Today, our team released the 2024 Downtown Snapshot, which highlights key developments from the past year and offers insight into our downtown's current economic landscape. Recognizing the challenges some businesses and our neighbourhood faces, our partners made some big moves in 2024. We have plenty to celebrate from the past year and look forward to in 2025. Below are some wins that I wanted to share with you:

• Welcoming new businesses: 23 new businesses opened their doors in 2024, and the gap between openings and closures continues to shrink, showing resilience and confidence in our downtown.
• More places to call home: Nearly all major development projects underway include a residential component, with 450 units under construction in 2024.
• More people downtown: Visitation continues to climb, from 51 million total visitors in 2023 to 58 million in 2024—a major boost for businesses, events, and the overall energy of our downtown streets.
• Events made an impact: We know events add vibrancy to our community and drive economic activity. Last year, the Downtown BIZ:
  • Supported 31 third-party events through our Host It Downtown grant
  • Welcomed 60,000+ attendees to our BIZ signature events

With initiatives like CentrePlan 2050 and major investments in residential and commercial spaces, we’re seeing real momentum take shape. There’s still work to do, but this report shows what’s possible when the community, businesses and all levels of government come together to move our downtown forward.

READ THE FULL 2024 DOWNTOWN SNAPSHOT

In many Indigenous cultures across Turtle Island, winter is a time for storytelling, and we’re excited to honour that tradition with a beautiful new public art installation in the skywalk over Graham Avenue, between 300 Main St. and 200 Graham Ave.

Our Public Realm team collaborated again with local Métis artist Justine Proulx - the visionary behind the Returning to Our Roots Indigenous mural at the RBC Convention Centre – to share a story and bring it to life as a temporary mural downtown. Her artwork depicts the story of The Big Bear and the Seven Birds, a Cree story taught to her by Indigenous Astronomer, Wilfred Buck. I encourage you to grab a coffee with your colleagues and take a stroll through the skywalk to check out this stunning piece - one that adds vibrancy and celebrates Indigenous culture right here in the heart of our city.

LEARN MORE

Just a friendly reminder—the first intake of our Host It Downtown grant for events taking place from May 1 – August 31, 2025, closes this Sunday, March 9, 2025!

This year, we’ve streamlined the process, making it easier than ever to apply. You can now submit your application anytime for any intake—just be sure to keep an eye on the deadlines so you don’t miss your opportunity.

Apply now and help us make this summer in downtown Winnipeg one to remember!

APPLY BEFORE 11:59 P.M. ON SUNDAY

As part of our “Back to Business” focus for 2025, we want to take our BIZ members “behind-the-scenes" to gain a better understanding of what our frontline crews are up to throughout the year!

If these warmer temperatures continue, our Wawanesa Enviro Team will soon be hanging up their shovels for the season. However, over the last two months our crews cleared and plowed 922 sidewalks – which is critical to ensure our downtown is accessible for everyone, especially during the winter months. Thanks to our partnership with Wawanesa, we recently added a new truck to our fleet that helped our crews remove 3,750 kilograms of bulk waste from downtown in just January and February alone. Way to go team!

As a BIZ member, you have access to year-round services provided by our Wawanesa Enviro Team, including storefront pressure washing, lower-floor window washing, and more. To request a service, email enviroteam@downtownwinnipegbiz.com or call 204-958-4631 – we're here to help!

Thank you,

Kate Fenske, CEO
Downtown Winnipeg BIZ