Local

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

City hiking rental fee for athletic fields from $34 to $74

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 01/29/2013 1:12 PM | Comments: 0

Recreation groups warn a plan to hike the rental fee for athletic fields will make it harder for some Winnipeggers to play sports.

This morning, the Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports urged city council not to raise the cost of renting an athletic field to $70 from $34. The 2013 budget said the funds from the increased fees will be used to hire enforcement staff to find recreation groups who are using the fields without paying the booking fee.

Related Items

Articles
- Live coverage: City council budget vote

Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports executive director Corey Draper said leagues and organizations which routinely rent the fields were not consulted about the fee hike or given any warning about the 105 per cent increase. Draper said the existing athletic fields are green space - not premium fields - and have problems with irrigation and holes.

He said the additional funds generated by the fee hike are not going towards maintaining the fields and will make it more difficult for adults and families to rent them for sports such as soccer and touch football.

"That doesn't really help anything," Draper said. "It's not solving the problem."

Couns. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) and Brian Mayes (St. Vital) have asked city council to consider reducing the booking fee for athletic fields to $43, and scrap the idea of hiring enforcement staff.

City council will vote on the 2013 capital and operating budgets this afternoon.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.