Mayor encouraged after downtown housing unit approvals reach 15-year high

The city approved more than 1,000 new downtown housing units last year, marking a 15-year high, while work continues to help entice people to move to the area.

Building permits were issued for 1,040 new downtown dwelling units in 2025, nearly double the 596 issued in 2018 and greatly improved from the 141 granted during the post-pandemic slowdown in 2022, city data show.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the permit data reflects renewed interest in developing downtown.

“Before the pandemic, Winnipeg’s downtown had a lot of momentum and now we really see that momentum is really strong again,” he said.

Siloam Mission staffers demand CEO be removed one week into the job

Siloam Mission staff members are calling for the removal of the inner-city shelter’s new CEO and its board chair, as well as an independent review of its executive leadership and board oversight.

They allege CEO Sonia Prevost-Derbecker, who was formally introduced in the role Feb. 20, has made derogatory and demeaning remarks about Indigenous people, individuals struggling with substance use, and the neighbourhood around the 300 Princess St. building. They said they were also concerned she had asked about her personal spending authority.

“Our position remains firm: meaningful governance change is required,” said a recent email from staff to the shelter’s board of directors.

“We believe this includes the removal of (chair Tracey Silagy) from the board and the replacement of Sonia as CEO. Without these steps, confidence cannot be restored.”

Airport land development expected to draw massive investment, create jobs in aerospace, aviation

Government and industry leaders are banking on a $32-million airport land development to cement Winnipeg as a national leader in economic growth and trade.

In a joint announcement Friday, the federal and provincial governments, alongside the Winnipeg Airports Authority and the City of Winnipeg, outlined a plan to develop 127 acres of land west of the airport into direct-access runways.

“You can think of this as beachfront property. This is very valuable for businesses in key sectors such as aerospace, aviation, trade enabling and logistics that need that direct proximity to air side operations,” said Nick Hays, the WAA’s president and CEO.

“It is very unusual to have an airport… with that scale of land right next to the runway that has not been developed. Today’s announcement is about putting in the investment that services that land to unlock that opportunity.”

Almost 12% of city parks, open spaces in poor condition: report

Nearly 12 per cent of the city’s parks and open-space assets are in poor or very poor condition and it would cost $108.5 million to replace them, a new city report says.

Eight of 10 people using bus to get downtown unhappy after system overhaul, BIZ survey reveals

“The level of dissatisfaction — that is dire,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins. “Winnipeggers are… voting with their feet. They’re not taking transit anymore. We’re losing revenue.”

Winnipeg School Division proposes 9.3 per cent tax increase

Manitoba’s largest school division has tabled a draft budget that raises local property taxes by upwards of nine per cent.

The Winnipeg School Division has released a $549.7-million blueprint for its 82 schools, which are attended by 32,000 children.

The plan freezes staffing at current levels, upgrades information technology systems and resumes full-day kindergarten.

“What we’re proposing is basically a stand-pat budget where we want to maintain (our roster of) teachers, EAs and clinicians, ” chief superintendent Matt Henderson told a public budget meeting on Tuesday. “With that, though, comes some pressure.”

Councillor calls for permanent bike lanes on Wellington stretch

The chair of Winnipeg’s public works committee wants the city to scrap plans for temporary bike lanes on part of Wellington Crescent and immediately proceed with a permanent protected route.

Coun. Janice Lukes wants permanent lanes to be installed in 2027 if her proposal is approved, although some proponents worry there will be more delays if plans change for a road they consider unsafe.

“I know this is frustrating and it’s challenging, but we’ve got the money — move it up and let’s just do it right the first time,” Lukes told reporters.

The city on Wednesday published a staff report and design for temporary lanes on a one-kilometre section between Academy Road and Stradbrook Avenue, after getting public input on a proposed $436,000 pilot project.

Heavenly Coco Cafe owners order up Chilean, Portuguese pride

A taekwondo lesson and a chat — that’s how a new Chilean- and Portuguese-owned café was born in Winnipeg.

Councillors approve developer’s request to cut number of affordable units in new West Broadway apartment block

City councillors have approved a developer’s request to reduce the number of affordable housing units that will be included in the construction of a new Sherbrook Street apartment complex.

‘Abolish ICE’ gets most votes in Chicago snowplow-naming contest; ‘Stephen Coldbert’ also a winner

When it comes to putting a name to Chicago's annual battle against its infamously inclement weather, it turns out that the practical is also the political.

