After almost three years of the pandemic, downtown Winnipeg’s recovery is underway, although some remain concerned about safety and about the viability of businesses in the area.
Kate Fenske of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) told Global News she’s seeing some positive signs, but downtown’s recovery depends on a number of factors, not a single solution.
“We know it’s going to take time. It’s not just one thing that’s going to make the difference,” Fenske said.
“It’s so great to have the students back at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College downtown — they really bring a lot of energy — but what people are doing is they’re looking for entertainment, they’re looking for unique experiences.
“People are spending a lot more on entertainment — not so much on retail — so we really need to lean into that. What is the experience you can get when you’re downtown?”
Fenske said there were four new businesses opened in the area in January, plus another three at the end of December 2022. While that’s a positive sign, she said the ultimate goal when it comes to getting more feet on downtown streets is to change people’s focus from thinking of downtown as merely a central business district to more of a social gathering hub.
“It’s also about more parks, more public space — that’s very critical moving forward. It’s about people,” she said.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity.”
Loren Remillard of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce agrees that downtown is a work in progress, but there’s still some optimism to be had.
“Downtown’s that proverbial coin — on one side we know we have challenges with some businesses closing, we have some challenges with addictions, with crime … but that’s one side of the coin,” he said.
“We’re (also) seeing some investment in our downtown — residential, business, commercial. So you can never say it’s one thing or the other. Overall, I’d say the state of our downtown is recovering, but we need some help.”
Remillard told Global News that some of the confidence about downtown recovery comes from departing businesses being replaced by new ones that better suit the needs of the community.
“I think it’s important we get it right, as opposed to getting it right now,” he said.
“We’ve seen in other cities that when there’s a quick rush to fill a hole in a downtown … that you’re more focused on filling it as opposed to filling it correctly.”
Business improvements aside, there remains a perception that the city’s downtown is unsafe.
Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth told Global News he’s been watching the community “come alive” again as workers return to their offices and foot traffic continues to grow after a pandemic-imposed slowdown.
“We certainly saw residuals of the pandemic and some of the impact it had on us for a long time,” Smyth said.
“We saw an increase in some crime downtown, but perception plays a big reality, and when there’s not a lot of people around, that kind of enhances that a little bit. As we see more people, I think people feel safer.”
Smyth said that’s been proven by the large crowds that flood the downtown every time there’s a Winnipeg Jets home game or a concert at Canada Life Centre.
“You see thousands of people downtown, and it brings a sense of security,” he said.
“That’s what we’re trying to strive for — to make people feel safer.”