Last-ditch effort to keep St. Boniface pool open voted down by city committee
A last-ditch effort to keep a St. Boniface pool open for another year may have gone down the drain for good.
Happyland Outdoor Pool was one of three pools and 20 wading pools tapped to be replaced or decommissioned in the city's latest four-year budget.
The pools are being shuttered in an effort to modernize the city’s aquatic facilities, as many were at the end of their lifespans. Plus, the city said the pools had low attendance and issues attracting lifeguards.
In an effort to keep Happyland open for one more swim season, community members raised $70,000, plus there was word of an additional $50,000 in funding from the province.
Still, the city’s community services committee voted down the plan Wednesday three to one, as the city’s administration told councillors capital and operating costs for the season could be as much as $190,000.
Committee chair councillor Evan Duncan also says he has never seen anything in writing when it comes to provincial funding.
“I have seen that it has been promised. I have seen that there is a fund out there, but I’ve never seen that offer come to the City of Winnipeg,” he said.
Area resident Denise Muller Bulger is sad she and her grandkids won’t have a place to go in the summer to cool down.
"Not everyone has a cottage. Not everyone has a pool. We need a place in the city that is accessible,” she said.
Meantime, Duncan called on St. Boniface residents to push the city for a recreational plan going forward.
"I think it could be a great candidate for that seeing as the infrastructure is so dated in St. Boniface."
- With files from CTV's Jeff Keele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea level
On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland’s solid ground.
Trump election victory 'very unlikely,' but 'possible': former FBI director Comey
Former FBI director James Comey says while he believes former U.S. president Donald Trump "will be defeated" in the upcoming presidential election, he doesn’t think it’s a given.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
WestJet ordered to pay B.C. traveller $1,300 for a missed flight connection
A B.C. traveller will receive more than $1,300 in compensation from WestJet for a missed flight connection following a decision from the province's small claims tribunal.
Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour: 'I am completely heartsick and devastated'
Jennifer Lopez has cancelled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press.
2 children among 5 people hospitalized after head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's west end
Two young children and three adults were seriously injured in a major collision on Highway 417 between Palladium Drive and Carp Road in Ottawa's west end Friday afternoon.