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Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main
Pedestrians will legally cross Portage Avenue and Main Street before the end of next week. On Thursday, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the reopening date is set for June 27. 'After (more than) 45 years of debating whether it should be open or not, we've ended the debate. It's opening and I'm getting very positive feedback from people in the downtown, that live in downtown, that work in downtown, that own businesses in downtown. I'm getting positive comments from people who live in the suburbs as well,' said Gillingham. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The Portage and Main intersection is expected to re-open June 27. At last check, the mayor said the project was within its current budget, which had been bumped up to $21.3 million from $13 million to cover its expedited schedule. The city had aimed to reopen the intersection to foot traffic by the time Winnipeg Transit unveils a new network, on June 29, that will change virtually all of its routes. 'It was very important, all along, that the pedestrian traffic be able to cross at Portage and Main and the construction related to the opening be completed before we make the change in our transit system,' said Gillingham. Pedestrian access at Portage and Main has not been allowed since 1979. Reopening it has been debated for decades, with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voting against the idea in a non-binding 2018 plebiscite. Gillingham originally said he would follow the results of that vote but changed his mind after a city report estimated it would cost $73 million to repair the membrane to renovate the site's underground concourse. He then supported closing the underground, an idea the city is now studying, and reopening the intersection to pedestrians. 'My thinking has (changed). When I drive through the intersection now, these days, I can't help but think how welcoming … the space looks to invite people into all of the buildings,' said Gillingham. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the reopening project triggered few construction complaints. 'I hardly got any pushback on it. The actual (traffic) flow through Portage and Main, all things considered, went extremely well,' said Lukes. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. She said she hopes restoring pedestrian access will end heated debate over the issue. 'Many people have a passion for Portage and Main. It's a very significant hub in our city and… I think it's exciting (to open it),' she said. Opponents of the change argued it wasn't worth its cost and could create significant traffic delays, while supporters argue the change will help rejuvenate and better connect downtown. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Man arrested after attacking Winnipeg Transit supervisors: police
A Winnipeg police vehicle is photographed at a scene in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski The Winnipeg Police Service has made an arrest after a pair of transit supervisors were attacked over the weekend. The incident took place just after 5:30 p.m. on Saturday when the Winnipeg Transit supervisors got on a bus near Fort Street and Graham Avenue to check on the well-being of a man who was sleeping. Police allege that when the man woke up, he became 'agitated' and attacked both supervisors, who suffered minor injuries. When Winnipeg police officers got to the scene, they found the suspect 'still struggling' with the transit supervisors and took him into custody. The 23-year-old suspect has been charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer. Transit supervisors are designated as special constables and carry the powers and protections of a peace officer while performing their duties.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Winnipeg Transit workers injured during assault on bus
Two Winnipeg Transit employees were assaulted over the weekend while checking on the well-being of a man who was sleeping on a city bus. Early Saturday evening, two transit supervisors boarded a bus near the corner of Fort Street and Graham Avenue in downtown Winnipeg to check on the well-being of a man who was sleeping, according to a Monday news release from Winnipeg police. Police said when the man was woken up he became agitated and assaulted both supervisors. They both sustained minor injuries but did not require medical treatment. Police arrived and found the suspect still struggling with the supervisors, and he was taken into custody. A 23-year old man was charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer.
