More than a century of history came to a close this week in Portage la Prairie as crews removed the last fencing around the former Agassiz Youth Centre site.
Once a stone and brick landmark along Crescent Road East, the fenced compound has now given way to open ground, marking the final step in dismantling a property long associated with youth corrections in Manitoba.
The province passed legislation in 1889 to establish a boys’ reformatory, and by 1910 a four-storey Industrial Training School opened with 20 boys transferred from the Central District Gaol. Renamed the Manitoba Home for Boys in 1931, it relocated during the Second World War while the military occupied the grounds, before returning after the conflict ended.
In 1977, the facility was retitled the Agassiz Youth Centre and operated as a youth correctional facility for decades. It closed in July 2022 after incarceration rates dropped by 73 per cent over nine years, leaving the centre under 30 per cent capacity. The main historic structure was demolished later that year.
A mayor’s perspective
Former Portage la Prairie mayor Irvine Ferris worked closely with the facility during his time in office and remembers its impact on the community.
“Agassiz was a significant employer in Portage for decades,” notes Ferris. “Hundreds of local people worked there over the years, and it shaped many lives, both staff and youth.”
Ferris adds that the site’s closure was part of a broader shift in youth justice across Canada. “The number of youth in custody declined dramatically, and that changed the role of institutions like Agassiz,” he says.
Preparing for the future
With fencing gone, the cleared land is now being prepared for the Portage Regional Health Centre. Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of this year, followed by a year-long transition to install equipment and interior systems before the hospital opens to patients.
Photographer Jerry Maksymyk, who captured images of the fence removal, says the moment is both symbolic and forward-looking.
“Perhaps the fence coming down is an end to an era but also opens up some things that a story could be built around,” says Maksymyk.
He points to outstanding questions about the hospital’s turnover to Southern Health, anticipated by late November, as well as challenges tied to the city’s rapid east-end growth. Three new Broadstreet apartment complexes are expected to house more than 300 families, creating pressures on schools, roads, and public safety.
Maksymyk says the city will also need to revisit its plans for Queen Street, possible connections to Angle Road, and whether new traffic lights will be installed along 5th Street SE, Crescent Road, or at the hospital entrance.
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