Winnipeg mayor mulls Public Safety Building plans

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz is looking at moving city offices into the Public Safety Building on Princess Street.

The city is mulling plans about what to do with the building once the Winnipeg Police Service relocates to a new downtown headquarters.

City officials recently decided not to renovate the Public Safety Building for police use because of the high costs associated with bringing it up to modern standards.

"When you build a police station, its got to be bomb-proof. Its a little bit different than most buildings," Katz said Wednesday.

Winnipeg police will eventually be headquartered at 266 Graham Ave., the former home of a Canada Post sorting plant.

Their old building has been crumbling for years, with chunks of the structures faade falling off.

Katz said it would be more cost-efficient to renovate the Public Safety Building to create office space.

"Things can be done differently and for a lot less money, so thats something that could be used by the City of Winnipeg for something," said Katz.

The building sits across from city hall and adjacent to theCivic Parkade, which has been closed since August 2012 due to structural concerns.

Katz is still waiting on word about whether or not the parkade can be repaired, but he said he doubts it can be saved.