Nearly 200 stakeholders gathered for the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s 2025 annual general meeting on Thursday, where the organization highlighted recent progress and unveiled new initiatives aimed at strengthening the city’s core in 2026.
Downtown BIZ CEO Kate Fenske says the BIZ’s goal is to build a downtown where people feel safe, storefronts thrive, and community life is active and visible.
“The BIZ’s focus in 2025 was to get ‘back to business’ to help BIZ members succeed, through increased promotions, supporting more events, adapting BIZ services, and working with partners to improve public safety — and those efforts resulted in some big wins and bold ideas to help build a vibrant and thriving downtown,” said Fenske.
The BIZ will operate under a new three-year strategic plan focused on high-impact areas, increasing year-round programming, and sharing business intelligence to support decision-making. Fenske said the aim is to give people more reasons to visit, while also promoting positive stories and momentum downtown.
Planned initiatives for 2026 include:
- Art, music and programming throughout the skywalk network
- A new winter dining experience to support local restaurants during slower months
- Expanded community cleanups building on the annual Spring CleanUp
- “Downtown’s Got Talent,” a large community showcase for Manitoba artists, expected to activate spaces such as Air Canada Window Park and Smith Street Plaza when they reopen next spring
“Moving our downtown forward is not easy work, and we need to make sure we take care of the spaces and the people in between, while transformational projects continue to take shape over
the next few years,” added Fenske. “By working together, I truly believe we can shape the downtown we all want to see.”
