FifthSession • Thirty-FifthLegislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Standing Committee on Municipal Affairs Chairperson Mr. JackPenner Constituencyof Emerson Vol. XLm No. 2 • 10 a.m., Thursday, June 23, 1994 JSSN 0713-9S6X MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-FifthLegislature Members, Constituencies and PoliticalAffi Hation NAME CONSTITUENCY PARTY. ASHI'ON,Steve Thompson NDP BARRE'IT, Becky Wellington NDP CARSTAIRS, Sharon River Heights Liberal CBRlLLI,M arianne Radisson NDP CHOMIAK, Dave Kildonan NDP CUMMINGS,Glen, Hon. Ste.Rose PC DACQUAY,Louise Seine River PC DERKACH,Leonard, Hon. Roblin-Russell PC DEWAR,Gregory Selkirk NDP DOER,Gary Concordia NDP DOWNEY,James, Hon. Arthur-Virden PC DRIEDGER,Albert, Hon. Steinbach PC DUCHARME,Gerry, Hon. Riel PC EDWARDS, Paul St. James Liberal BNNS,Harry, Hon. Lakeside PC ERNST,Tim, Hon. Charleswood PC BVANS,Clif Interlake NDP BVANS, Leonard S. BrandonBast NDP FILMON, Gary, Hon. Tuxedo PC FINDLAY,Glen, Hon. Springfield PC FR1BSBN, Jean Wolseley NDP GAUDRY,Neil St. Boniface Liberal GILLBSHAMMBR,Harold, Hon. Minnedosa PC GRAY,Avis Crescentwood Liberal HBLWBR, Edward R. Gimli PC ffiCKBS,George Point Douglas NDP KOWALSKI, Gary TheMaples Liberal LAMOUREUX, Kevin Inkster Liberal LATID..,JN,Oscar ThePas NDP LAURBNDBAU,Marcel St.Norbert PC MACKJNTOSH, Gord St.Johns NDP MALOWAY,J"un Elmwood NDP MANNBSS,Clayton, Hon. Morris PC MARTINDALE,Doug Burrows NDP McALPJNB,Gerry SturgeonCreek PC McCORMICK.Norma Osborne Liberal - McCRAE, James,Hon. Brandon West PC MciNTOSH,Linda, Hon. Assiniboia PC MITCHELSON,Bonnie, Hon. River Bast PC ORCHARD,Don ald,Hon. Pembina PC PALLISTER, Brian Portage la Prairie PC PENNER,Jack Emerson PC PLOHMAN, John Dauphin NDP PRAZNIK, Darren, Hon. Lac du Bonnet PC REID, Daryl Transcona NDP REIMER, Jack Nia.kwa PC RENDER,Shirley St. Vital PC ROBINSON,Eric Rupertsland NDP ROCAN,Denis, Hon. Gladstone PC ROSE,Bob TurtleMountain PC SANTOS, Conrad Broadway NDP SCHELLENBERG,Harry Rossmere NDP STEPANSON, Eric, Hon. KirkfieldParle PC STORIE,Jerry FlinFlon NDP SVBINSON,Ben La Verendrye PC VODREY,Rosemary, Hon. FortGarry PC WOWCHUK. Rosann Swan River NDP 27 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLYOF MANITOBA THE STANDING COMMITI'EEON MUNICIPALAFF AIRS Thursday, June 23,1994 TIME -10a.m. Does the minister responsible for dealing with theNorth Portage Development Corporation have LOCATION-Winnipeg, Manitoba anopening statement? CHAIRPERSON - Mr. Jack Penner (Emerson) Bon. Linda Mcintosh (M inister of Urban Affairs): Mr.Chairperson, I have just a very brief ATTENDANCE-8-QUORUM • 6 statement for the committee, simply to indicate Members ofthe Committee present: that North Portage has made a very significant Hon. Mrs.Mcintosh impact on the downtown of Wmnipeg. We have thanks that we wish to express particularly at this Ms. Friesen, Ms. Gray, Messrs. Helwer, time to the board and staff of North Portage. As Penner, Reimer, Mrs. Render, Mr. you know the boards are going to be merging Schellenberg North Portage and The Forks, and those board APPEARING: members who have worked so diligently over the Mr. Kent Smith, General Manager, North years to ensurethe goodthings that are happening PortageDevelopment Corporation on NorthPortage are to be commended andthanks MATTERS UNDER DISCUSSION: areexpressed to them. March3 1, 1993, AnnualReport of the North We have with us this morning Kent Smith who PortageDevelopment Corporation is the General Manager of the North Portage and he hasa presentation,I believe,he will make today ••• to us. Do you wish to introduce anyone else you have with you? Mr. Chairperson: May the Standing Committee on Municipal Affairs please come to order. This Mr. Kent Smith (General Manager, North morning the committee will be considering the Portage DevelopmentCorpora tion): Behindme, March 31, 1993, Annual Report of the North I have Paul Webster, ourSenior FinancialOfficer; PortageDevelopment Corporation. andMatthew Ba ldwin, a summer student atNorth Just prior to commencing consideration of this Portage. report, I would like to remind the committee that I would just like to apologize on behalf of our there is no legislativerequirement forthis report to chairperson. We are in a situation where the be referred to the standing committee. Hence, the chairperson for the last 10 years, Dr. Arnold standing committee has no requirement for Naimarlc,has just been replaced as of yesterday at adopting or passing this report. Committee City Council. The new chair of the North Portage members will have ample opportunityto address Development Corporation, who will also be the questions pertaining to the report and to the chair of The Forks Renewal Corporation, is Mr. business of the North Portage Development Ernie Keller. Neitherpeople were able to join us Corporation. When the committee has exhausted thismorning, and we have yet to electa vice-chair its consideration of the matter, the committee will for the board. So I am standing in in theirplace. risewithout passingthe report. Is that understood? Thank: you. Mrs. Mcintosh: Thank you very much, Kent. 28 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 