New playground targets inner-city kids

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This article was published 31/07/2024 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Beside a community centre on Burrows Avenue, an excavator scoops up dirt at the future home of a new basketball court and playground.

All three levels of government broke ground Wednesday morning at the Northwood Community Centre to mark the start of the recreational area, designed to provide inner-city kids with a sense of belonging.

“The Northwood Community Centre has always been a hub of activity, a place where families gather, friendships are formed and memories are made,” said Point Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos. “With these new enhancements we’re not only improving the physical landscape but also fostering an environment that promotes health, wellness and inclusivity.”

Santos, newly appointed as the chair of community services, said the recreation area will offer a safe space for youth.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North) and NDP MLA Diljeet Brar (Burrows), who represent the area, said the upgrades will help make the community stronger and healthier.

The project, funded by Ottawa, the province and the city, will cost $602,000. It’s expected to be completed by fall or spring next year.

Santos said there are similar projects in the works in other parts of the city, including the addition of splash pads to Tyndall Park.

“We know that the inner city, especially the downtown and inner city that surrounds the downtown, require some more significant investments,” Santos said. “As a kid and as a family growing up, a lot of these after-school activities are becoming quite expensive, so if the city can participate in that way with these new recreational amenities, that’s our way of supporting them.”

Sel Burrows, a longtime activist and Point Douglas community leader, said while the addition of new recreation spaces is good, it’s just a drop in the bucket. There also needs to be a focus on providing funding for free programming, he said.

Burrows used to be a recreation director and said he’s seen the city’s commitment to recreation in the inner city disappear over the years. He said leadership and organized activities are crucial to keeping youth out of crime.

“One of the things I learned over the years is kids vote with their feet. If there’s good programming, they’ll show up en masse,” Burrows said Wednesday. “One of the problems we have in the inner city is most of the community centres, they don’t have leadership that knows how to organize programs that kids want to go to.”

Community centres, school gyms and churches are “hopping” in communities outside the inner city, he said, adding free activities are a big draw.

“It’s really important to have the facilities, but there’s got to be activities. There’s got to be teams,” Burrows said. “There’s got to be things that kids can belong to and feel part of.”

Burrows wants to see a professional recreational director in each inner-city community.

“If you give kids something positive to do, they will do that. If you don’t give kids something positive to do, they will do negative things,” said Burrows.

jura.mcilraith@freepress.mb.ca