Skating on retention ponds could remain banned in Winnipeg: report
Hockey games and skating could remain prohibited on Winnipeg’s retention ponds.
A new report recommends the city not allow people to use the ponds in the winter for recreational purposes.
While geese take over the ponds in the summer, people flocked to them last winter as rinks and arenas were closed during the pandemic’s second wave.
But a bylaw prohibits people from using the ponds.
After months of study, a new report is backing that bylaw, recommending the city not allow recreational activities on the drainage basins.
The report says safety is a significant factor adding ice thickness on these ponds is questionable because of salt runoff and water flowing underneath, which transports heat.
The city’s water and waste committee chair, Councillor Brian Mayes, agrees with the report written by city staff.
“I think you have to go with what the staff is saying, which is no,” said Mayes. “Given the nature of water that flows in there in the winter, no these are not safe for use.”
Councillor Markus Chambers raised safety concerns last winter as he has large retention ponds in his ward.
“It doesn’t take too long for something dangerous to happen,” said Chambers.
However, he wants to know if there is a way for the city to monitor ice thickness in the coldest months to make them safe for use.
“Under the proper conditions I think this could be a great resource to bring communities together,” said Chambers.
Mayes points out dedicating staff to check the ponds would require funding.
“I think once you get started on the ponds you’d also have to be looking at the Seine River and other waterways,” said Mayes.
Waverley West Councillor Janice Lukes says the city could handpick two or three retention ponds to monitor for use to cut down on potential costs.
“Maybe the cost of monitoring the ponds for safety is lower than the cost of building three pleasure rinks,” said Lukes.
The report says a check of other Canadian cities shows only Saskatoon permits this on selected ponds.
The recommendation will be considered at next week’s water and waste committee meeting.
A full copy of the report can be found online.
- With files from CTV’s Kayla Rosen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.