Businesses working to stay open as Portage Place gets massive makeover
Posted October 17, 2025 4:04 pm.
Last Updated October 18, 2025 10:56 am.
If you’ve driven down Portage this week, you probably noticed that construction on the massive transformation of Portage Place has begun.
But many businesses inside are still up and running, including the Prairie Theatre Exchange, which just opened a new season, and is spreading the word that they’re still open for business despite the overhaul
“One of the big questions we’ve had to field a number of times is, is it still open? And it is!” said Sean Kavanagh, the senior director of strategic communications of True North Real Estate Development.
“As you can tell, the glass is starting to come out, and eventually what you’re going to see is a continuation of Edmonton Street to the other side of the development.”
Kavanagh says the $650 million revitalization project is on track to be completed by 2028. But in the meantime, the developer is working hard with tenants in the building, like Prairie Theatre Exchange, to keep them open through the construction process.
“It breaks new ground in theatre, so we’re having constant discussions about how we can work around the construction issues while they remain open,” said Kavanagh.
Ann Hodges, the artistic director of Prairie Theatre Exchange, says, “True North are the best, they are staying very communicative with us.”
Hodges says Prairie Theatre Exchange has five mainstage shows planned for the 2025/26 season, which opened this week with a comedy called Liars of a Funeral.
She says the audience turnout has been higher than expected, with several sold-out shows already, thanks in part to the hard work of the staff, putting up clear signage to show patrons how to access the theatre amidst the construction.
“People are provided with the information of how to access PTE, and everyone who’s been attending the show over the past few days has said, ‘Oh, it’s so easy, it was great,’” she explained.
Both parties agree that the finished product will ultimately be beneficial not only to the theatre but the entire downtown core.
“It’s all planned to revitalize downtown Winnipeg and make it very accessible to the public and to the downtown community as well. It’s super exciting,” said Hodges.
Kavanagh adds, “Over a billion-dollar injection of investment, hundreds and hundreds of residents, workers, visitors, patients. You can’t not believe that’s going to have a significant downtown effect.”
