Restaurant says Manitoba Hydro is limiting skywalk access to its location

A downtown Winnipeg restaurant says limited access to the city’s skywalk system is hurting business.

A downtown Winnipeg restaurant says limited access to the skywalk system is hurting its bottom line.

Rudy’s Eat & Drink has operated out of Manitoba Hydro Place on Graham Avenue for 15 years.

But, according to general manager Mackenzie Robb, this past fall the Crown corporation started locking a security gate between Rudy’s entrance and the Hydro gallery at 6 p.m. every night.

“They are installing a rolling gate that essentially prevents any public access into that gallery space. I think we all know that a lot of Jets games start at seven. In prior years, that access wasn’t restricted until about 8:30 p.m. which was great for us because it allotted all of our guests a safe and warm walk to the area from our space,” Robb explained.

Robb said Rudy’s was not notified about the access-point changes.

“I’ve done everything that I can on my end to ask for extensions, even just on event days - just a little bit of wiggle room to work with and it’s not been met with any positive reception,” said Robb.

In an effort to fix the situation, Robb said she’s been directed by Hydro to an attendant, a supervisor, and the operations department, but still hasn’t gotten any clear-cut answers.

“I’ve was willing to do anything at this point because it’s starting to affect our business and our guest experience, as well” she said.

Robb adds they were told Thursday they had been given the greenlight on an access extension and was told that it was being granted. But later, she found out that Hydro had “walked back on that approval.”

“I had to disappoint the 100-plus patrons that we had…so a lot of confusion surrounding why I got a yes, and it was instantly turned into a no,” said Robb.

The restaurant said that skywalk accessibility is a key component to their business.

“You know we’ve been here for 15 years so it’s something that our guests come to expect. It’s part of the draw to come to Rudy’s, not only to have a great meal and excellent service, but to also have that opportunity to not traverse in minus 40 (degrees). Even if it’s a couple blocks, it’s still really cold out there,” said Robb.

Meanwhile, the Crown corporation said the reason for the change is due to security concerns.

“We shortened the hours of public access to Manitoba Hydro Place to ensure the safety of our employees and the public, after some incidents of potentially dangerous or threatening behavior in the area,” Manitoba Hydro told CTV News in a statement.

“We are working with Winnipeg Police Service and Downtown Community Safety Partnership to enhance safety, and we will be communicating the changes with tenants.”