Alexander Docks lease proposal aims to revitalize historical landmark

The City of Winnipeg wants to lease the Alexander Docks to The Forks in an effort to revitalize the historic downtown landmark, which has deteriorated over the years.

A new report recommends signing an agreement with The Forks Renewal Corporation to lease the docks for $1 per year for 99 years, which the city says gives The Forks time to plan future land use, fundraise and develop the site.

The plan is part of the city's downtown recovery strategy, launched in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which set aside $600,000 for the Alexander Docks.

The docks, built by the federal government in the 1920s, were intended to serve as a hub for river traffic.

In 2015, the city fenced off a portion of the docks due to concerns about structural safety.

The following year, the city and The Forks launched a public engagement campaign to gather ideas about what to do with the docks. The new report doesn't specify how the docks would be developed.

A 2017 report recommended maintaining the docks as a public space with a commemorative marker acknowledging reconciliation.

The docks became associated with the death of Winnipeg teenager Tina Fontaine after her body was found floating in the Red River nearby in 2014. Her death became a flashpoint in calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, which has since been completed.

In addition to the $600,000 the city has dedicated to the Alexander Docks, the project has a fundraising goal of $2.2 million.

The report says the Winnipeg Parking Authority opposes the plan. Part of the site has been used as a temporary surface parking lot to accommodate the loss of on-street parking during construction.

The city estimates the annual rental value of the site to be $27,300.