Inner-city park is Doer's field of dreams

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