In preparation for its centennial in 2021, the Winnipeg Foundation is hoping to entice the city to bump up a pair of infrastructure projects it believes will enrich the city’s future as well as preserve its past.
The foundation announced it is offering the City of Winnipeg up to $5 million to renovate the William Street Library and build a pedestrian and cycling bridge between downtown and Osborne Village. According to the foundation, both projects are low on the city’s to-do list.
Renovations began on the William Street Library in 2013 which would have transformed it into a modern archival facility with a temperature-controlled storage vault, moveable shelving, workspaces and area for public-focused programming, research and community engagement. However, during construction, rainwater spilled in through a roof opening, destroying some of the documents and prompting their relocation to a storage building.
The archives have stayed there for the past five years as the city has been slow to complete the library renovations. The Association of Canadian Archivists has pleaded with the city to protect its archives, writing a letter imploring them to find a solution. According to the association, Winnipeg’s archival collection is renowned across Canada and stands as one of the nation’s most valued repositories.
In 2018, Winnipeg’s library was listed as one of the country’s most at-risk buildings by the National Trust for Canada, which placed it on its Top 10 Endangered Places list for that year.
The Winnipeg Foundation’s CEO Rick Frost explained their goal is to encourage the city to take a “learning centre” approach to the library renovations. Community archives could teach the social and Indigenous history of the city, he said, including those parts of the story not adequately captured in archival documents.
“In our city there is an emphasis on truth and reconciliation,” Frost said. “If we thought of the archives as more of a learning centre we could teach some of the things that aren’t shown in the documents. We have a view that it could be a positive influence in the city.”
Frost added it also could be a way for organizations with the expertise or funding to get help curating their own collections.
“Because we have a lot in the bank earning income, those are gifts we have received from the past and so in a way the board really wanted to pay respect to the past,” explained Frost. “We want to recognize that we owe a debt to those donors.”
The foundation also hopes to jump-start plans for a pedestrian bridge to connect the high-density population centres of Broadway-Assiniboine and Osborne Village. The bridge would also become a link to the Pembina Highway cycle tracks and Osborne Rapid Transit Station. There are currently three design proposals.
“This would bridge two high-density neighbourhoods in Winnipeg and certainly would be a landmark,” said Frost. “It would effectively make two parks one. I think there is a real opportunity to join these neighbourhoods and take advantage of infrastructure on both sides of the river. It would be an indicator of a progressive city, a forward-looking, interesting city.”
Frost said the city is currently working on its budget and he expects once that is complete the foundation will have a better idea if its $5 million gift will work to get the pair of projects underway.
The foundation has invested in signature capital projects in the past. Its largest grant to the city was $1 million for the Saint Boniface Belvedere promenade currently under construction on Tache Avenue.
The largest grant in its history was for $6 million and supported construction of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
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