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![\"MIKAELA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4391435_web1_260713-Bee2Gether-Bikes-00027.jpg\")
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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Chad Celaire, co-owner of Bee2gether Bikes, at the Winnipeg rental company\u2019s new FortWhyte Alive location.<\/p>\n
Celaire said he was \u201cblindsided\u201d when he received a May 19 email from property management saying The Forks wouldn\u2019t grant a 2026 lease to Bee2gether Bikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe previous year, they treated us so well,\u201d Celaire said. \u201cThere was no indication that they wouldn\u2019t be having us back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celaire and his wife\/business partner Kim quickly reached out to FortWhyte Alive. The company has since moved part of its operations to the southwest Winnipeg nature space.<\/p>\n
It also launched a GoFundMe seeking $7,500 to cover \u201cthe losses incurred by The Forks (sic) decision to not renew our lease.\u201d The change has been financially \u201cdevastating,\u201d according to Bee2gether\u2019s GoFundMe page.<\/p>\n
Bee2gether shifted gears as its 2026 season was supposed to start, Celaire said, and it bought a swath of items \u2014 kayaks, pedal boats \u2014 from Kendrick\u2019s Outdoor Adventures, FortWhyte Alive\u2019s former rental provider.<\/p>\n
Celaire estimates the move to FortWhyte cost the business tens of thousands of dollars (including its choice to buy the boats).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just find it so hard to believe that they wouldn\u2019t want a family-oriented business there anymore,\u201d Celaire said of The Forks, adding he\u2019s happy to have a spot at FortWhyte.<\/p>\n
Bee2gether launched at The Forks in 2007 with four tandem bikes. Since then, the seasonal business has had various locations on the property, gradually expanding its fleet.<\/p>\n
Sales of two- to eight-person, side-by-side bike rentals racked up. It depended on which location Bee2gether was placed, Celaire said \u2014 a spot behind The Forks Market would not be as busy as in front of the building.<\/p>\n
He counted about 2,500 rentals last year, marking Bee2gether\u2019s best season downtown.<\/p>\n
Leases were renewed annually, with the exception of a two-year deal spanning 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n
Celaire said he\u2019d talked to The Forks leadership last year about hosting a future bike valet: \u201cWhen you\u2019re given comments like, what you could do for the next year, automatically that leads you to believe there will be a next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Forks said it advised Bee2gether Bikes in 2024 a two-year lease was available (for 2024 and 2025), but the lease wouldn\u2019t be renewed further due to \u201cplanned changes to the site and the future of the space.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese decisions are never made lightly and we recognize they have a real impact on the businesses involved,\u201d spokeswoman Tineke Buiskool-Leeuwma wrote in a statement. \u201cWe understand this outcome is disappointing, but we were transparent throughout the process and provided long-range advance notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celaire disputes this. He pointed to a May 7, 2026, email from The Forks property manager (which the Free Press has viewed), saying The Forks was looking at various options for summer 2026 and hadn\u2019t completed its tenancy reviews.<\/p>\n
It was in response to Celaire\u2019s check-in; the property manager said discussions would likely conclude \u201cmid-next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
In July, The Forks chief operating officer told Celaire in an email: \u201cWe warned you (in 2024), \u2018With the impending construction of the Railside Development, we won\u2019t know if the space will be available in the future.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The Forks declined to comment on confidential discussions with tenants.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not contact us to discuss a new lease; you sent an email in April saying you wanted to come set up for 2026, and we informed you that you no longer had a lease, as it had expired in 2025,\u201d Jessica Floresco, the COO, wrote to Celaire in an email.<\/p>\n
Space isn\u2019t available, she added.<\/p>\n
Construction is ongoing at Railside at The Forks, a mixed-use development. Four buildings are in the ground and expected to be finished in 2028, according to Buiskool-Leeuwma.<\/p>\n
Celaire said he\u2019d still like to run Bee2gether Bikes at The Forks, perhaps once Railside is open. Bee2gether also has sites at Assiniboine Park and Birds Hill Provincial Park. It employs more than 30 people, mainly students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thankful for the opportunity and all the years that we\u2019ve been able to run there,\u201d Celaire said of The Forks. \u201cIt\u2019s the busiest attraction, probably, in Manitoba.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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The Forks records four million visitors annually.<\/p>\n
Meantime, Bee2gether is leaning into FortWhyte Alive. The hub has 22 fat tire bikes, eight kayaks, two tandem kayaks, four pedal boats, four canoes, 10 paddleboards and many multi-person bikes. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a unique experience that they offer,\u201d said Ian Barnett, FortWhyte Alive\u2019s vice-president. \u201cIt\u2019s just a different way to get out and about and enjoy our trails.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bee2gether Bikes inked a two-year lease with FortWhyte, Barnett said.<\/p>\n
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
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Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle 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
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