Several dozen business owners and employees in the heart of the city spent Monday afternoon taking part in the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ Downtown Speaker Series, discussing issues affecting downtown.

Mayor Scott Gillingham was the speaker for the first in a series to be held quarterly, discussing issues affecting downtown.

“There isn’t one simple solution to address the challenges our downtown is facing,” says Mayor Scott Gillingham. “I’m committed to collaborating with Downtown BIZ and other partners to make our downtown streets safer for everyone, whether they live, work, go to school or visit downtown Winnipeg.”

He went on to share the city's plans to make the downtown safer, including funding for 24/7 safe spaces and working with partners in the social services sector and other levels of government.

Around 60 people attended, representing a variety of industries, including restaurants, hotels, property management and retail.

“The issues we’re experiencing downtown are not unique to Winnipeg, but they have an impact on the businesses that have committed to this neighbourhood,” says Kate Fenske, CEO of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. “We are excited to bring the downtown business community together with the Mayor at this event to hear more about what the City is doing, share ideas and explore solutions together.” 

Downtown BIZ will hold the next Downtown Speaker Series event early next year.