2019

IN THE EXCHANGE 1 2 A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR 2 & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CREATIVE 4 COLLABORATIONS COMMUNITY 6 CONNECTIONS 2019 8 TOURS AN INSPIRING 10 ENVIRONMENT SHARING 12 STORIES COMMUNITY 14 SAFETY OUR BOARD 16 & STAFF

hile the Exchange District BIZ was organization. We have examined our organi- formally created as part of a City of zation’s history, researched successful initia- WWinnipeg Bylaw in 1989, its history tives from like-minded organizations around stretches back to 1976. At that time, the Old the world, and engaged in many meaningful Market Square Association comprised a part- conversations with our members and partner nership of businesses with the vision, leader- organizations. ship, and determination to breathe new life into One driving force continues to stand out: what we now refer to as the West Exchange. there is no substitute for businesses rallying to- Working together with the City of gether around a common vision in partnership and Heritage , the group successfully with the broader community. We look forward transformed what was then the brownfield to working together to capture our communi- site of Winnipeg's demolished Firehall #1 into ty’s spirit with our collaborative strategic plan what we know as Old Market Square today. As in early 2020. a centrepiece to begin revitalizing the area, it was highly successful, drawing seven to eight thousand people on days when the farmer's market operated. The group launched marketing e!orts, put up signage marking the historic district and established the Historic Walking Tours that David Pensato Cheryl Oakden continue to be facilitated by the Exchange EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHAIR District BIZ today. Over the past year, the board has been working together with various stakehold- ers to set a new strategic direction for our

3 he Exchange District BIZ continues to In April, 102 BIZ members came together cultivate and expand neighbourhood for the Spring Spruce Up collecting 100 bags Tvibrancy through strategic partnerships of debris from the streets. and initiatives. Our historic walking tours continued to A partnership with The Forks and Sport grow in 2019 through partnerships with Doors Fitness Centre brought Canada Day Open, Jane’s Walk, and Historic Places Day. festivities to the Exchange District for the first Nearly 4000 people explored and engaged time. These partnerships enabled us to devel- with The Exchange District by foot. We added op programming for two live concert stages two additional tours this year: an expanded and family activities that brought many people 100th anniversary Winnipeg General Strike to Waterfront Drive and . tour and a Winnipeg’s Wonder Women tour. Our partnership with Culture Days Manitoba Our First Fridays Bike-In events continue to continues to connect arts, culture and the vi- engage and support new cyclists to bike to the brancy of the Exchange District to thousands Exchange District. Our guided rides bridged of Manitobans. Three large scale public art north, south and west active transportation installations co-produced by Culture Days networks to The Exchange District. Manitoba and Winnipeg Arts Council allowed thousands to experience interactive art in Old Market Square and Bijou Park.

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n 2019, the BIZ hosted a variety of commu- space was buzzing with people enjoying mu- nity events cultivating opportunities to bring sic, drinks from Nonsuch Brewing Co. and the Ipeople together to experience the vibrancy Prince film Sign O’ the Times. During warmer of the Exchange District. months, Alleyways attracted thousands of Our Canada Day event connected The Forks people to explore the alleys of the Exchange to the Exchange District with a walkway of District and circulate through the area each family activities along Waterfront Drive leading First Friday. to Stephen Juba Park. These activities attract- Year-round the Exchange District BIZ en- ed a diverse crowd to the Exchange District; couraged BIZ members to meet new people, many visitors experienced the beautiful green build community relationships, and enjoy the space of Stephen Juba Park for the first time. urban business lifestyle through lunch hour We are continuing to develop our programming. Bike Friendly Business strategy in 2020. In winter, we hosted weekly games of Consultations with our members have in- Thursday Throw (curling) on the Old Market formed a new multi-pronged approach to both Square rink. In summer, we hosted friendly support existing cyclists and encourage new bocce matches in Stephen Juba Park. Both cyclists to downtown. We are developing a initiatives brought many people outside for short video to be released in spring 2020 with fresh air, movement and provided an opportu- downtown cycling tips. nity to meet new people in the community. We Concert Movies at the Cube was hosted for look forward to continuing to build on these the second year in Bijou Park. The unique park initiatives.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF TOUR GUESTS 3940 2829 in 2017

TOTAL NUMBER OF TOURS TAKEN 388 356 in 2017

STUDENTS FROM 1494 MANITOBA SCHOOLS

rom watering 2,107 flowers in summer, track and report street and sidewalk repairs to clearing hundreds of kilometres of to create shorter feedback loops for street Fsidewalks and bike lanes during winter, repairs. our team works to keep our shared spaces We also worked in partnership with the clean, maintained and beautiful in all seasons. City Parks department and Councillor Vivian This year, our maintenance team removed Santos to maintain the Old Market Square 2,248 tags of graffiti using paint removal ice rink. products from local BIZ member Western Our annual full-time maintenance team Paint. Our quick response rates allow us to grew from two to three members. During remove gra"ti within 24 hours of a member summer months, our team expands to seven calling when weather allows. members to accommodate our busy summer As a community, we diverted 172,808 travel and festival season. lbs of recycling from landfills in 2019 using 85 community recycling containers in the neighbourhood. Our maintenance and beautification team continue to work closely with the City of Winnipeg. In 2019, we developed a system to

