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Gordon Bell finally scores its green space for sports

By: Nick Martin

8/12/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 29

Broadway and Portage Avenue Area where Gordon Bell wants to build a field.

BORIS.MINKEVICH@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

Broadway and Portage Avenue Area where Gordon Bell wants to build a field.

Gordon Bell High School's field of dreams has finally come true.

Education Minister Nancy Allan will be in Gordon Bell's senior gym today at 10 a.m. to announce that the province is spending $5.3 million to acquire a former car dealership on Portage Avenue from Canada Post and convert it into an athletic field and green space.

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"We want to do some creative landscaping. We want to do some community involvement" in planning the design of the site, she said.

Allan expects the province and Winnipeg School Division would discuss the possibility of closing Borrowman Place, the small street which runs between the site and the school, though the street is not part of this morning's announcement.

Allan said that Canada Post would also be part of this morning's ceremony at Gordon Bell High School, and that it will announce the new location for a facility that the Crown corporation had planned to build on the Portage site.

"We have an agreement with Canada Post. We're going to purchase it for $3.8 million," Allan said.

The province will spend an additional $1.5 million to drain, fence, and lay sod on the property.

"There has been some discussion with the University of Manitoba, particularly the architecture department, and we're going to work with them on drainage and fencing," the minister said.

Allan said that the new field would become part of the Gordon Bell High School property after the deal closes Jan. 8. She was uncertain when the field would be ready for use.

The province is providing the money as a one-time capital grant, that is outside its annual capital budget for public schools, and which will not affect Winnipeg School Division's five-year capital priority list.

"This is over and above the priorities of Winnipeg School Division -- it won't bump any of their priorities," Allan said.

Students, grads, and community residents have been pushing for green space for the school, ever since word broke that Canada Post had acquired the former car dealership on Portage. MP Pat Martin (NDP-Winnipeg Centre) has been an enthusiastic booster, pestering the federal government to recognize the need for green space in the inner- city, and urging Ottawa to tell Canada Post to look elsewhere.

Gordon Bell has a small asphalt open space on the Maryland Street side of the school, but no green space.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 8, 2009 A7

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29 Commentscomment icon

More inner city green space is good news. How long will it take before the homeless call this home, the graffiti artists call it art in the park, the muggers call it a new source of income and the slobs call it a new garbage dump? And only for $5.3M. What's that you say? The City is "losing all that tax revenue". Not a problem. All the traffic fines will go up in the New Year. And of course once we pay IKEA to slap up their packing crate mega complex on rural green space we can really pull in the tourist dollars. Like out of town deer hunters to kill those stupid, pesky deer who have the gall to live in the suburbs. Treating it's citizens like a bottomless wallet and making bad decisions, City Hall's top priorities.

I second Casual Reader's remark -- Anonymous, you are incredibly ignorant.

to the anonymous coward who commented at 1:40 p.m:

you do realize that Gordon Bell has a fairly large new immigrant population at the school, and that english is NOT their first language, right? apparently not, given your ignorant post.

Dear Nicole Boutin: Please take remedial English before you leave the school. Thanks.

kmc...ever heard of a fence?

@ Mikey - have you SEEN the school? My God, you are not the brightest bulb in the pack, now are you?




Winnipeggers sicken me. From your judgmental "I TOLD YOU SO" to your inherent racism. And I say that AS a Winnipegger.


Listen to the students who worked to make this a reality - THEY ARE GRATEFUL. There is just so much you whiny babies don't get but THEY DO.

And to "where's Alex?", I don't know if you've ever been INSIDE Gordon Bell, but there is asbestos, and it's not exactly the most well kept school in the district. It's an INNER CITY high school, not many upgrades have been done in the last 15 or so years.

@gregphelan; the article said that it would be fenced in. No need to call in the police to "stop traffic at Portage and Broadway when the kids are playing soccer and want to take a corner-kick."
As a former Gordon Bell student, and a good friend to those who protested, I can honestly say that I'm excited for the school, a green space would be greatly appreciated by not only the students, but other kids in the area. And a little note, it's not going to be a "playground", in case you hadn't noticed, it's a HIGH SCHOOL, not an elementary school. Last time I checked, high schools don't have "playgrounds". It's going to be a green space, letting the students have proper sports practices, and allowing for a community green space at the same time.

Way to go guys! Enjoy the green space!

I can't wait for my old suburban high school to have a sports field or fancy track either! At least GB had a track to begin with.

Oh Great!! Let's spend more of our tax money on ridiculous projects like this one. Do you think anyone in that school will be using this "green space" for anything besides smoking and skipping classes??

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