23, 1994 As has beenindicated, we do now have the full The downtown, however, has become more complement of the new board selected and in attractive, but revitalization of Winnipeg's thankingthose whoare outgoing, I wishto express downtown has not achieved its goal completely. sincerethanks to Dr.Arnold Naimarlc, who, as has The revitalization program has not attracted a beenindicated, couldnot join us this morning. He numberof residential people. It is people thatwill has a pressing engagementelsewhere. I know that make the downtown vibrant. People must be Mr. Smith will give us very good and detailed attractedto live in thedowntown area. information on what has been going on at North We have attracted people to work in the Portage over the year. downtown, but a greater effort must be made to I would like as well to thankthe outgoing board attract people to live in the downtown and also to members. They are Patricia Pbillips, Ted Mwphy shop there andbe attracted to come there for social andGary Steiman, who were on the North Portage reasons. Maybe with themerger of thisboard with Board. Gary Steiman will be remaining as The Forks, new directions and new ideas will be continuity on the new board along with Ashley implemented. The downtown is the heart of Everett and Jim Orzechowski as the provincial Winnipeg. It is most important to the city and nominees. province. It is a downtown with the heart of The other board members from the other two Winnipeg that gives tourists and visitors the first levels, asyou know this isa three-level enterprise, impression. have also been appointed, and so they now have I happened to be in Europe last summer, and I the full complement. They have yet to meet We noticed thatmany cities wereconcentrating on the literally had the chair ratified at City Council downtown area. WhatI saw in the downtown was yestenlay, so we are right at the very moment of people. I saw thedowntown vibrant, bustling with transition. Butwe what willbe giving you todayis people,very active.Cities such as Vienna, Geneva, what has gone on over the last year for your Munich were designed for people. The whole information, andwe willbe available for questions fo cusseemed to be on theheart of thecity. whenyou aredone. As we focus on the downtown, I realize the Mr. Chairperson: Thank you, Madam Minister. Would the critic for the official opposition party, problems. The provincial government has moved Mr. Schellenberg, have anopening statement? its Mines and Natural Resources out of the downtown area. This indicates that there is (1010) • possibly not the same commitment for the Mr. Harryenberg Schell (Rossmere): I am very downtown asthere should be. pleased to be here today as the official critic for The main thrust, however, has been physical. Urban Affairs. As members of the Legislature Buildings and structures have been erected. The realize, I wasjust electedin a by-election last fall. social aspect has been lacking that people relate to. So this is my first direct experience with this Thehuman aspectseems to be missing. I knowit is board'swork. difficult to revitalizea downtown, but I hope in our North Portage Development has had its success debate to follow we might discuss some of these as well as having faced some problems in the last issues. I am not saying that we have not been couple of years. Canada, we are told, has an successful, but new directions are needed to make overbuilt commercial capacity. There is no doubt theheart of Winnipegvibrant again. retail stores and other businesses have fa ced stiff competition, and this has causedsome turnover in In closing I would like to say I am very pleased North Portage. Despite some problems, private to meet with the North Portage Development investment has been attracted to downtown today. We look forward to the presentations and Winnipeg. Jobs have been created in the thedebate thismorning, and with these few words downtown, but vacant shops stillexist on Portage. I will pass the mike over to the Chair. June 23, 1994 LEGISLATIVEASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 29 Mr. Chairperson: Thank you very much, Mr. Mr. Smith: I guess just in terms of opening Schellenberg.Would the second opposition party, comments, we actually have had the first meeting Ms.Gray, have an openingstatement? of the new board without a chair. Actually Arnold chaired it yesterdayto get the boardappointed to Ms. Avis Gray (Crescentwood): Mr. theboard of TheForks Renewal Corporation. Just Chairperson, I will have a very few comments from the staff point of view, we are because I am interested in what would appearto be enthusiastically awaiting the whole formal merger the slide video presentation, as well as having an of the two corporations, and we are looking at it opportunity to question staff from the North very positively. We believe it is going to make it Portage. easier for us. As Ms. Gray has suggested, it is I must say that I am pleasedthat we have finally maybe one of the barriers that comes down to seen an amalgamation of the North Portage helping us better revitalize downtown Winnipeg.