UWCRC 2.0 officially opens new Market Lands South building

UWCRC 2.0 officially opens new Market Lands South building

November 10, 2026

UWCRC 2.0 is pleased to announce the official opening of the Market Lands South building, Phase 1 of the new Market Lands Campus.

This new zero carbon multi-use building features 95 rental units (48 rent supplemented), and Creative Hub arts and cultural space for Urban Shaman, Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA), Creative Manitoba, Manitoba Music, and a multi-purpose collaborative venue.

"UWCRC 2.0 is proud to bring to life a bold vision for urban living. The Market Lands campus will become a thriving home for Winnipeggers to live, work, and play. Building more affordable mixed income housing and other community infrastructure is our core mandate," said Jeremy Read, CEO of UWCRC 2.0.

The opening of the Market Lands South building marks the completion of Phase 1 at the Market Lands campus. When fully redeveloped, the Market Lands campus will be a place for exchanging ideas, art and business. It will be a new destination where Winnipeggers and tourists alike can experience the best of Winnipeg’s past reflected into the future.

The building will feature exterior artwork by Dee Barsy (Ojibwe) (Ozaawigiizisikwe / Yellow Sun Woman) an emerging Indigenous visual artist and educator based in Winnipeg and a member of Skownan First Nation, located on Treaty 2 territory. The artist statement describes the work at Market Lands South as multi-coloured patterns of fluid shapes refer to a common fossil found in Tyndall Stone, which was used in the construction of the former Public Safety Building. The birds depicted are a peregrine falcon and rock pigeons found Downtown and, in The Exchange, as buildings in this area can be seen as an urban environment for birds, which have qualities similar to natural cliffs. Her artwork "Imagined Lines of Movement and Spaces of Rest Along Colony Creek" is already installed at UWCRC 2.0 properties along Colony Street.

“By bringing together Manitobans from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds in a space that promotes our province’s rich and diverse culture, we are not only creating more affordable housing across our province; we are building up our communities and empowering the Manitobans that represent them,” said Bernadette Smith, Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness. “Our government is committed to investing into housing in accessible and affordable environments like Market Lands so we can continue to create more safe and secure places across our province for Manitobans to call home.”

“I've been watching Market Lands South go up right across the street from City Hall, and it's exciting to see it officially open,” said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham. “It's going to bring more people and new energy to the Exchange District, along with much-needed housing and space for arts and culture. It's also a great example of what we can get done when all three levels of government and community partners work together.”

The vision for the Market Lands campus has been fueled by years of public consultation, planning, and design, form which a dramatic redevelopment vision has emerged. All those who love the Exchange District have shaped the project, providing the foundation and the life it needs to succeed and redefine the heart of this historic part of our city.

“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new era for downtown Winnipeg and the Exchange District. Market Lands South is a vibrant, inclusive neighbourhood where people can live, create, connect and contribute to the life of our downtown” said Rochelle Squires, President and CEO, CentreVenture Development Corporation”

“Through the partnership with the City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba, the Government of Canada, CentreVenture and UWCRC 2.0, we are bringing together affordable and market housing, arts and culture, and community spaces in one place. This is exactly the kind of thoughtful, mixed-use development that creates a welcoming, accessible and dynamic downtown. Market Lands South demonstrates what can be accomplished when strong partnerships, a shared vision and a commitment to community come together” added Squires.

UWCRC 2.0 is driven to develop projects that tackle housing, sustainability, and community needs. Market Lands South is Canada’s first CAGBC-certified net carbon-zero residential mid-rise.

“We have created a mixed-income housing development that brings together affordability and sustainability. We’ve demonstrated that the goals of community development, housing affordability and environmental responsibility can be made to reinforce rather than compete with one another, even if the upfront work requires greater creativity. We’re directly contributing to Canada’s 2030 and 2050 climate goals while setting a new standard for sustainable development, design and building practices in Winnipeg and beyond,” notes UWCRC 2.0’s CEO Jeremy Read.

Read also announced that the main atrium of the building will be named Ross Family Hall, in honour of the Ross Family, a prominent Winnipeg Metis family who in 1875 donated the lands for public use for the original Public Market and City Hall. UWCRC 2.0 is working with the family to create a historic plaque for a future naming ceremony.

Information about the building including leasing information can be found at

www.marketlandssouth.ca

About UWCRC 2.0

UWCRC 2.0 Inc. is a not-for-profit developer and housing provider committed to advancing inclusive, community-driven development in Winnipeg's urban core and beyond. We specialize in the creation of high-quality, mixed-income rental housing and other social infrastructure that foster social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and long-term affordability.

Mandated to lead both wholly owned and joint-venture developments, UWCRC 2.0 Inc. also delivers expert project management and property management services to post-secondary institutions, non-profit organizations, First Nations governments, and Indigenous organizations

Dee Barsy Biography

Dee Barsy (Ojibwe) is a visual artist and a member of Skownan First Nation, Manitoba (Treaty 2). Barsy was raised on Treaty 1 territory: the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Barsy graduated with a BFA from the University of Manitoba. In September 2017, Dee was commissioned to create artworks for the INSURGENCE/RESURGENCE exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The exhibition featured the work of 29 emerging to established contemporary Indigenous artists from across Canada. Barsy had her first solo exhibition at Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art Gallery in September, 2019. There, she transformed the gallery space, floor to wall, with a mural featuring abstract representations of various local insects and spiders painted on top of her signature rhythmic lines and blue background. Her artwork is included in the Global Affairs Visual Art Collection, the Manitoba Museum collection, the Winnipeg Art Gallery collection and many private collections.