to do and see.”
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