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Issue 1 | Spring Edition | 2026      BUILD MANITOBA
A drive past the former Portage Place 
shopping mall these days means 
witnessing a striking view of the guts of 
the old multi-city block development. 
As of this writing, True North Real Estate 
Development (TNRED) continues the 
demolition phase of the redevelopment 
that will eventually bring health care, 
neighbourhood services and  
affordable housing to the heart of 
downtown Winnipeg. 
The $650-million development will 
encompass a 265,000-sq.-ft. Healthcare 
Centre of Excellence, a 15-storey 
residential tower (with up to 40 per cent 
of its 200 units designated as affordable 
housing), a grocery store and a mix of 
retail and public spaces. Demolition is 
targeted for completion in the spring, 
with construction on the health-care 
centre scheduled to begin on track by 
early Q2 at the latest.
The final configuration of all pieces 
remains to be seen, which has always 
been part of the plan, according to Gavin 
Johnstone, COO of TNRED. “We’ve 
always had a core view of what some 
non-negotiable core anchor tenancies 
might be, but there’s still some fluidity 
and flexibility to [other pieces],” he 
explains. “We are also seeking to 
understand exactly what the community 
would like to also see within the centre 
block of the redevelopment plan.”
Part of the reason Winnipeggers are 
seeing the building’s skeleton rather 
than a pile of rubble is a subtle shift from 
demolition to deconstruction, preserving 
structural elements that will continue to 
be used. “We have to be very meticulous 
on the engineering and the safety part, 
because we can’t ruin any of the existing 
structure we plan to reuse,” notes Kelly 
Wallace, Winnipeg district manager and 
vice president for PCL Construction. “So 
we’re doing a lot of demo, but it’s not 
all going to the landfill – a great deal is 
either being recycled or reused.”
The feasibility of reuse was supported 
by the original design of the mall itself, 
explains Wallace. “That building was 
originally designed to receive a tower 
on both the east and the west end. 
Having a superstructure extend up was 
contemplated in the design, so we’re 
working within those parameters.”
“We’ve got to bring some structure 
up from the basement, and we’re 
putting in some micropiles down in P2,” 
Wallace details. “It will require a slight 
reconfiguration of some of the core 
for elevators and things. But once we 
reach the existing roof level, the work 
becomes largely repetitive from there. 
There’s some adaptation to do on the 
lower levels based on our program, 
though not as much as people  
might think.”
The downtown location adds another 
layer of complexity, particularly in terms 
of logistics and public safety. “It’s a 
very tight site by Winnipeg standards,” 
REDEVELOPMENT 
MILESTONES
The project team anticipate 
reaching a number of 
redevelopment milestones this 
year, including:
	
Healthcare Centre 
of Excellence (HCCE) 
deconstruction work to be 
completed by spring 2026
	
Preparation for construction 
of multi-family housing 
project slated to begin Q1
	
Construction phase of HCCE 
to begin between late Q1 and 
early Q2
	
Tower crane for new structure 
work expected on site in 
spring 2026
	
Ongoing consultation  
and design for project’s 
centre block
Photos courtesy of PCL.
FROM DEMOLITION 
TO DECONSTRUCTION
Work underway on 
downtown Winnipeg 
redevelopment 
By Kelly Parker

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