Winnipeg Minute: Approval Delays, Parking Ban, and Bus Shelter Glass

Winnipeg Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Winnipeg politics

This Week In Winnipeg:

• The Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development will meet today at 9:30 am. The Committee will discuss integrating the Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-law with the Municipal By-law Enforcement Act to allow violations of the Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-law to be enforced under the Act. The Committee will also hear the Semi-Annual Report on the Problem Properties Task Force.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 1:00 pm, the Governance Committee of Council will meet. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. On Wednesday, at 9:30 am, the Executive Policy Committee will meet. The meeting will begin with a Public Hearing regarding the rezoning of properties on Panet Road. The Committee will also discuss Citizen Member Appointments to various Committees, Boards and Commissions. Also on the agenda are a funding agreement between Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation and the City of Winnipeg for the purchase and operation of automated licence plate readers, proposed 2025 initiatives for the Housing Accelerator Fund, and the 2025 operating budget and workplan for the Winnipeg Committee for Safety. On Friday, there will be a meeting of the Winnipeg Police Board at 9:30 am. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.
  
  
• Winnipeg's annual winter route parking ban begins on December 6th, prohibiting parking on designated streets between 2:00 am and 7:00 am. The ban applies every day, regardless of weather conditions, and will remain in effect until spring. Residents can check the ban's specifics through the Know Your Zone app, 311, or the City's snow map. Violators may face a $100 fine or a reduced $75 fine if paid early, along with the possibility of their vehicle being towed.

Last Week In Winnipeg:

• The City announced that it would be testing shatter-resistant glass in bus shelters to combat the increasing number of shelters with broken glass. The City currently spends between $250,000 and $300,000 annually replacing glass, with 207 shelters missing glass as of late November. The new polycarbonate glazing, which is more expensive than regular glass, is expected to be more cost-effective in the long run. The pilot project will target high-damage areas, though the exact number of shelters to receive the new material has not yet been determined. This initiative comes amid growing concerns about broken shelters, especially with the approaching cold weather.
  
  
• True North Real Estate Development has officially completed the purchase of Portage Place Mall, including the mall, land, and assets. The plan is to transform the site into a health-care centre offering services like mental health care, surgery, and renal dialysis, alongside an expanded Pan Am Clinic. A 15-storey residential tower will also be built in partnership with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, with over 200 units, more than 40% of which will be designated for affordable housing. The redevelopment, valued at $650 million, is slated to begin in 2025 and is expected to be completed by 2028.
  
  
• A housing project at 915 McMillan Avenue, intended to provide homes for 60 residents, has been delayed until spring 2027 due to ongoing approval holdups from the City. Despite the developer being ready to start construction without government funding, necessary approvals for the building's elevations and landscaping have not been processed since the application was submitted in June 2024. Council initially approved discretionary approvals for the project in 2021, and applications for further approvals were submitted in June 2024, following a required public engagement process. Advocates are urging the City to streamline its approval procedures.