Downtown Wininpeg Retail Strategy

Hello everyone,

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ recently undertook a study to create a downtown retail strategy to support existing and attract new retailers to create a more vibrant downtown.

This just one part of the whole picture for downtown development that, of course, includes also dealing with issues of housing, safety, cleanliness etc., but we'd love to get your feedback and opinions on what you think of this particular aspect of downtown Winnipeg's improvement plan.

Please click on the link, http://www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com/home/business/retail_strategy/

Thank you,
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ

If only we could go back in time. Maybe the 60's/70's before urban sprawl, before big box stores. I remember the good times, shopping at Eatons and the Bay with my Grandmother. Having lunch at the Paddle wheel Restaurant at the Bay. I remember woolworths and big 4 sales. Circus Circus, Dr que's, Mothers, Records on Wheels etc...

I doubt downtown will ever have that charm again. Pity.

I sincerely wish you luck with this initiative. I too wax nostalgic when it comes to Winnipeg's downtown. So I'd love to see it live again.

I don' think there is anything you folks can do short term to turn the downtown into a shopping destination (excepting the exchange district) as it is nearly impossible to compete with the malls (parking and indoor).

Another challenge is trying to develop three areas at once. This seems unique to Winnipeg. We try too much at once, thereby doing everything poorly. Pick one thing and excel at it. Then move on to the next project.

Your greatest challenge is the chicken and egg thing. Create a destination and they will come. Or develop much more housing, at all price points, and grow the population of downtown.

Start there me thinks. Start with a plan that will double the population living downtown.

Triple or quadruple the police presence and discourage the seamier peeps that discourage peeps from visiting and living downtown.

Good luck.

I would think that more people working and living downtown like the Hydro building is the key.
My wife when she says I am going to The Bay, wouldn't ever mean the downtown one. She wants easy parking, and she has this vision of being hassled by beggars.
Twice she went downtown for a meeting with her car and the $200 cost to replace the back, smahed window was pretty ugly!

Something really needs to be done to fix up Cityplace and Portage Place. CP is completely barren on the second floor except for two or three shops and the food court. Portage Place has little to offer shopping wise for example menswear is a complete joke International Clothes dosen't cut it. When it comes to electronics there isn't anything other than HMV which isn't much for a city our size. You also have the panhandling problem and the whole Portage Place area has become a haven for drug dealers (bus shelter, food court doors Air Canada building).

Solution to downtown woes: build condos and apartments, and make the downtown core more resident friendly. Hire cops to walk the streets. Impose fines on people who display antisocial behaviour (drunkenness, fighting, lewdness, etc).

When the people come to live downtown, only then will the malls prosper.

Yes and make parking lots a expensive piece of collateral , to have in the bank . Tax it more then buildings on the lot ,

I've said it many times.

When one realizes that every city has a slum area and we just cleaned ours up (Main Street) and relocated those people to Portage Avenue.

When we decide where the slum area can go, other than Portage Avenue, we can start to clean up Portage Avenue and begin to relocate (or gentrify) that area and all the stars will realign again.

Or...we can continue to believe that we can be the only city in the world without a slum and those people.

We really are doing the same thing and expecting different results one has to admit. I mean, this bloody revitilization crap has been going on for 30 fricken years already!!! Time to figure it out I'd say and recognize the fcuken elephant in the room.

It sounds to me that City Place could be converted , with setting up cots, for the homeless, and then every other homeless person, or those that have spent their welfare money, should be removed to the North End, where they deserve to be!

Have you considered having the Guardian Angels walk the beat downtown to create a higher sense of security for the average citizen?

"Impose fines on people who display antisocial behaviour (drunkenness, fighting, lewdness, etc).
"

How do you fine someone who wont pay the fine? Is there an acceptible level of fines before you order them banned from the city by sundown?

More police!! That's it???

Good luck with that.

Our police department uses up an extremely significant part of the day to day budget. Do we really need more cops regardless of if they are paid for by the city, the province or the feds since the reality is they all get their money from one source anyway.