Transcona pool will remain a dream unless governments chip in

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This article was published 04/02/2025 (246 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A proposal to build Winnipeg’s first new indoor pool in more than 40 years has been ranked as a key recreation priority but would require plenty of financial help to become a reality.

The East of the Red RecPlex would feature a lap pool, leisure pool, lazy river, water slides, gymnasiums, fitness space, walking/running track, café, community kitchen and gathering spaces at a site next to the Transcona Library, if approved.

Outdoor play areas, an outdoor basketball half-court and a “potential” 74-space child care centre are also being considered, due to recent public feedback, a city report notes.

Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) said the aquatic centre is a key recreation priority for the Transcona area.

“In terms of indoor pools, that quadrant certainly needs one. The (population)… has really exploded in recent years” said Browaty.

Ideally, the project could also create room for more swimming lessons, since many city-run classes fill up within minutes after registration starts, he noted.

The project would create the first new city-owned indoor pool since the Margaret Grant and Eldon Ross pools were constructed “in the early 1980s,” said city spokeswoman Pam McKenzie, in an email.

Lora Meseman, executive director of the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres, said the pool would be a “great amenity” that helps seniors and others access low-impact exercise.

“It will… put less pressure on our health system if we (have) spaces where residents can participate and be active,” said Meseman.

She said Transcona lacks full-size gyms, making the existing spaces difficult for sports organizations and community centres to book.

“Transcona definitely needs that regional recreation,” said Meseman.

While community centres focus on recreation first, she’s hopeful adding daycare spots will meet a clear community need.

“There is a high demand for daycare spaces and many community centres get approached for that and that’s not really what the community centres are there for,” said Meseman.

Browaty, who is council’s finance chairman, said the RecPlex will only be built if the provincial and federal governments help the city pay for it.

“The city’s finances are very tight… I don’t think that this would be a project that we would proceed with on our own,” he said.

An early cost estimate pegged the facility’s cost at about $89 million, though that number hasn’t been updated in years.

Coun. Vivian Santos, chairwoman of community services, said the project is likely to cost more.

“We need to get it to a class 3 (more refined cost) estimate … As we’ve seen with other recreational amenities … prices do skyrocket over time,” said Santos (Point Douglas).

City council is set to review the project and its funding between 2025 and 2026. If promptly approved and funded, construction could take place between 2028 and 2030.

The project is “desperately needed” but its target timeline could be difficult to meet since senior government funding hasn’t been secured yet, said Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West).

“Unless there’s other levels of government funding (this), all (it’s) going to result in is a plan,” she said.

She expects the project’s final price will exceed $100 million.

Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt said he’s confident the provincial government will support the RecPlex, since it promised to help construct the facility during its 2023 election.

“It is crucial… at this point for the Province of Manitoba, which committed… to be an equal partner in this project to pony up the money that we need to make this project happen. If we’re going to (finish building it by the) 2030 date, we need to see that pretty soon,” he said.

A city report notes the RecPlex proposal calls for a net zero carbon building, which could include rooftop solar panels, low-carbon construction materials, a heat pump, shade screens and/or drought-resistant landscaping.

Public consultations are underway, with an online survey running until March 3, 2025. Open house sessions will take place at the Transcona Library on Feb. 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 19 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

More information is available at winnipeg.ca

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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