10 NOVEMBER 2018-OCTOBER 2019

2248 GRAFFITI TAGS REMOVED 150 BIKE RACKS INSTALLED 187,808LBS RECYCLING REMOVED 102 SPRING SPRUCE-UP HELPERS hether it’s celebrating the opening Our popular Explore the Exchange walking of a new business, connecting mem- map was updated and continues to be in high Wbers with city services, or sharing demand. The maps are distributed to Tourism the vibrancy of the neighbourhood, the profile Winnipeg, hotels, restaurants and shops. of the Exchange District continues to rise. The 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg We connect to nearly 30,000 followers on General Strike brought national attention to our our social media platforms daily with engaging expanded Winnipeg General Strike Tour, with content. features on CBC, The National, The Winnipeg From January to October 2019, our website Free Press, CTV and Global Television. exchangedistrict.org had 161,000 visitors from Throughout the year, we received earned all over the world. Our business listings and media highlighting the vibrancy and energy event guide continue to be an online resource of the Exchange District through our events: as a first introduction to our community. We re- Thursday Throw, Alleyways, First Friday Bike- cently streamlined and updated our website to ins, Nuit Blanche and National Canadian Film improve user experience. Our new site will allow Day. us to continually improve and add functionality. We explored new mediums this year, shar- We worked with the City to develop new ing our stories with the podcast Exchanging parking map signs. These signs also support Words. The nine episode podcast was a se- pedestrian navigation, identifying walking ries of conversations with the people behind times to Old Market Square. the places in the Exchange District. Through

12 SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY (AS OF NOVEMBER 7, 2019)

FACEBOOK: 3884 TWITTER: 5606 INSTAGRAM: 19.7K EXCHANGEDISTRICT.ORG MONTHLY SITE VISITS: 15,000

Exchange Words, we were also able to have ex- tended conversations exploring the Winnipeg General Strike, 100 years later. Our Hot Beverage Week campaign con- tinues to cultivate and support exploration of our diverse food and drink community. This time-limited campaign during the early holi- day shopping season encourages visitors to explore the neighbourhood. Shop the Exchange was a multi-faceted campaign in partnership with participating businesses, featuring a monthly full-page ad in the , online content and a prominent window display. he Exchange District is proud to be a available services to vulnerable community place for everyone to gather. Our neigh- members. Tbourhood continues to grow every year All our patrols are trained in mental health with more businesses, festivals, residents and first aid, First AID, CPR and Non-Violent Crisis visitors bringing more people to our streets. Intervention techniques. Safety is paramount in all we do, and our We continue to work with closely with the Community Foot Patrols are on the streets City of Winnipeg Police Service. Open lines six days a week to support all members of our of communication strengthen our collective community to be safe on our streets. e!orts. We adopted new methods of data col- With additional funding from the City, our lection to better connect geography to issues. community foot patrol grew from six to eight Daily reports are submitted to the police pro- full time team members. We also expanded viding an update on street activity. our services with an additional Saturday shift. Our Community Foot Patrols are commit- We continue to serve our members as extra ted to building and supporting a safe com- eyes and ears on the streets; providing safe munity for all. We are active members on walks, offering safety presentations, well- both the Dangerous Panhandling and Ending ness checks, safety audits, and working with Homelessness committees and continue Winnipeg Police Service and partner agen- to work collaboratively with all partners to cies such as Main Street Project to connect improve access and support systems for all.

14 NOVEMBER 2018-OCTOBER 2019

TOTAL ENCOUNTERS: 4,023 TOTAL INCIDENTS: 1,833 TOTAL ASSISTANCE: 2,190 SAFEWALKS: 348 OUR BOARD OUR STAFF

Cheryl Oakden Scatli! + Miller + Murray David Pensato EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Matt Erhard Summit Search Group

Gilles Belair Wellington-Altus Private Wealth Derek Manaigre MANAGER OF COMMUNITY SAFETY Lainey Bokhaut Bokhaut CPA Inc AND BEAUTIFICATION Mike Del Buono King + Bannatyne Alyssa Sherlock Colin Findlay Taylor McCa!rey LLP OFFICE & ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT

Glen Murray Emerge Knowledge Design Sandy Klowak SPECIAL PROJECTS & EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Emily Patrician Mere Hotel Lindsay Somers Allana Schmidt Tripwire Media Group INTERIM COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Sherry Sobey Generation Green

Nick Van Seggelen Bodegoe’s MAINTENANCE

Nils Vik Parlour Co!ee, Dogwood Co!ee Canada Mitchell SUPERVISOR

Councillor Vivian Santos City of Winnipeg Jordan

Martin Pasieczka City of Winnipeg BIZ Liaison John Craig White Endeavour Wealth Management EXCHANGE PATROL Madison SUPERVISOR Branden Vincent Monica Brylin Taven Gri!n 16

492 Main Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1B7

T: 204-942-6716 E: [email protected]

#exploretheexchange exchangedistrict.org

18 2019

IN THE EXCHANGE 19