Mayor says Bank of Montreal now OK with reopening Portage and Main

Mayor Brian Bowman claims Winnipeg has reached an agreement to reopen Portage andMain to pedestrians with thefinal property owner at the intersection.

During question period at city council on Wednesday, Bowman said the Bank of Montreal has signed a letter of supportfor reopening Portage andMain, which has been closed to pedestrians since 1979.

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In February, Bowman said Winnipeg hadobtained letters of support for reopening the intersection to foot traffic from the owners of the other buildings at the intersection 201 Portage, the Richardson Building, 360 Main St. and Scotiabank.

Bank of Montreal, whose property abuts the barriers even more closely, presented logistical challenges to the city, officials confirmed.

Bowman revealed the bank is now on side after St. Charles Coun. Shawn Dobson demanded to know when the city will release a traffic study about reopening the intersection.

North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty filed a freedom-of-information request for the study but was told it would not be released because it will soon be made public.

Bowman said a report about Portage andMain is coming but would not commit to a time frame.

Police board appointments approved

Lawyer David Asper is the first non-elected official to lead the Winnipeg Police Board.

City council voted 13-3 to approve the appointment of Asperto the board as its fourth chair and designate Canadian Footwear owner Brian Scharfstein as a citizen appointee.

• Mayor Brian Bowman appoints David Asper as chair of the Winnipeg Police Board

Asper replacesNorth Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty, who resigned in February after losing the confidence of the board's Indigenous advisors. Scharfstein replaces Derek Johannson, who resigned in March due to the demands of the board as well as hisduties on the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority board.

Couns. Ross Eadie (Mynarski), Shawn Dobson (St. Charles) and Russ Wyatt (Transcona) voted against the appointments.

Eadie saidthe city ought to have two councillors on the police board.

1 labour deal down, 5 to go

City council has approved a collective bargaining agreement with the union representing Winnipeg's firefighters.

Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a four-year contract that will see the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg receive a of 1.8 per cent wage hike this year and then three subsequent two per cent raises.

• Firefighters deal includes 1.8% raise, then three 2% raises over 4 years

UFFW president Alex Forrest said this wage hike is within cost-of-living increases. Mayor Brian Bowman said he is pleased the city was able to negotiate a deal that will not hamstring the city in the future.

The deal will cost the city $12.9 million over the next four years.

The city has yet to reach a labour deal with four other city unions that do not have contracts: the Winnipeg Police Association, the Winnipeg Police Senior Officers Association, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 and the Winnipeg Association of Public Service Officers.

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