The Canadian International Grains Institute has outgrown its current space in downtown Winnipeg and is looking at options that could include expansion or relocation.
Chief executive officer Joanne Buth said the institute has been assessing its space requirements for some time, and a decision on securing more space or a new location is likely to come within the next year or so.
“We have been in discussion internally for a while about how do we deal with a lack of space,” Buth said.
“We’ve expanded our programs and we’re crowded in some areas, especially when we have a lot of samples coming in … so we’re looking at a variety of options.”
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CIGI rents space in the Canadian Grain Commission building, where its operations are spread over four floors.
Buth said CIGI has a multi-year tenancy agreement, but she declined to say when the agreement is due to expire.
“I can’t really tell you where we’re at in the process or what we’re looking at, but it includes everything,” she said.
“Can we expand where we are? Is there an opportunity to shift things around within the same building to become more efficient? And what are the opportunities in and around the Winnipeg area?”
Buth said the institute is “quite committed” to staying in Winnipeg and would prefer a location in close proximity to the grain commission.
It hosts numerous foreign delegations as part of its mandate to promote export sales of wheat and other Canadian crops.
As a result, proximity to commission offices and expertise is critically important, as is access to an international airport with reasonably good connections.
CIGI employs 40 people and has unique tenancy requirements.
In addition to office space, the institute requires space for test bakeries, pilot scale pasta plants, Asian noodle processing lines, extruders, analytical labs and classrooms to accommodate visiting delegations.
A centrepiece of CIGI’s current operations is a one-and-a-half storey wheat mill on the 11th and 12th floors of the grain commission building.
“It (the pilot wheat mill) is heavy, it needs special ventilation and other considerations,” Buth said.
“It’s kind of unusual for (a mill like that) to be located on the 11th and 12th floors of an office building in downtown Winnipeg, so if we do move, those are the types of considerations we’ll be looking at.”
Agricultural media in Western Canada reported a few years ago that CIGI might be considering a move to Saskatoon.
Buth did not comment specifically on potential tenancy opportunities in other western Canadian cities.
Ideally, the organization will remain in Winnipeg, in an expanded space or a new downtown location, she said.
Contact brian.cross@producer.com
