Downtown Winnipeg project to include health care expansion

From housing to healthcare, True North Real Estate Development unveiled its plans to turn the underutilised Portage Place Mall into a massive multi-use complex.

Half-a-billion dollars. That’s how much has been pegged to redevelop Portage Place.

“This is a large impactful and significant redevelopment project by any Canadian standard,” said Jim Ludlow, president of True North Real Estate Development.

The new 1.5 million square foot site will include a $300 million dollar healthcare centre.

Shared Health, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and the Pan Am Clinic will be tenants at the redesigned Portage Place, offering both healthcare services but also educational and research opportunities.

“One of the things I’m most excited about is the enhanced ability that we will have in this location to provide access to services for people who live in or near the downtown area,” said Lanette Siragus, CEO of Shared Health. “This population includes individuals who may have had historic challenges accessing healthcare services, including the means to easily travel elsewhere in the city for healthcare services or having a consistent family doctor.”

The centre will see a primary care, rapid access addiction medicine and an extended-hours walk-in-clinic.

A renal dialysis unit and an expansion of the Pan Am Clinic will be part of the site offering services ranging from sports injuries to outpatient surgery.

Premier Heather Stefanson says the centre will help alleviate some of the pressure put on the province’s healthcare system.

“This is a game-changing initiative that provides incredible opportunities for Manitoba at a critical time. This is a historic, made-in-Manitoba plan and vision born by listening to people, understanding the needs of Manitobans and fulfilling a shared vision for an integral asset for the whole of our province,” said Stefanson.

The plan also includes over 250,000 square feet dedicated to residential development, with plans to build multi-family, affordable and student housing.

Nearly 24,000 square feet have been allocated for food services, including a grocery store.

True North Executive Chairman Mark Chipman says while it’s not the final solution, the redevelopment offers a way to address some of the social problems facing Winnipeg.

“So I will again, not make the claim that this undertaking represents by itself the cure-all for our current circumstances,” said Mark Chipman, True North Chairman. “I will however offer that it can be a new catalyst to bringing more people downtown to work and live along the necessary services for those who choose so and at the same time create some new resources for those who already call downtown home.”

Neighbourhood spaces and services are also included in the plan, the YMCA will remain, along with the addition of green spaces, bike parking and rooftop gardens.

The province says the newly reimagined Portage Place is expected to generate nearly $700 million in economic activity over its lifetime.