Winnipeg council approves rapid transit land expropriation

Winnipeg city councillors have unanimously endorsed the expropriation of a number of parcels of land to move ahead with the second phase of the rapid transit corridor.

The expropriation plan, approved by council on Wednesday, will include a piece of land that the city had swapped away five years ago.

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The 25-hectare property in question, located in the Parker Lands area, was swapped by the City of Winnipeg to Gem Equities in a controversial land deal in 2009.

Attempts to negotiate with the landowner have failed so far and the city is preparing to expropriate the land if a deal cannot be reached.

In exchange, the city acquired four hectares of land it needed for a transit garage.

Now, the land is needed to build the Cockburn-Calrossie sewer drainage project, in a bid to prevent basement flooding in nearby homes.

The Parker Lands decision is linked to the rapid transit expansion in that a small part of that land is needed for the transitway extension.