When Winnipeggers go to the polls Wednesday, they won’t just be electing civic officials. They’ll also be voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on opening Winnipeg’s iconic Portage and Main intersection to pedestrian traffic.
Regardless of the election results, the local group behind the Vote Open campaign says it’s pleased by the amount of awareness that has been raised about the Portage and Main question.
You can see the results after the polls close here.
“I’m glad the campaign’s over. It’s been a long one,” Vote Open spokesperson Adam Dooley told 680 CJOB Thursday morning.
“We’ve had a lot of positives out of the campaign. Obviously it has started a lot of debate.
“We had a discussion about the importance of walkable cities and how they generally lead to better physical and mental health, as well as economic health,” he said.
“We’ve talked about the importance of accessibility and how Portage and Main doesn’t meet those standards and couldn’t be built the same way today.”
Dooley said there’s so much work that needs to be done at the famous intersection in upcoming years, that the issue is likely to stick around – at least in terms of public debate – whatever happens at the polls.
The Vote Open campaign, which culminated in a free, outdoor Open Fest concert Saturday, raised about $60,000 over the course of the election.
It’s a far cry from the goal of $100,000 to pay for a public information campaign about the benefits of opening the intersection to pedestrians, but Dooley said it’s a success nonetheless.
“We’ve found a group of people who are all really passionate about the subject,” he said. “We can’t thank Winnipeggers enough for their outpouring of support, not just in finances but in volunteers as well.
“We didn’t reach our $100,000, but I’m just thrilled with the amount that we did bring in, but from individuals and corporations.”
“Let’s hope we can all get back to agreeing on cheering for the Jets and coming together as a city.”
Voting in the civic election, which includes the Portage and Main question, runs until 8 p.m. Wednesday. The results of the question about the intersection are non-binding.
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