Spring cleanup brings shine to downtown
More than 900 volunteers proved that many hands make light work as they descended upon downtown Thursday to pick up heaps of garbage left over from the winter.
Kate Fenske, CEO of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, which organized the annual event, called it a great way to make the neighbourhood look tidy and keep the community engaged.
'I think we're going to have a better, stronger, more vibrant downtown the more people get involved with it,' she said.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Johnny Thi, owner of Saigon Grind, is happy with the recent downtown cleaup on Thursday.
She said last year they had about 700 people help, which they thought was an anomaly because they had about 350 volunteers in 2023.
She said businesses in the heart of the city look better once litter is gone from the street, and it usually draws customers.
'It really starts with some of the basic services and how our downtown looks and feels,' said Fenske. 'You want to make the sure the neighbourhood looks like it's cared for. That's so important when you're trying to attract new businesses or when people want to live downtown.'
It also improves people's perception of safety.
'The more people downtown, the safer it feels. What we hear from people out and about for those street parties, the plaza parties and going to the game, and visiting the restaurants, they're like 'I wish the downtown could be like this all the time.''
Johnny Thi, the owner of Saigon Grind at 333 William Ave., said a clean neighbourhood has a big impact.
'When you're walking downtown, especially in the back lanes, there's always a lot of trash lying around. Some people actually get scared walking in the back alleys because of how it looks.'
Thi said if it were possible, cleanups should happen once a month, and that one big cleanup a year is not enough.
Another business owner said people have a negative perception of safety, but she's never been attacked while working, even though she has been there for a quarter century.
'People think that there's no parking and that it's dangerous, they don't want to come (downtown),' said Aimee Peake, who owns Bison Books at 424 Graham Ave. 'In my experience, being down here five days a week for 25 years, I don't agree with either of those perceptions.'
She said another perception people have is that the downtown is littered with a lot of garbage, and the cleanup is one of the best ways to get people to come to the city core. She said a clean street makes the entire neighbourhood more welcoming.
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'I think it makes it generally more pleasant… having it look presentable and tidy and clean is a benefit to the public perception of the area,' she said.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said it makes people who invested in businesses feel good about being downtown when it gets spiffied up.
'The way our city looks has a really big impact on how we feel as Winnipeggers, and it's the same for businesses,' he said after the event. 'When the sidewalks and the landscaping around the business is clean and looks beautified, it makes the business more attractive.'
Volunteers filled 400 bags of garbage in two hours.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
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