Winnipeg councillor calls Portage and Main opening a mistake on eve of vote

With an imminent vote on the future of Portage and Main set to take place at City Hall on Thursday, one Winnipeg city councillor is sounding off about the proposal to re-open the iconic intersection.

Coun. Russ Wyatt told 680 CJOB’s The Start he doesn’t share mayor Scott Gillingham’s optimism about the proposed changes, and thinks opening Portage and Main to pedestrians for the first time since 1979 would be a dangerous mistake.

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“There will be injuries and unfortunately there will probably be deaths related to the opening of Portage and Main… that could have been prevented had it not been opened,” he said.

Wyatt, whose Transcona ward lies to the extreme east of the city’s downtown, said the decision will also be a fatal blow to the businesses operating in Winnipeg Square — the underground concourse created after the intersection was closed to pedestrians.

“You close the concourse, Winnipeg Square as we know it is probably dead. Those shops inside Winnipeg Square rely on that concourse. They rely on the draw of not just one tower on the corner of Portage and Main, but all four towers to be able to bring people through to them.”

Click to play video: 'Winnipeg mayor continues to push for opening of Portage and Main'

Winnipeg mayor continues to push for opening of Portage and Main

Gillingham — who was opposed to opening the intersection as a city councillor during a 2018 plebiscite on the issue — announced earlier this month that new information caused him to change his opinion on Portage and Main.

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Namely, a city report has found that a much-needed replacement to the waterproof membrane that protects the underground pedestrian concourse would cost upwards of $73 million and require years of disruptive construction.

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The mayor also said the city loses $1 million each year to maintain the underground circus — and that the issues plaguing the area have been known, to some extent, by council for a number of years post-plebiscite.

Wyatt said other cities are able to maintain similar infrastructure… and the fact that Winnipeg can’t is very telling.

“There’s something bigger happening inside the city and that’s poor financing and poor long-term planning taking place, because we don’t have a handle on our existing infrastructure that is collapsing.”

Click to play video: 'Reaction to Portage and Main pedestrian plan'

Reaction to Portage and Main pedestrian plan

Although Winnipeggers voted at close to a 65/35 split to keep the intersection closed in 2018, later reports indicated that the vast majority of those who voted ‘no’ on re-opening Portage and Main were commuters who didn’t live in the immediate area.

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Portage and Main has long been an iconic intersection for Winnipeggers. Canada’s coldest and windiest intersection, according to a popular local urban myth, it has served as an unofficial meeting site for protests, street parties, parades, and other events throughout the city’s history from the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike to celebrations when Winnipeg was awarded an NHL franchise in 2011.

Council is set to hold its final vote on the issue at a Thursday meeting.

Click to play video: 'Group representing building owners, managers calls on city to reconsider plan to close underground concourse'

Group representing building owners, managers calls on city to reconsider plan to close underground concourse

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