Economic Development in Winnipeg

After years of solid building permit and construction activity, Winnipeg’s outlook remains strong with overall building permit values in 2008, growing by 15% to over $1 billion, the best growth rate of major cities in Canada. Building permit value growth was led by the industrial and commercial markets.

Destination Winnipeg tracks projects with permit values exceeding one million dollars and compiles an annual list of construction projects that have been issued a permit.

The Revitalization of Winnipeg’s Downtown

Winnipeg’s downtown core is undergoing a dynamic rebirth. The Exchange District will see many retrofits of historic buildings in the near future. Many of these projects will be aimed at high-tech sector tenancies.

Downtown has welcomed new businesses, such as Winnipeg’s sports and entertainment complex -- the MTS Centre and United Equities, who developed a 40,000 square-foot office building in the heart of Winnipeg’s downtown - the first new office construction in the area in decades.

In addition, Canwest Global Communications Corp. expanded its operations in downtown Winnipeg as part of an ongoing program to introduce new operating efficiencies from the integration of its major television, publishing and internet assets. This includes a fully integrated regional contact centre and a new digital broadcast centre.

Waterfront Drive

Situated in the historic East Exchange area, Waterfront Drive stretches from Lombard Avenue north to Higgins Avenue. The project incorporates a landscaped roadway, ornamental lighting and a enhanced redesigned Stephen Juba Park along the Red River. The park features an extensive multi-user path system, open areas and several new public art works by local artists. The roadway is designed to promote slow movement of traffic through features like Winnipeg’s first traffic circle at the Bannatyne Avenue intersection.

The $9.1 million project was funded by the governments of Canada, Manitoba and Winnipeg through the Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Program.

The area also is poised to become the location of four high-quality, mixed-use condominium developments with over 200 units, representing a projected $48 million in private sector investment. The condo's are the result of a conceptual vision championed by CentreVenture, the steward of Waterfront Drive lands. Two of buidings have already welcomed their first residents.

Manitoba Hydro Office Tower

Construction of the new $278 million world-class energy efficient headquarters for Manitoba Hydro is almost completed. The 22-storey building will encompass approximately 690,000 square feet and include public, retail, commercial and Manitoba Hydro office space for nearly 2,000 employess. It also includes eco-areas, which will allow the tower to achieve the building’s energy reduction target of 60% – making it one of the most energy efficient buildings in the world.

The building will be connected to the downtown elevated walkway stystem and provides street level retail activity, as well as offering a landscaped public courtyard.

MTS Centre

In November 2004, MTS Centre opened, as North America’s newest state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue. MTS Centre is a $133.5 million downtown entertainment, sports and performing area complex on Portage Avenue in the heart of downtown. The private-sector True North Sports and Entertainment Limited provided about 70% in project costs; the three levels of government contributed close to 30%.

The downtown facility provides up to 17,000 seats for concerts and over 15,000 seats for hockey. The design allows for configuring the facility for audiences down to about 4,000.

In its first few years, MTS Centre has already established itself as one of the busiest arenas in North America.

New Research Investment - Biotechnology

• Development of Smartpark at the University of Manitoba houses an incubation centre for life sciences technology, and a $25 million Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
• A $3 million breast cancer research facility by CancerCare Manitoba
• An $11 million Centre for Commercialization of Biomedical Technology located at the National Research Centre’s Institute for Biodiagnostics
• Cangene Corporation, a leader in specialty hyperimmune plasma and biotechnology products recently completed a $30 million expansion of its plasma fractionation facility
• A $28 million expansion of Biovail Corporation’s Steinbach facility, to accommodate the company’s new biopharmaceutical products

Airport Site Redevelopment Project

Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. led an in-depth site redevelopment planning process over the past several years which established a design consistent with their vision of leading transportation innovation and growth on behalf of the community. The Airport Site Redevelopment Program is recognized as the largest single project in the history of Winnipeg at an estimated cost of $572 million. The project is funded through the Airport Improvement Fee.

Scheduled for completion in 2010, the Airport Site Redevelopment Program includes a Terminal Building, which will be approximately 51,000 square metres, a four level Parkade with 1,559 stalls as well as Groundside and Airside improvements.

Winnipeg Floodway Expansion Project

The Red River Floodway Expansion Project will increase flood protection for residents of Winnipeg, East St. Paul and West St. Paul. Once completed the project will protect more than 450,000 Manitobans, over 140,000 homes and over 8,000 businesses, preventing more than $12 billion in damages to the provincial economy in the event of a 1-in-700 year flood.

The expansion is expected to take place over five years (2005 - 2010) at a total cost of $665 million with channel widening complete by Spring 2009 and bridge work carrying over until Spring 2010.

To date the federal and provincial governments have jointly contributed $324 million to the project.