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Inner-city park is Doer's field of dreams

Most daring and creative scheme since Duff's Ditch

By: Dan Lett

17/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 21

WINNIPEG — It's crazy. So crazy, in fact, it just might work.

Premier Gary Doer confirmed this week he has been working on a plan to turn a large tract of Point Douglas into a provincial park. It's a whopper of an idea, and one that will be exceedingly attractive to those citizens who believe parks do much more to build a healthy community than freeways and power shopping centres.

At first blush, however, only the madness of his plan is obvious. After all, we have a veteran politician who may or may not be nearing the end of his career offering to take one of the most historic and neglected inner-city neighbourhoods and create a one-of-a-kind green space. If this is the real deal -- and there aren't any football stadiums, hotels, condo developments or waterslides attached -- then Doer has tossed this city quite a curve ball.

It is simply no longer fashionable for politicians to reclaim land like this for parks. Once upon a time, political leaders felt an obligation to set aside prime real estate for things such as parks and museums. These days, government investment in public amenities is a low priority indeed.

In that context, Doer's plan could be one of the most daring, most creative initiatives this or any other premier has conceived since Duff Roblin dug his ditch. Emphasis on the 'could be.'

Notwithstanding the idea's romantic qualities, this is a politically risky venture for a premier who has become infamous for his slow, steady, baby-step approach to major issues. With a possibility that Doer could be retiring before the next election, this could be one of his legacy projects. And the soon-to-be-retiring authors of legacy projects have less to fear from voters than those who run for re-election.

However, even if you get beyond the political hurdles, there are practical concerns. Although the province has consulted with some residents, it has not been a fulsome process. One must assume there is more consultation to come, and that could see a Pandora's box of competing interests unleashed.

There is also the matter of the private landowners. Large parcels of the land that would be used to form a Point Douglas park is in the hands of eccentric landowners who may have no interest in selling. The province has the legal authority to expropriate, and would have no obligation to pay above market price for the land, but that would create a tempest that could lead to significant delays.

Doer said the market price would be determined by taking the value of the land and subtracting the cost of environmental remediation. Much of the land Doer has his eye on was formerly used for industrial purposes and is in need of significant reclamation efforts. Either way, it looks like this is going to be very expensive.

Doer has not indicated what he would do about the Louise Bridge. Many Point Douglas residents would like to see the bridge disappear and the creation of a park might be exactly the motivation to make it so. However, city councilors from east Winnipeg believe it is an important safety valve that helps relieve some of the pressure on other, major traffic routes. They are not likely to give up the bridge without a fight.

Finally, there is an outstanding question about what role, if any, the city will play. Mayor Sam Katz issued a terse statement on Wednesday that confirmed he is not part of Doer's park plan. At one time, Katz was the point man on the redevelopment of Point Douglas. Now he seems to be an afterthought.

Following last year's failed bid by David Asper to build a football stadium in Point Douglas, the city has been trapped in an endless, and some would say pointless, community consultation.

Consultation is good, but this process has no exit strategy and more importantly, Katz has never pledged resources to turn the residents' vision into reality. While consultations were ongoing, the city made no effort to purchase and assemble the land for redevelopment, the first step in any plan to redevelop Point Douglas. The last year has been, for the most part, a complete waste of time.

Is a park for Point Douglas the right thing to do? It's tough to come to a definitive conclusion because so many of the important details -- the cost, a broader consultation, and the city's role -- are unknown. It is not difficult to envision a scenario in which the whole plan falls apart from the collective howling of something the premier likes to call "the nitpicker's convention."

On the other hand, it just might work.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 17, 2009 A9

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21 Commentscomment icon

I think a provincial park in the Point Douglas area is a fantastic idea! It would be such a boon for the population that currently lives in and around the area as it would provide wilderness and recreational opportunities easily accessable and affordable to them. In turn, those experiences would foster health and wellness on so many levels.
Continuing to throw money into the healthcare system without attempting to provide ways to prevent health problems in the first place is not a working solution. Providing recreational and wilderness opportunities that stimulates creativity, spiritual, emotional and physical health and well-being is much more prudent.
The popularity of Bird's Hill Park is evidence that society needs these green spaces. Let's have a space that is accessible to everyone in the City of Winnipeg and let it be in an area of the city where the majority do not own cars and are unable to experience what many cottagers take for granted. I hope Gary Doer will carry through with this wonderful idea and I hope the citizens of Winnipeg will get on board and support Doer's dream.

this area needs to be rejuvenated and doing nothing about won't help. Sure some houses may have to be moved but then again there are plenty of boarded houses that need to be razed so moving houses into those spots would work. I am not sure how big the park would but I am assuming its only south point douglas. Higgins and the louise don't need to be trucking route you got the disreali (sp?) bridge going to be renovated and we have the provencher bridge in close proximity. A light rail transit would work great on that higgins.

