Winnipeg development corporation hires former conservative MLA, Rochelle Squires | CBC News

A former Progressive Conservative cabinet member member is now the head of Winnipeg’s downtown development agency.

CentreVenture Development Corporation has hired Rochelle Squires, who will step into the role of chief executive officer on Thursday.

In a Monday news release, the development company highlighted Squires background in housing and municipal affairs and celebrated her previous experience as a minister of Manitoba and its benefit to the developer.

The chair of the company’s board, Brad Zander, said Squires’s dedication to community development is aligned with the company’s vision to revitalize downtown Winnipeg.

A member of CentreVenture search committee, Maxine Kashton, said in a news release that Squire’s vision and ability to collaborate will be a driving force in the success of the organization.

Agency behind Market Lands project

Squires served seven years as an Member of the Legislative Assembly for Riel in several positions like municipal relations minister and families minister, as well as minister of sustainable development.

She lost her seat in south Winnipeg’s Riel constituency when the provincial NDP formed a majority government.

CentreVenture Development Corporation is an arms-length agency of the City of Winnipeg established in 1999 which is mandated to plan and develop projects in the city’s downtown.

The agency is the developer behind the city’s Market Lands project, a nine-storey, 95-unit residential building with an open market and 20,000-square-feet of commercial space.

The $55 million dollar project is currently underway at the site that once housed Winnipeg’s police headquarters, at the southern end of the property between King Street and Princess Street, and is expected to be completed by January 2026.

Squires holds a bachelor of arts in communications from the University of Winnipeg, a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, and a journalism diploma from Red River College. 

“I’m honoured to join CentreVenture and together build on the strong foundation to build more housing and bring more residents to downtown Winnipeg,” said Squires in a Monday news release.