Ongoing projects continued headache for Winnipeg businesses
Posted September 25, 2026 4:51 pm.
Last Updated September 26, 2026 11:57 am.
The City of Winnipeg says 29 per cent of this year’s construction is complete, and it’s still in full swing. But for drivers it means detours and delays, and for businesses it means a hit to their bottom line.
“Even though they close it by section, the traffic won’t be able to get in. Parking, the customer can’t even drive in. The construction they take out all of the road and then you can’t even get in,” said Raymond Lai, who works at Ming Court, a restaurant that’s been on Edmonton Street for over 40 years.
“They have to walk far ways. They can’t even come in and they say, ‘Oh, I’ll just get delivery.’ So, it’s hurting the business. Even third parties, like Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, Uber Eats, the driver can’t even come in,” said Lai.
According to the most recent numbers from the City, 47 per cent of construction projects are underway.
Despite the number of projects still incomplete this late in the season, City of Winnipeg project management engineer Michelle Stainton says raw numbers don’t paint a clear picture.
“Certainly, for our numbers, like, a lot of the really big ticket items, are the final paving job and that sort of what takes all the work to reach the final paving stage, and that’s where, you know, the final percentage pushes us over the line, and it becomes fit for use,” said Stainton.
Stainton adds that the City is paying close attention to ongoing and planned projects to determine if they can start in time to finish before the end of the season.
Those that can’t may be deferred to next year, and some might not be finished this year.
Stainton says that the City will try to make sure that as many of those roads as possible will be open for the winter months.
“We’d rather not leave any gravel portions, but, you know, in the worst case, that can happen. We monitor them all winter to make sure they’re still usable and safe,” he explained.