“Abolish ICE” was the top vote-getter in the city's “You Name a Snowplow” contest. Choosing the protest slogan with a double meaning proved a potent way for voters to jab at President Donald Trump after he sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers into the city and its suburbs last fall in a major immigration crackdown.

With a surge of ICE officers beginning in September, “Operation Midway Blitz” resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, a fatal shooting and a sour taste among Chicago's Democratic leaders and many of its residents, particularly in large immigrant populations. Despite mid-winter frigid cold, “ICE Out” protests in recent weeks have continued downtown, near ICE facilities and throughout the suburbs.

The snowplow-naming contest, in its fourth year, also produced winning names ranging from those paying tribute to the new pope, who hails from Chicago, to a homegrown horror purveyor and the popular quarterback of the city's NFL franchise. The top six winners will get a snowplow named in their honor.

Big rent hikes — a made-in-Manitoba problem

Premier Wab Kinew began 2026 by capping the price of milk in a bid to make life more affordable for Manitobans.

Now, Manitobans feeling the pinch of stagnant wages and inflation won’t have to swallow cost increases with their morning bowl of cereal. This spring, the premier has an opportunity to address one of the single largest monthly household expenses paid by Manitobans: rent.

Few provinces regulate milk prices, but most Canadian jurisdictions regulate rents. In Manitoba, rent increases are allowed once a year and capped based on changes in the consumer price index. This annual rent guideline is a fair process that accounts for increased costs while protecting tenants from rent gouging.

Despite these rules, each year thousands of tenants continue to face huge rent hikes — some well over 100 per cent.

Entrepreneurs lauded as Manitoba Queer Chamber of Commerce’s biz awards return

When Alana Fiks and Angela Farkas opened Black Market Provisions, they hired one employee and almost couldn’t imagine bringing on more.

“We tend to be sort of scared and risk averse, so even the thought of having employees at the time seemed like a dream to us,” said Fiks, who started the shop with Farkas in Winnipeg’s South Osborne neighbourhood almost seven years ago.

The entrepreneurs have built a workplace culture rooted in respect, transparency and well-being. Today, Black Market Provisions has four full-time and six part-time employees.

The Manitoba Queer Chamber of Commerce recognized Fiks and Farkas earlier this week when the organization named the duo as finalists for the Employer of the Year Award as part of its 10th annual MQCC Business Awards.

Kitchener tiny-home initiative has outsized positive impact on the homeless community

KITCHENER, Ont. — Like most Canadians, Mari dreams about having a bigger home for her boyfriend Rob and their dog, Trouble, a mutt of undefined origins.

The trio currently resides in an eight-by-10-foot dwelling at A Better Tent City, Kitchener’s tiny-home community for homeless people. But Trouble, who is 18 months old and earns his name each and every day, is a big reason why Mari would like more space.

Having said that, Mari, 42, is in no hurry to leave ABTC, which has provided her with a safe and stable place to live for the last five years.

“Before I lived here, I was living in a tent anywhere I could,” Mari said. “The last place I had been was the parking lot at the soup kitchen. Before that, I lived in a field across from the U-Haul.”

Food truck operating out of back lane shut down

A food truck that operated in a Tyndall Park neighbourhood back lane has been shut down for breaking multiple city bylaws.

Jaspi’s Recipes food truck had its health permit pulled and the vehicle was ordered to be towed from Dexter Street for contravening residential weight restrictions and not having the proper permits to operate a home-based business.

City spokesperson Pam McKenzie confirmed Thursday bylaw officers visited the property and ordered the truck removed from the alley on Tuesday.

Area resident Christine Mallari told the Free Press earlier this week the owner had been serving food out of the truck for months and, with it, came countless cars driving down the alley and litter pilling up against the adjacent fences.

Resident challenges Anne Oake centre variance

A resident has appealed a zoning variance for a women’s recovery centre, claiming the project’s parking lot will bring too much traffic and disruptive lighting to the neighbourhood.

Farhad Ghazizadeh-Ehsaei says the approval of 68 parking spaces for the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre will cause disturbances in the Montcalm neighbourhood.

“This is likely to contribute to congestion, unsafe vehicle movements, and increased pressure on nearby residential streets not designed to accommodate this volume of traffic,” Ghazizadeh-Ehsaei said in an appeal application for a city variance granted for the project.

