Local spa at former Balmoral Hotel 'upgrade' to Winnipeg's inner city

The transformation of an inner-city Winnipeg hotel into an Indigenous wellness center is nearing completion, and those involved in the project say it will make a difference in the neighborhood.

The Balmoral Hotel, located at the corner of Balmoral Street and Cumberland Avenue, took on new ownership last November under the leadership of Pimicikamak Okimawin, Winnipeg businessman Kam Khaira and psychiatrist Dr. Antonio Paletta.

It has been renamed the Pimicikamak Health Center and in a few weeks all 45 hotel rooms will be available for northern or isolated First Nations members to stay in when they come to town for medical appointments.

“They deserve to be in a place where they can relax and feel welcome. It's a safe and clean environment, and we want to show them the respect and dignity they deserve,” center spokeswoman Desiree McIvor told CBC News on Thursday. .

“It may be under renovation now, but we're still open,” he said, with about 30 renovated rooms.

McIvor, who also works with 1JustCity, says the nonprofit will soon open a drop-in center in the basement space that will offer meals and community-focused programming.

There are also plans to open a nursery in the building and convert the beer vendor currently operating on the property into a clinic and pharmacy.

“It offers people a home away from home,” he said.

“It will be a very good investment in the community.”

“The Inner City Grows Here”

Some of the hotel rooms will be wheelchair accessible, while others will be connected so families can stay connected, McIvor said.

The goal is to offer a safe space for recovery because other hotels in the city have a bad reputation among Indigenous people because “it's not a good place for people if their main goal is to get healthy and get better,” he said.

“Our main focus in this building right now is people's health and wellness.”

A City of Winnipeg property assessment notice lists the property at $3.2 million.

The 2½-acre site is being renovated with new doors, floors, bathrooms and walls, according to project manager Antonio Pisano, who is overseeing construction.

“It's a big piece of property and it's not going to be overlooked. If you start here, the inner city can grow from here,” he told CBC News.

“This community deserves a lift.”

“This hotel used to be a mess”

Kam Khaira, co-owner of the Pimicikamak Health Center, says that this center is a dream project.

“We saw this property. He seemed to have lost his potential in this area,” he said.

“This hotel used to be a mess: smells, roaches, rats.

Khaira said he and the other owners decided the former Balmoral Hotel was the perfect place to open the spa because of its proximity to downtown and the Health Sciences Center.

So far, he says there have been visitors from about five First Nations.

“They're already going through pain, so (we want to make them comfortable) so they can focus on the healing process.”

Some people are under the impression that the hotel is closed, but Khaira says the First Nations community is slowly realizing that the hotel is open to everyone.

The kindergarten, clinic and pharmacy are expected to open this year, but there are factors that will determine when that actually happens, he said.

Even so, Khaira says the project will make a difference to the community.

“Everything will fall into place.”