Winnipeg to reopen multiple spray pads for heat relief
The City of Winnipeg is opening up some spray pads for residents as a heatwave continues to impact Manitoba.
Manitoba amended its public health orders on Wednesday to allow spray pads to reopen due to the extreme heat.
The city’s spray pads will be open at noon on Thursday.
Jay Shaw, manager of emergency operations with the city, said the spray pads have been deemed as respite from the heat.
“We really want to encourage people to use them to cool off if they have no other means,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re taking care of all of our residents based on both of these hazards.”
Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said he is thankful the province made the adjustments to the public health orders.
“We have competing needs right now,” he said. “We have a health emergency with COVID-19; we also have an emergency with the extreme heat.
“The province has allowed the opening of these facilities. They have also been very clear with us that the outdoor facilities will be required to have supervision.”
Winnipeg’s community service ambassadors will monitor the locations. All public health orders regarding gatherings and physical distancing will be in effect.
“We are encouraging residents who have the means to cool off at their personal residences, to not utilize the spray pads at this time, so they are available for those who do not have another option,” the city said in a statement. “The City is also recommending that users limit their time at the spray pad to a maximum of 30 minutes at a time.”
The spray pads will be open daily from noon to 8 p.m.
The full list of spray pads opening up is below. The spray pads at Michaëlle Jean Park (Norquay Community Centre) and Old Ex will not be opening at this time.
- Central Park;
- Fort Rouge;
- Freight House;
- Gateway;
- Jill Officer Park;
- Lindenwoods;
- Lindsey Wilson Park;
- Machray Park;
- Provencher Park;
- River Heights;
- St. Norbert;
- Shaughnessy;
- St. James Assiniboia Centennial Pool;
- Sturgeon Heights;
- Valley Gardens;
- Vimy Ridge Memorial Park;
- Waverley Heights;
- Westdale; and
- West Kildonan.
Spray pads will not be sanitized by the city, and on-site washrooms will not be available for use. The city says people who are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should avoid using spray pads, and gatherings with people outside of your household are not permitted under the current public health orders.
Outdoor pools or wading pools will not open at this time.
The current public health order regarding spray pads expires on June 12.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.