Province puts funds into temporary fence for Fort Gibraltar $50,000 will go toward temporary fence around historical site By: Erik Pindera Posted: 5:16 PM CST Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 Last Modified: 5:49 PM CST Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 Updates

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The province has given a $50,000 grant to Festival du Voyageur to temporarily secure its Fort Gibraltar historical site, after the dramatic collapse of an elevated platform in May injured a group of school children and a teacher.

Festival announced in early October it planned to tear down the Winnipeg historical replica fort’s walls and walkways in the wake of the May 31 incident, which occurred during a field trip.

The popular site and museum in Whittier Park has been closed since two sections of an elevated platform collapsed, sending 28 people crashing to the ground from a distance of approximately six metres. First responders sent 17 Grade 5 students from St. John’s-Ravenscourt School and one adult (a teacher) to hospital.

The provincial cash will go toward the $100,000 bill to demolish the walls and to erect a temporary, eight-foot wooden fence around the site, said Festival executive director Breanne Lavallée-Heckert.

“The funding is really integral to ensuring the security of the site at Fort Gibraltar, it’s about half of what we’ll need for it, so it’s been a huge help,” Lavallée-Heckert said.

She said the demolition work has already begun and the temporary fence will be built next week. “We’ll have that in place for approximately the next three years or so — however long it takes for us to raise the funds necessary to rebuild the site.”

Festival will hold community consultations in the spring to discuss the purpose of the historic site and the vision for the future rebuild, the executive director said, following the February 2024 festival.

“Making sure we honour the heritage is top of mind for us, but (we are) also wanting to figure out how we move forward together, in a decolonial way, how we can think about the site in a new way,” Lavallée-Heckert said.

She added Festival du Voyageur began selling tickets for its 2024 event Thursday, ahead of the normal ticket launch in January.

Manitoba Heritage and Culture Minister Glen Simard, whose portfolio includes francophone affairs, announced the funding Thursday.

“This grant provides essential funding for required structural work that will allow the organization to safely host the 2024 edition of the festival,” Simard said in a statement.

“This grant provides essential funding for required structural work that will allow the organization to safely host the 2024 edition of the festival.”–Glen Simard

The historic site was built in 1978, as a replica of two earlier fur-trade forts of the same name and serves as a centrepiece of the annual francophone Festival du Voyageur in February. It has also been regularly used for public events, such as school trips, and private events, such as weddings.

The parents of one student badly injured in May filed a lawsuit in August against the City of Winnipeg, which owns the site, and Festival, which leases and operates it.

The statement of claim alleges the boy fell about six metres to the ground from the “highly dangerous trap” and had to be rushed by ambulance to Children’s Hospital, where it was discovered he had fractures in his right wrist and left hip, requiring surgery.

He will need to undergo further surgery, according to the August court documents, and is at risk of permanent disability. In addition to the physical injuries, the claim alleges the injured child suffered psychological trauma.

Troy Harwood-Jones and Andrew Derwin of law firm PKF Lawyers filed the civil claim in the Court of King’s Bench on behalf of the boy’s parents Aug. 11, alleging the city and Festival were negligent and breached their duties.

Neither of the defendants have filed statements of defence.

On Nov. 1, Harwood-Jones and Derwin filed a requisition asking the court to find against the City of Winnipeg in default, arguing it had failed to file a defence within the required time frame.

Lavallée-Heckert would not comment directly on the incident Thursday, citing the ongoing litigation, but said “the safety and security of the festival and festival-goers is top of mind for us.”

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca