WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham took to the stage recently to commit to working together on economic revitalization of the province’s capital city as well as other areas in need.
The two leaders took part in a question-and-answer session at an Economic Development Winnipeg (EDW) reception during the organization’s annual general meeting moderated by EDW president and CEO Ryan Kuffner.
Kinew said Winnipeg is core to the provincial GDP and growth but infrastructure investment can’t focus just within or around the Perimeter and that Westman, the Pembina Valley and northern Manitoba are all priorities for investing in infrastructure, states a Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) release.
He also pledged to collaborate with business to allow them to grow and attract new investment.
Gillingham focused on securing federal dollars to support the North End Water Pollution Control Centre as well as the extension of Chief Peguis Trail and the Kenaston projects, which are currently under study but not funded.
He also noted economic growth cannot be secured without economic reconciliation and that the Kenaston projects feeds into this, as the Naawi-Oodena project – a $1.2-billion Indigenous-led economic development zone – requires the expansion work, the release said.
Both leaders concurred more work needs to be done to revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown core, but highlighted projects currently in the planning stages such as the Railside project at the Forks, the Marketing Lands across from City Hall and The Bay development and a new hotel on Broadway.
“For me, success is if you’re proud to come downtown – are you proud to bring an investor, a client, a business partner downtown,” Kinew said. “Is it your first choice to go for a bite to eat? I want the answer to be unequivocally yes. Let’s bring people downtown.”
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