Major development, investment projects spotlight State of the City address
Posted March 5, 2026 5:32 pm.
Last Updated March 5, 2026 7:21 pm.
Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham spoke about safety, housing, and development in the city, outlining intentions for the year, as he addressed the Winnipeg business community in his State of the City address prior to the October municipal election.
The event hosted by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce saw Mayor Gillingham cover a number of topics, from new retail chains and 7/11 stores coming to the city, to safety and housing updates, to aerospace and the defence industry.
“In the time of global uncertainty, the smartest thing a city can do is to build its own strength at home,” said Gillingham.
The mayor promised updates on his Safe Winnipeg Initiative without going into detail, but added that downtown crime rates dropped 10 per cent, with homicide rates dropping 50 per cent.
“We got a way to go when it comes to continuing to improve public safety, but we have taken a lot of steps, a lot of measures,” Gillingham explained.
The Mayor spoke about the opening of new local retail stores and the coming of international chains to Winnipeg, as well as the reopening of a 7/11 location that closed in previous years.
“I look at it as an indicator of a vote of confidence,” said Loren Remillard, the president & CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
Mayor Gillingham also highlighted the city’s collaboration with the province on the efforts to deal with homelessness, adding that the city relocated over 200 individuals from encampments into housing, as well as the clearing out of encampments under the new bylaw.
The City plans to invest in about 300 mixed-housing units in Winnipeg’s downtown by funding the renovation of the Malboro Hotel through the Housing Acceleration Fund.
“This is a project that’s really needed in our downtown,” said Mayor Gillingham.
The address also comes as the city gears up for a municipal election this fall.
“The fact that he was saying some people will have negative views and others will have positive views, obviously talking towards the upcoming election this fall,” said Christopher Adams, adjunct professor in political science at the University of Manitoba.
