We love Winnipeg and we love the people who call it home. In so many respects, the city of Winnipeg has never been more vibrant and alive. We are a home and refuge to newcomers from across the world. We have our beloved Winnipeg Jets and the recent back-to-back champion Blue Bombers. We have the monumental redevelopment of Assiniboine Park, we’re home to the only national museum outside the nation’s capital with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the largest urban reserve in Naawi-Oodena. Plus, we continue to flock to The Forks, which has already been reimagined and will soon grow even further. As you look across the city, in all four corners, you see people thriving within a metropolitan centre that could be on the brink of greatness.
But one challenge remains at our city’s forefront – Downtown Winnipeg is at a crossroads. And so is the Downtown Y.
Poverty and addiction are on the rise and our marginalized communities are facing both social and financial barriers. Though we see more and more people from the business community return to downtown, businesses continue to navigate return-to-work models and significant labour shortages. Recent announcements regarding the potential redevelopment of Portage Place are incredibly exciting and hopeful, however this will not solve the problem on its own.
The Y has also felt the enormous weight of the pandemic. Temporary but lengthy closures hit us hard, most notably here at the Downtown Y where the local business community has yet to return in full force. When you combine that impact with the negative effects of an already declining downtown core, there was a choice to make. As a not-for-profit organization, Ys from other areas of the country have been forced to close downtown locations due to financial losses. And despite the history and community importance of this centre, we had those same conversations about the Downtown Y.
But in true Winnipeg fashion, we came to a different conclusion and have remained open to serve our downtown community. The truth is that downtown Winnipeg needs us now more than ever. So rather than leave this community, we’ve designed a way to become an even greater part of it through a large-scale redevelopment of the Downtown Y. We have over 110 years of history in downtown Winnipeg and this new vision will ensure we serve this community for generations to come.
This is the Heart of the City Campaign.
Sincerely,
Jeff Cochrane, Chair, Board of Directors, and Cordella Friesen, President & CEO