City councillor wants to stop sale of John Blumberg Golf Course
A Winnipeg city councillor is hoping to stop the sale of a Headingley golf course and transform the property into a year-round green space for residents.
The property in question is the John Blumberg golf course, which was declared surplus by the city in 2013.
Last year, city council signed off on a request for proposals to sell the property or enter into a joint venture agreement.
“We have to first stop the sale, and then we can start working on other uses for the land,” said Kevin Klein, councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood.
Klein envisions using the space in the summer as a golf course then transitioning to activities like cross-country skiing and skating rinks in the winter.
Klein is putting forward a motion to remove it from the surplus list, a decision he said wasn’t taken lightly.
The motion stems from conversations he had with city residents, both in his ward and across the city, and another motion that was passed unanimously by council.
“If we voted to approve a 1000 acres of new park green space over the next 20 years, or 25, it doesn’t make sense to start selling off our parks and green space,” said Klein.
“One objection that I have is the fact that money from the sale is going to the City of Winnipeg and not any of it is directed towards residents, especially in the Westwood area, to help create more park space or to help beautify some of the park space they have today," said Klein.
Another concern for Klein is the lack of collaboration with the municipality where the property resides.
The golf course is in Headingley but the property is owned by the City of Winnipeg.
“I believe they (the RM of Headingley) had plans to keep it as green space, keep it as a park, but we basically ignored them and said you are just going to have to put an offer in to buy it so I’m concerned about that,” said Klein.
Earlier this month the RM of Headingley told CTV News it was disappointed after submitting a proposal which it says was rejected.
A petition has also been going around to stop the sale and keep the golf course.
Klein said he’s hopeful the motion will be approved by council.
It will be brought forward at Wednesday's Assiniboia Community Committee.
With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele and Stephanie Tsicos
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.