CBC
11-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Workers' compensation costs for City of Winnipeg employees doubled over last 5 years
Workers' compensation costs for emergency responders and bus drivers with the City of Winnipeg have soared in recent years, with more than half of claims made last year related to psychological stress. Over the last five years, workers' compensation costs for the city have more than doubled from $11.8 million in 2020 to $25.5 million in 2024. That year, those costs rose by $6.1 million — a 31 per cent jump, according to a new report to be presented at the executive policy committee meeting next Tuesday. "What the Workers Compensation Board claims really reflect is the health of our city staff," Mayor Scott Gillingham told reporters at an unrelated media event on Wednesday. The city is working with the compensation board, Winnipeg Transit and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service to bring down those costs, he said. "There has to be this balance between making sure we're doing all we can to get our city staff healthy, rehabilitated where possible, and back into the workforce as quickly as possible," Gillingham said. The same report noted there were 914 accepted time-loss claims in 2024, an increase of four per cent, while psychological injury claims rose 14 per cent, accounting for 54 per cent of all time lost. Fire-paramedics and Winnipeg Transit drivers made up the bulk of that increase. Union leaders representing City of Winnipeg workers called the compensation numbers concerning but unsurprising. The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union conducted a survey of 205 paramedics and dispatchers from April 2 to 9. If found 93 per cent had experienced violence on the job, and 71 per cent have considered leaving their job in the last year. The head of the Winnipeg Transit union says it conducted an assessment in December and found 44 drivers were off for mental health injuries. "And those 44 people alone … resulted in the city losing over 19,000 days of work productivity, and that I think has raised an alarm bell with the city," said Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505. United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Nick Kasper says staffing ratios haven't kept up with the demand for service. From 2019 to 2023, structure fires increased by 87 per cent, medical calls went up 23 per cent, and vacant structure fires rose by 244 per cent, Kasper said. "Simply put, our population has grown, our call volume has skyrocketed," he said. "The men and women that are riding our fire trucks are being exposed to unsustainable volumes of calls during their shift." Public works committee chair Coun. Janice Lukes says the nature of the jobs has changed. "It's just a really strange world out there right now," she said, adding that the change is related to drugs and drug-related psychosis. A report on reducing workers' compensation costs is expected to be delivered to council later this year. Replenishing rainy day fund Workers' compensation claims have been blamed for draining the city's fiscal stabilization fund, also known as the rainy day fund, in recent years. In a new report, also on the agenda for the executive policy committee meeting next week, the city says it has found money to begin replenishing it, thanks to operational surpluses of $5.4 million from Winnipeg Transit, $1.8 million from animal services, and $3.7 million in leftover capital funding from the provincial government for the Southwest Rapid Transitway and Pembina Highway underpass payment reserve. The city now expects to have $36.4 million in the fund by the end of the year, nearly double the $18.6 the city had expected earlier this year. Although Gillingham says the city is still well below the target balance of $85.1 million in the fiscal stabilization reserve, the added funds "moves us significantly in the right direction." Compensation costs for City of Winnipeg workers more than doubled in last 5 years 1 hour ago Duration 1:44 Fire-paramedics and bus drivers are among the City of Winnipeg workers who experience some of the highest rates of workplace injuries. The cost of those claims is weighing heavily on the city's finances, according to a new city report.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- CTV News
Winnipeg preparing people for transit route changes with new video
A Winnipeg Transit bus outfitted with information about the new primary network is shown on Osborne Steet on May 1, 2025. (Owen Swinn/CTV News Winnipeg) The end of June isn't far away, which means the city's new transit network will soon be taking full effect. The new primary network and its feeder routes for Winnipeg Transit will launch on June 29. In preparation for the major overhaul, the city released an explainer video Wednesday to get people prepared. The goal is to run transit buses on primary routes that are considered simpler, straighter and with fewer stops. The hope is this will allow transit to run faster so people will have to wait less and reach their destinations faster. At the same time, the feeder route system is designed to hit community connector routes to avoid congested areas, allowing buses to stay on time. The feeder routes will connect to the primary network. In the city's video, people are told they need to know three things ahead of the launch. Firstly, people are being told bus stops will change. 'Stops may be added, removed, or shifted to a new location,' the video said. People are told to monitor temporary signs at stops to see the changes. Secondly, schedules for the new routes are already available online, allowing people to plan their travels. Lastly, the entire system map is also available online. City council approved the changes last year and they come with a $20.4 million price tag. - With files from CTV's Katherine Dow
