City-owned golf courses to stay green spaces

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This article was published 19/11/2021 (1414 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It appears Winnipeg’s public golf courses won’t be replaced with new homes any time soon.

About a year ago, the City of Winnipeg sought private proposals to repurpose up to 30 per cent of all city-owned golf course land for new uses, which could have included anything from residential development (with affordable housing) to other recreation or community gardens.

However, the scope of that effort has since shrunk, with the city confirming it will now only consider options that preserve green space.

Advocates lobbying to protect such outdoor space say the decision is a relief, since they believe Winnipeg has too few parks and open spaces, making it critical to preserve existing ones.

“Much research has been done about how green space is important for our mental health and… it boosts our well-being. With climate change, keeping our green space and our trees is even more important,” said Muriel St. John, a volunteer with Outdoor Urban Recreational Spaces –— Winnipeg. “We’re very passionate about this green space because we need it.”

The change should ensure the Assiniboine, Canoe Club, Crescent Drive, Harbour View, Kildonan Park, St. Boniface, Transcona, Tuxedo, Wildewood and Windsor Park golf courses all continue to offer some form of green space.

St. John said parks and other valuable outdoor spaces have been “incrementally infringed upon” over the past two decades in Winnipeg, leaving a reduced supply to serve a growing population.

She suggested the city could provide walking trails and cross-country skiing at golf courses to extend their use into the winter, activities she says have already proven popular at the Crescent Drive course.

The change in golf course redevelopment comes after city council set a long-term target to add 1,000 acres of locally accessible green space.

Municipal politicians also recently voted to alter Winnipeg’s key planning documents to prohibit development on major city-owned green spaces. (While future council votes could still approve individual developments on green spaces, council would have to knowingly part from the city’s official planning goals to do so.)

During a recent property and development committee meeting, city staff said those decisions led the repurposing plan to focus on preserving green space.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy, committee chairwoman, told the Free Press options for new public golf course uses could still include fields for other sports, urban forest areas or parks.

“We will not be looking at selling off any part of the land or developing it for apartments or condos. It’s strictly to remain a (green) space,” said Gilroy.

While new housing could have generated new tax dollars, the city’s finance committee chairman said the commitment to keep green spaces could pay off in other ways.

“If we can find ways for golf courses to serve a multitude of green space purposes … we’re maximizing the use of the asset,” said Coun. Scott Gillingham.

He said golf courses take up acres of land and are typically used for just part of the year, creating a need to explore other options.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga