At last – support for play structures

St. Vital

In December 2025, I announced plans to undertake a “10-day task force” in

January 2026 to research how school play structures are funded in Manitoba and to make recommendations for improvement. This initiative proved to be one of the most rewarding efforts of my current term on city council.

The long-time model for funding play structures in Manitoba has relied heavily on parent councils to raise the necessary funds. This model has created several inequities – families in more affluent neighbourhoods are often better positioned to successfully raise funds, while others face greater challenges; some school divisions prohibit fundraising but provide partial financial support, while other divisions provide no support at all. In addition, a small number of schools benefit from “city funded” play structures located on or adjacent to their grounds.

The task force was a great opportunity to meet with parents frustrated with the current system. People from Bison Run, Springfield Heights, Sage Creek and other communities reached out. Many described the burden of taking time off work to organize fundraising events, only to see their progress offset by rising construction costs. In some cases, the price of a new play structure – reaching as high as $500,000 – meant fundraising could take years, often extending well beyond the time their children remained at the school.

The report I released in January made two key recommendations. First, the province should fully fund play structures for all new K-8 schools. Second, the province should establish a dedicated fund (like Saskatchewan) to support school divisions, parent groups, and municipalities in repairing or replacing aging structures. While it would have been easy to simply assign responsibility solely to the province, I believe that school divisions and municipalities must also play a role in maintaining safe and accessible play spaces.

On March 24, the province released its budget, and I was delighted to see two commitments related to school play structures – funding for play structures at all new schools and a new $3 million fund to assist with repairs. Good work, Minister Schmidt.

One concern remains – the new Sage Creek French immersion and Division scolaire franco-manitobaine schools still require play structures. I will continue working with local MLA Tyler Blashko to seek clarity on these projects.

Overall, these developments make a positive step toward improving student access to recreational spaces across Manitoba.

I hope to attend ribbon cuttings from Springfield Heights to Sage Creek over the next year.