Portage and Main concourse businesses face uncertain future as intersection is set to reopen to foot traffic

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Coming July 1, Portage and Main volition reopen to pedestrians aft being closed to ft postulation for 46 years, but immoderate concern owners who enactment underneath the city's astir celebrated intersection are acrophobic astir the semipermanent program for the space.

Last twelvemonth Eric Chi, proprietor of the Eshel Tree restaurant, signed a five-year declaration to rent a spot successful the concourse underneath Portage and Main, besides known arsenic the circus. 

At the time, assembly had yet to determine to reopen the intersection to ft traffic, but Chi said the city, which rents businesses successful the circus, told him that if the concourse level was to unopen down, it wouldn't hap anytime soon. 

"That's wherefore I signed the contract," helium said. 

Since then, the metropolis released a study that said fixing a leaky membrane astatine Portage Avenue and Main Street successful bid to support the city-owned underground pedestrian crossing would make postulation delays for 4 oregon 5 years and outgo astatine slightest $73 cardinal — enactment that would request to beryllium repeated successful different fewer decades.

The concern proprietor is acrophobic astir what that operation enactment volition mean for his concern if it were to happen, including however overmuch operation would disrupt ft postulation astatine the circus oregon immoderate impermanent closures of his business.

"I'm not against the city's decision, but my biggest interest is, I privation to cognize arsenic soon arsenic imaginable what's going to happen," Chi said. "I person to set my concern volume." 

But helium is besides acrophobic the metropolis mightiness determine to unopen down the abstraction altogether.

"If we person to move, you know, volition [the city] wage for the relocation of the store?," helium said. 

Concourse stays open, for now

Coun. Jeff Browaty, who chairs the lasting argumentation committee connected concern and economical development, told CBC the metropolis volition support and support the circus unfastened successful the meantime, fixed there's nary contiguous menace of it collapsing oregon a request to adjacent it instantly owed to its deterioration.  

The councillor has precocious pushed for an amendment to look into different alternatives to support the abstraction unfastened and repair it for a smaller terms tag and with less postulation interruptions.

The metropolis has besides yet to look astatine however overmuch it volition outgo to adjacent the tract permanently and however agelong that would take, Browaty said. The outgo quality betwixt retrofitting and shuttering the underground concourse would beryllium cardinal for the metropolis to instrumentality adjacent steps. 

"Once that is each known, decisions tin beryllium made," helium said.  

But helium acknowledged the uncertainty is challenging for businesses connected the circus and those successful the underground retail spaces adjacent the intersection that proceed to retrieve from the economical daze of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The councillor is besides acrophobic astir however closing the circus volition alteration postulation for businesses successful the privately owned strips that are connected via the concourse to each corners of Portage and Main. 

"If you privation to expand, if you privation to put successful your business, that makes those types of decisions tough," helium said. 

Christine Neustaeter, proprietor of the Eye Go Mobile Optical, an oculus attraction centre successful 1 of those privately owned concern strips, said the promenade has retailers, similar Shoppers Drug Mart and UPS, that would apt proceed bringing customers adjacent to her store. 

"I cognize there's inactive going to beryllium postulation going past us," she said, but determination is inactive uncertainty. 

With the reopening of the intersection, she is expecting much radical to sojourn during the wintertime than successful the summer, and if the concourse were to unopen down, that could dent ft postulation arsenic well. 

"I truly privation to stay, but we person to spot however it goes," she said. "It's already been a small pugnacious post-COVID. [I] truly would conscionable similar to spot much lively things happening … much accidental for concern moving in." 

A spokesperson for Mayor Scott Gillingham's bureau told CBC determination are nary contiguous plans to adjacent the concourse. 

The metropolis is besides successful consultation with spot owners to sermon options for the abstraction portion getting further appraisal astir the information of the factual supra and beneath the space, the spokesperson said.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Manitoba, which represents buildings linked to the Winnipeg Square concourse, said successful a connection gathering owners person made important investments successful bid to upgrade their respective sections of the concourse, adding the metropolis should beryllium expected to bash the same.

While the concourse is kept open, Chi said the metropolis needs to amended its attraction to assistance businesses. 

"It's not safe, it's not clean," helium said. "That keeps radical from coming to the concourse level," helium said.