Push to declare downtown Bay a historic building hits a snag

A plan to grant heritage status to TheHudson's Bay Company's six-storey downtown Winnipeg store is going back to the ground floor at city hall.

City council's executive policy committee was poised to vote Tuesday to add the downtown Bayto the city's historical resources list untilCoun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) revealed a procedural mistake was made at a previous council committee meeting.

Mayestold EPChe voted on the plan at an historical buildings committee meeting on Nov. 22, 2018. He was then advised heshould not have taken part in the vote at that committee, which is made up mostly of heritage experts.

It was the first historical buildings committee where Mayesservedas the chair. He said he wasn't aware he wasn't supposed to vote at that committee.

Mayes said Tuesday city clerks recommendedthe plan be stopped for now and be sent back to the historical buildings committee, "out of an abundance of caution."

This effectively means it willbe March before city council considers the move, whichwould protectseveral aspects of the six-storey structure, which was completed in 1926. Those elements include limestone exterior walls, the outside canopy, the curved elevator lobby and other aspects of the interior.

• Committee urged to add 'iconic' Hudson's Bay to list of historical Winnipeg buildings

The companyopposesthe designation, arguing in a letter it was too costly to maintain the character elements of the downtown Bay.

Manitoba Clubdecision put off, too

EPCalso voted to put off a decision about adding the Manitoba Club, built in 1905 on Broadway, to the historical resources list.

The Manitoba Club whose members lobbied in favour of building a heritage park to commemoratenearby Upper Fort Garry opposesthe designation. EPC will revisit this propertyin three weeks.

Winnipeg's historical buildings committee first considered a report about the Manitoba Club in February 2018.

Cindy Tugwellof Heritage Winnipegtold EPC it's ridiculous for council to continue to delay this decision.