The applicant claims the expanded parking area will have noise impacts on the surrounding neighbourhood, as well as a loss of privacy and a disturbance from vehicle headlights.

City library visits up 28 per cent from 2022

Visits to Winnipeg libraries have increased, but changing habits may prevent them from reaching pre-pandemic levels, new data show.

In-person visits to the city’s 20 library branches in 2025 increased 28 per cent from 2022, the first year visits began to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have yet to return to the “before” times.

There were 2.14 million visits in 2025, up from 2.08 million in 2024, but still down from 2019’s 2.4 million visits. The library’s highest year since 2012 was in 2016 when the branches saw 2.77 million visits.

During the pandemic, visits plummeted; there were only 622,000 visits in 2021 and 804,000 in 2020.

New homes, businesses and parks anchor plan for revitalized Point Douglas

An ambitious, decades-long plan to revitalize Point Douglas proposes a balanced mix of new homes, businesses and light industrial sites with the aim of creating a safe, inclusive and complete neighbourhood.

Some residents, business owners and local councillors expressed hope and optimism Wednesday after the city published details of the proposed secondary plan for one of Winnipeg’s oldest areas.

“Unfortunately, Point Douglas has been known as an area that just gets dumped on, and it’s really disheartening to hear that from the community in that they’re so desperate for some revitalization and some TLC,” said Point Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos, whose ward includes South Point Douglas, which borders downtown Winnipeg.

“I really hope that in the next decade or so we’re going to see some really good plans and revitalization, and people really wanting to invest and work, live and play here.”

Making the most of Winnipeg’s biggest opportunity

The critical moral test for any community is the world it leaves for its children.

Without a doubt, Winnipeggers want all their city’s young people to have successful lives. Here are things we know make success possible: graduating from high school and avoiding disasters like addiction to drugs, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and becoming involved with the criminal justice system.

Most citizens understand this. And if they were told there are proven ways to make it much more likely for our wishes for Winnipeg’s young people to come true, they would probably say “Hey, let’s do more of that!”

But mostly, we don’t.

‘Neighbourhood staple’ Oakwood Cafe to shutter

At one of the Oakwood Cafe’s last lunch rushes, one might guess the restaurant packed full of diners was influenced by the announcement a day earlier the decades-old South Osborne neighbourhood institution would be closing its doors for good.

That’s partially true — some customers beeline to veteran server Kendra Menard with questions, well-wishes and hugs — but every time it happens, a chain reaction follows: diners just here for lunch, shocked, ask their companions if it’s true, if the Oakwood is really closing.

Menard has been a server at the Oakwood for 23 years, almost half her life. It shows: while speaking with the Free Press on Friday, she welcomes guests by name and preps drinks at tables reserved by regulars before they show up.

Pointing to a single-seat table, she tells a story of a regular, Bob, who was at that table for breakfast nearly seven days a week for years. Menard’s children shovelled his snow and staff would call to check on him if he didn’t show up.

‘Nuisance’ protest bylaw stalled after hundreds object

A bylaw that proposed a ban on “nuisance” protests within 100 metres of certain locations has been shelved indefinitely after intense public pushback and and a protest that drew hundreds to city hall Tuesday.

Main Street Project basement becoming donation-based ‘store’

Soon, Winnipeg’s homeless population will have their own store to shop for clothing and hygiene products, free of charge.

The basement of Main Street Project’s Main Street shelter is being transformed into a donation-based “store” where homeless people can pick out the clothes they want, instead of just accepting the donations they are given.

“A lot of the time we like to buy clothes that fit us well and look good and make us feel good. And I think it will be great to be able to offer that same experience to people in the community who may not otherwise have that opportunity,” said Cindy Titus, interim director of development at Main Street Project.

Part of the store will be named Ashley’s Closet, in memory of former Winnipegger Ashley Tokaruk.

Homelessness a humanitarian crisis, Rattray says

Jennifer Rattray says few challenges facing Winnipeg are as urgent as the homeless crisis.

“Collectively as a society, as a province, as a city, we need to do better,” the new executive director of End Homelessness Winnipeg told the Free Press.

She says a humanitarian crisis has unfolded on city streets.

“It’s awful,” she says. “We need to do something, and we need to do more than what we’re currently doing.”