A Winnipeg urban development expert says the city could have another “white elephant” on its hands if city administration fumbles or falters on a plan for the future of the Public Safety Building.

The downtown PSB will go vacant next summer after the Winnipeg Police Service has fully moved into its new headquarters on Graham Avenue, leaving a massive question mark looming over a prime plot of land.

Jino Distasio, a professor in the University of Winnipeg’s urban studies faculty, said the city needs to step cautiously when determining the PSB’s future.

“This is going to be a challenge. This is fundamentally the biggest challenge we’ll face in the Exchange District in the coming years,” he said. “There’s no other parcel of land this big within the public domain that could end up costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. ... The last thing we’d want to see is a massive structure go dark. We’ve got enough dark buildings downtown. We’ve got to get on this right away.”

A caveat in the original land deal brokered 145 years ago stipulates it is to remain under public domain, creating some precarious legal navigation in any future development.

“The challenge here is that if it has to remain within the public realm, what is the best use for that building?” Distasio said. “I think we need more discussion and ... I just don’t think we’re ready with a solution, other than we know the city’s obligated to come up with one.”

In pondering what could be of the land adjacent to city hall, Coun. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) drew comparisons to what Edmonton has done with its city hall, a postmodern design built in 1992 that provides a welcoming space in an urban centre.

“I see some good value to having sort of a public plaza, an events space where people can come and congregate, building a sense of community,” Pagtakhan said. “We might have an opportunity to borrow some of the concepts that Edmonton has done. Those are all considerations at this point that council will have a chance to deliberate on.”

Mayor Brian Bowman wants the conversation taken to Winnipeggers.

“The location of the Public Safety Building is right in the heart of our city and what I would like to see is a public use, something that can assist in building a space for Winnipeggers to really benefit from that land,” Bowman said.

“There have been ongoing efforts made within the administration but where we need to move it now is to a public conversation and we really need to hear from Winnipeggers.”

— With files from Joyanne Pursaga

david.larkins@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @LarkinsWSun

Should the old PSB be saved?

Jino Distasio knows the aesthetics of the Public Safety Building aren’t for everyone.

But the U of W professor sees merit in making an attempt to preserve the look of the 50-year-old downtown structure whose design falls into the brutallist architecture common to many government buildings of the mid-20th century.

“Winnipeggers are still confused by the modernist building. We were OK to demolish the old airport, which was another sort of modernist gem,” he said. “And that’s fine, we can’t keep them all ... but the modernist architecture from the ‘60s, we’re not quite sure. The jury’s still out: Do we protect this brutallist architecture downtown? Does that piece still fit in the Exchange District?”

Distasio argues the design of many Exchange District buildings has more nostalgic pull than the modernist look of the PSB.

“There are certainly a lot of supporters of modernist architecture and it does have its place,” Distasio said. “I think in this case, the 1960s we still think is maybe not that long ago, so we’re more likely to say ‘Should we save it? What if we destroy it?’ I think if done right it could be a very interesting building that I just think needs somebody to rethink its purpose and its style.”

— Larkins

City councillors could move into PSB



Winnipeg city councillors are slated to temporarily move into the Public Safety Building.

Unless they don’t.

There remains a question mark or two hovering over a potential move of councillors out of city hall while it is renovated in the new year, with Mayor Brian Bowman saying some councillors are “chiming in” on the pros and cons of a move to the PSB in the summer.

The city announced in July repairs to existing city hall, such as roof replacement and “safety system upgrades,” would need to be done on the 51-year-old building, forcing operations elsewhere. The city’s announcement indicated the work would be done late in 2017.

“The councillors and I will definitely be moving out, it’s just a question of when and where,” Bowman said. “Some members of council have been chiming in on that decision and the administration has been doing their best to accommodate them.”

Council speaker Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) said discussions have been ongoing about the best option for a move, but declined to say what other options remain on the table, citing her role as speaker to communicate directly to councillors.

“We ask questions and it’s my job to advocate on behalf of my colleagues,” she said. “We ask the right questions about what is the best fit.

“There’s a lot to consider. It’s a massive move and very detailed and a lot of questions have been asked.”

Coun. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said he toured the PSB earlier this year to get a sense of how the facility would work.

“That is the plan as I know it, but I know there’s also other options as well maybe in the administration building,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure at this point, but I know that was part of the plan was to move some of us to the Public Safety Building, but I can’t definitively say if that’s happening right now or not.”

— Larkins