Winnipeg Convention Centre expansion plans unveiled

The Winnipeg Convention Centre is about to get a $180-million makeover that will nearly double the downtown facility's current size.

The expansion plans, which were unveiled on Monday, will involve building on an existing surface parking lot on York Avenue, adjacent to the centre.

The project's $180-million price tag will be covered partly by all three levels of government: the federal government will contribute $47 million while the City of Winnipeg and the Manitoba government will each chip in $51 million.

The balance of the costs will come from new property tax revenues from commercial development that will be attached to the expanded convention centre.

Officials would not say when construction will start. They also did not specify when the project will be complete, but Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said it would likely be done in about three years.

Jino Distasio of the Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Winnipeg says the convention centre expansion is great news for the whole city.

"When you can have a place on the map that says we can host 2,000 [or] 3,000 scientific researchers, stay in hotels, spend a lot of money over three or four days, it is a huge economic impact to the downtown and to the city and the province's economy," he said.

Distasio said the convention centre was once the largest facility of its kind in Canada, so the new expansion will help it compete again with similar facilities in other cities.