A provincial park is what downtown needs to expand the forks concept. A concept like Central Park in New York would flourish. Building more condos and apartments by the riverbank and some indoor and outdoor sports facilities on the ground floor of these residential complex would further complement the way of life in living in that area.

"The most daring, most creative initiatives this or any other premier has conceived since Duff Roblin dug his ditch."

Dan, please get a grip. While it may be an interesting idea, a park proposal at Point Douglas is hardly earth shattering moment that should cause anyone in Manitoba to stop dead in their tracks.

If this is all it takes for you to get wound up, you certainly have set very low expectations for the provincial government.


Sounds more like the local business's that polluted the land do not want to pay for the cleanup, and approached doer with the park idea to stick it the taxpayers as usual!

I was looking at old Winnipeg maps online, and there used to be a park under the current parking lot of a trucking company.

I guess I am just another eccentric landowner.
I chose to live in Point Douglas because it is one of the most beautiful places left in the city and it was very affordable. We bought our 103 year old house that is second from the river for $34,000 just over three years ago.
We put a lot of work into the house and yard, it is now a sweet little cottage by the river. We also put a lot of work into the neighbourhood. We were lucky enough to start to working with our neighbourhood at the same time as Keith McCaskill became police chief. This juxtaposition has led to enormous changes in Point Douglas.
Our local schoolchildren wrote to the Lieutenant Governor of Canada when she visited the area, complaining about the drug dealers, gangs and bullies. A few grandparents took up their challenge to make their neighbourhood safer. We formed the POWERLINE an anonymous network of local people who email or call in to let us know about safety issues. We have about 100 Citizens On Watch. I am the tight lipped old granny who runs the POWERLINE.
Working with our people and the police and 311, we have achieved so much; crack houses have closed, gangs have moved. We also work on cleaning up garbage and junk in the area, removing graffiti and asking exploited females to work elsewhere.
Gutsy grannies walked their dogs and scared off the suburban crack shoppers who bought from local drug dealers in our park.
Our new Provincial Park will be a beautiful, safe, historical place to visit.

One just has to wonder what out of town folks reading this or visiting must think of us?
WHINEProgress is always hampered by so may here.
Do nothing no good.
Do something no good.Can not win it seems.
The undesirables will most likely have to live somewhere so push them out to where>?Linden Woods?
Let's get serious.Ever city has its share of social issues but the surrounding area is a concern for sure as of late.
This park will most likely be better maintained as a provincial park than the way it is now.
Bring on change I always say.

Is senior lady talking from experiance? Is she one of the undesirables that might inhabit the Park? Perhaps she could walk around the park and crack fellow visitors on the head with her cane for having to much fun.

Are you #@#$* kidding me? Has anyone driven into the Whiteshell lately??? The whole road into the park (#307) is atrocious and now he takes away the fees to Provincial Parks?? He can't even maintain the roads in the parks that we have now and he wants to add more???
Senior Lady I completely agree with you with what this park would turn into.Where did this idea come from? Did someone inquire about something too touchy so he threw this out instead? The journalists in this town are left leaning and lazy and don't do any hard hitting stories about this guy. He spits out money all over the place, has scandal after scandal and all anyone can ever do is critize Katz that he " plans to funnel money and power to his corporate cronies." Uh hello? Every heard of Friends of Upper Fort Garry?????? No, of course not. That would mean you have independent thought.
I'm so sick of this boo Sam Katz, cheer Gary Doer. Oh yes Doer is our saviour. No. He knows how to spin you and talk his way out of any question that might make him look bad and everyone buys it and doesn't press further.

Long story short, if private developers wanted to profit from the development of this area, they should have done it by now. We see it time and time again, developers wanting consessions to rehabilitate land. So, we can give our money to subsidize developers building condos in this area (from which they'll profit), or we can use the same money to build something for the public good (for which we will all profit). Naysayers aside, I think a park is much better than what's there now.

Oh, and Dan I think Mr. Doer's greatest legacy will be becoming Manitoba's first four-term premier despite your rumblings of his retirement.

I think you need to consider the location, its history and who is living there now. What are the needs of the city, the province and Canada? Can these stakeholders open their minds so that an incredible and economically sustainable solution can be found that meets and exceeds expectations? Can factors, which are so clearly being avoided here, be openly discussed? After all, the mind is apparently like a parachute and only works when it is fully open.

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