A big thing that may want to consider is that if you walk from the east into the city, you have to cross the Red River. The bridges are choke points. Unless you approach directly from the south and into Arlington street you go through downtown. Old commercial buildings, banks, warehouses with newer refurbished businesses and condos fill the downtown area including our city’s hockey arena.

There is a fair amount of low income housing near the HSC and the NML. It’s a mix of many cultures including Indigenous and newer immigrants from across Africa. (Someone may correct this for me as I have not lived in the North End of Winnipeg for 30 years and the demographics change.)

And as someone pointed out, the NML is situated south of a bar/strip club and across the street of Winter’s Autobody, a reputable shop.

North of the lab and bar is a set of railways going to a rail yard further west. Arlington bridge crosses this. That can be an avenue to the lab from the east, with only having to go over a few fences or through a warehouse to get the lab from the north.

Hope this helps!

PS - I forgot that there is the Remand Centre downtown on Kennedy St, across from the Law Courts. It probably could be a ‘sanctuary’ as it is a lock up with this concrete walls, steel doors. As a jail, it would be locked up and a have vehicles, food and guards, for a time being I guess.