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![\"MIKAELA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4386060_web1_260511-Fort-Garry-00056.jpg\")
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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
The 113-year-old Fort Garry Hotel was put up for sale in May and could sell for as much as $70 million.<\/p>\n
The 113-year-old hotel was co-listed for sale in May by real estate brokerage firms Avison Young and Cushman & Wakefield Winnipeg, but doesn\u2019t have a list price.<\/p>\n
The city has assessed the 268,000-square-foot property at $9 million, but industry experts believe the building could sell for $60 million to $70 million. The property includes 60,000 square feet in meeting, spa and fitness space, along with 236 suites.<\/p>\n
The hotel last sold in 1993 to Winnipeg businesswoman Ida Albo and her partner, Richard Bel. Earlier this year, the hotel finished a $1-million renovation involving 12 guest rooms, three suites and an executive lounge.<\/p>\n
The landmark hotel had drawn \u201cvery strong interest\u201d since the property was posted April 27, Curtis Gallagher, principal and Canadian hospitality lead with real estate advisory firm Avison Young, told the Free Press in May.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Gallagher and Albo declined to comment on the M\u00e9tis federation\u2019s interest in the building.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Chartrand spoke at the news conference to announce the purchase of the Ellice Avenue site, which is the 11th building to be acquired by the federation in downtown Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an iconic part of Winnipeg\u2019s history and its future, just like the Red River M\u00e9tis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my perspective, we have to save downtown,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we said to ourselves in cabinet, let\u2019s start seeing these buildings and see if the numbers can work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor Scott Gillingham, who also spoke at the event, thanked the MMF for its partnership and commitment to revitalizing downtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a priority of mine to see Winnipeg\u2019s downtown strengthened and renewed and revitalized,\u201d Gillingham said. \u201cToday\u2019s announcement is an exciting announcement for downtown Winnipeg. It\u2019s another significant investment by President Chartrand and the Manitoba M\u00e9tis Federation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDowntown is the heart of Winnipeg. You can have a strong community in Sage Creek or Maples or Waverley West\u2026 but if your downtown is not strong and healthy, the city\u2019s not strong and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Following the purchase of the research council buildings, at 435-445 Ellice Ave., which includes 70 laboratories and an office building, the federation\u2019s downtown portfolio exceeds one million square feet of property.<\/p>\n
More than 100 staff who work at M\u00e9tis Child and Family Services Authority will relocate to the Ellice Avenue site from 2000 Portage Ave. The laboratory building will be repurposed for nurse training, M\u00e9tis-led research initiatives and could eventually house an MRI machine.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we said to ourselves in cabinet, let\u2019s start seeing these buildings and see if the numbers can work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The federation is partnering with the Bioscience Association of Manitoba to make lab space available to industry, researchers and academic institutions at a time when demand for specialized lab facilities outpaces supply.<\/p>\n
The federation also owns the Bank of Montreal building at 335 Main St., 333 Main St., and 191 Pioneer Ave. Its headquarters is on Henry Street in Point Douglas.<\/p>\n
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Scott Billeck Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.\u00a0 Read more about Scott<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
Reporter
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