Mixed-income apartments ready for tenants in Winnipeg's Exchange

Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the Marketland South apartment complex, but inside the mixed income building is getting ready to welcome its first tenants. More than half of the 95 units in the building have been designated as deeply affordable, with rents as low as $285 a month for a bachelor or one bedroom. Market rate and subsidized units sit side by side, something the building's non-profit developer says is by design. Behind the doors, no one knows who's in affordable units, who's in market units, and we like it that way. Nestled between City Hall and Red River College Polytech downtown campus, it was once the site of a former Winnipeg police headquarters, which was demolished in 2020. Before that, the site was a public market. The land was donated to the city in 1875 by the Ross family, descendants of Red River settler Alexander Ross, on the condition that it always be used for community purposes. This building is a testament to that vision and I'm so excited that we get to bring art and housing together at the center of our city and at the center of our country. The building also has space on its lower levels for local arts organizations. Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art will have a new gallery. Mentoring Artists for Women's Art, or MAWA, will move their offices into the building, which will also house the headquarters of Manitoba Music. All three levels of government committed funding to support the project. Housing Minister Bernadette Smith says having subsidized homes in a cultural hub represents a shift in how social housing should look. Because at the end of the day, housing is about more than bricks and mortar. It's about people, it's about dignity, and it's about giving people the opportunity to build a good life. Construction is nearly complete on the first phase here at Marketlands, but this is not the end. Future plans include a food market, as well as another apartment building here on the north side of the property. Cameron McLean, CBC News, Winnipeg.