Winnipeg Convention Centre unveils expansion plans

From the CBC... The Winnipeg Convention Centre unveiled its plan for expansion Thursday, a move that will provide much more convention space and add a hotel to the downtown site.

The $210-million expansion project, financed with $195 million from three governments, would see the convention centre expanded over York Street into what is now a vacant parking lot.


The lot will help increase the total space to about 307,000 square feet, including one new room with a pillarless (sic) space as large as the entire centre is now.

On top of the expanded centre would be a hotel at least 10 storeys (sic) tall, based on conceptual drawings released Thursday.

Officials said the expansion will bring more than $20 million in taxes and other benefits each year to the city through hotel sales and business for merchants.

No matter that it is a publicly funded facility it should be a boon to our downtown...

We're going to need some place to house all the visitors to the Asker Mausoleum, so we might as well go for it eh?

"Officials said the expansion will bring more than $20 million in taxes and other benefits each year to the city through hotel sales and business for merchants.

No matter that it is a publicly funded facility it should be a boon to our downtown..."

WHY OH WHY!!!! Does the public purse need to be involved in creating a Convention Centre? Dont these things make dump truck loads of money?

Precisely, if it generates $20 million in tax revenue, then imagine the real dollars being generated. That being the case, why doesn't the private sector do it, make a killing and happily pay the $20 million in taxes?

Because they told Leo to in not so many words to screw off.

The worst part? Watching on TV last night they actually had the temerity to show an industry level car show at the TO convention centre and suggest we could get something like that.

Um yeah sure.. perhaps the Detroit autoshow will just come to Winnipeg because we have a new Convention Centre.. yup thats definately going to happen.

That's progressive thing boy's... Maybe no the Detroit car show, but maybe another show that otherwise would have not come here. Is that not what happend when the CC was first opened? Such friggen cynics.

Can we debate the merits of the expanded CC or must we revert to form and whine about money?

whine about money.

and its not whining when it coming at a time that we can not afford it.

Deank wrote:"
WHY OH WHY!!!! Does the public purse need to be involved in creating a Convention Centre? Dont these things make dump truck loads of money?

Well, im not sure anymore, but a long time ago we were connecting the WCC up to the internet. It took us a bit.. and the entire time there was nobody using it... im wondering if its not the 2nd white elephant this city has..
can anybody correct me?

I'm not "up" on these things, but is our convention center a money-maker, a lost-leader, or a money pit?
Are we ever in a real position to attract the big conventions or are we just treading water in terms of convention competition?

Just wondering.

I understood that it was a very busy convention centre. Mayhaps because it has been surpassed by other facilities we don't see as many as perhaps we could.

What does surpass mean? Bigger, nicer boobs, or just employing better sales people?

Every year the City puts money into it from general revenues. You tell me if that mean it makes or looses money.

Maybe they should build a mixed-use building incorporating a museum and convention center....possibly even with a stadium thrown in.

I attend 3-5 "conventions" there each year.
1) There's not enough parking
Every one of them...the underground lot is full and I have to go find a spot somewhere else.
Does the new proposal include digging out the current parking lot and expanding the underground one? Because if not...then all it's really going to do is create more congestion.

2) There's not enough mobility
They always seem to have the escalators running in the wrong direction from where I need to go. Or they are closed because they are broken. Hopefully there's something in the new design to make transitioning from area to area simpler and easier.

This is a waste of money as the old one has never lived up to the talk that sold it to start. I agree with jtf is it really needed some how, there has never been a rush to have conventions here

Pavolo wrote:This is a waste of money as the old one has never lived up to the talk that sold it to start. I agree with jtf is it really needed some how, there has never been a rush to have conventions here

How do you come to this conclusion Pavolo? I understand this convention centre was extraordinarily successful in its day.

I compare it to some where like Minneapolis or Omaha Neb how about Calgary which is booked for almost all of the year ahead we are not that . We are not the destination of choice , Omaha has more insurance conferences than any other place around read it well there for a security conference .

Well sure. That is why they are expanding. But ya said "has never lived up to the talk that sold it to start". How did you come to this conclusion? That suggests it has never been successful. When at one time it was one of the most successful in Canada.

Can we name the big conventions that it has had in the last 10 yrs not enough to pay the bills as it is very much subsidised from day 1 . If we don't attract the bussines is it really the place or is it the lack of desire to come here .

If you build it they will come...

I'm tired. Time for a break...

Is our main selling feature the fact we are in the center of Canada and easy to get to?

Takes alot more them that to lure in the big shows and conventions . A Lot of small firms teleconference now to to save cost's. This is one project I am opposed to using tax dollars for . We have Winnipegs most succesful hotel man wanting to build and the dumb ass Mayor of ours is sticking his thumb up his ass and oposing all suggested projects. Sam you are a spinelees twit indeed .

There is no way I feel like having my Taxes pay for this.

They should have accepted Ledohowsky's Proposal. Could have had the best of both worlds. No hotel room tax and a professionally run Convention center that would have made a profit as Leo is not inclined to buy money losing properties/ventures.

After reading that linked story it does not appear Leo made a proposal. In any event I'm all for the private sector taking the lead on the convention centre. But other than Leo's trial balloon I don't see a whole lot of peeps coming forward with offers to buy the convention centre and spend $200 million in improvements...