Janice Lukes

PAL does a lot for people in Waverley West

On the third Wednesday of every month I attend the Pembina Active Living 55-plus coffee café at Whyte Ridge Community Centre (170 Fleetwood Rd.) to meet community members and talk about City of Winnipeg issues and opportunities. What a lively time we have!

PAL is an amazing organization that offers older adults a chance to socialize, have fun, and learn new things. PAL offers a broad range of programming opportunities whereby members can improve their health, knowledge, creativity and give back to the community. Some of these include yoga, dance, hiking, biking, bowling, golfing, and wild line-dancing classes. Creativity knows no limits with older adults and is expressed by many in the painting and craft club, and through the writing and gardening clubs.

There are also many volunteer activities which PAL organizes for members. Recently many members helped with the South Winnipeg Food Drive, they’ve supported Siloam Mission, and members are making gifts for those in need. There are summer adventures, many multi-cultural events and parties planned, all providing great opportunities to be active and socialize.

Sandra Sukhan, president of PAL, and the board of directors recently hired executive director Susan Fletcher, who is creating a spectacular fall lineup of activities. Now that people are more able to socialize in person, members can look forward to many new activities on the agenda.

South Winnipeg supports Harvest Manitoba

The COVID-19 pandemic and many wars throughout the world are creating much sadness and hardship for so many in our city.

Prices of food, accommodation and transportation are increasing, and many Winnipeggers are struggling to make ends meet. Newcomers are arriving with few belongings, seeking peace and comfort. The need for support has never been greater.

South Winnipeg residents have an amazing community spirit, very generous hearts, and are taking action to help ease the suffering. Please join us in April as we hold a week-long food drive in partnership with Harvest Manitoba and many other outstanding organizations.

Through a gracious donation, we have access to the building where the new Align development will be located at 2537 Pembina Hwy. This is the former Subaru dealership building and using it will enable us to collect, sort and store all food donations we collect.

Exciting times at South Winnipeg CC

Congratulations to South Winnipeg Community Centre for hosting another incredible Breakfast with Santa event this year! The number of families who came to see Santa broke all previous breakfast records.  Huge thanks to the many volunteers, staff and community donors who organized and planned the morning. 

Also, special thanks to the recently elected community centre board, the members of which are committing plenty of volunteer time to increase programming opportunities for area residents. Exciting new programs will be announced soon, a new website is being developed to share information and to enable easy registration, plans are being put in place to construct additional park amenities (tennis, basketball, volleyball courts) and many interior upgrades to the two buildings will be done over the winter months.

In addition, the community centre board is working closely with the City of Winnipeg on design and operation plans for its new recreation campus to ensure it meets the needs of our growing community. Public consultations for the new community centre are being planned for spring of 2022.

On staff at the centre is a team of master ice-makers who are working to create six outdoor sheets of ice for pleasure and hockey skating. The inks are located at 666 Silverstone Ave., 1885 Chancellor Dr. and 10 Ryerson Ave. For skating times, check the South Winnipeg Community Centre website at www.swcc1.ca

Building the foundation of Bison Run

If you live or travel in southwest Winnipeg, you will see pipes of all sizes and much construction occurring on Waverley Street between Lee Boulevard and the intersection with Sandusky and John Angus drives. This construction and partial road closure will continue, pending decent weather, until the end of January 2022.

The work is another stage in the development of transforming 400 acres of mostly wide-open prairie fields into many new neighbourhoods. The installation of these pipes will ultimately provide wastewater removal to approximately 400 acres of land, many houses and businesses, and is another major milestone in the development process.

In and around 2015, Qualico purchased 200 acres of land from Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation. Qualico and the City of Winnipeg initiated a two-year planning process with private land owners, to determine where roads, parks, pathways, single family, multifamily and commercial development would be located. Many meetings and discussions were held with landowners to finalize what is called a secondary plan. With the secondary planning process complete, Qualico recently applied for a subdivision and rezoning for their first new neighbourhood, called Bison Run.

This summer, Qualico started building the foundation for the neighbourhood. You may have seen the mountains of smaller concrete and plastic pipes installed to supply water and enable wastewater removal to homes. Roads are being constructed and soon lots will be sold to home builders.

Waverley West is growing fast

We are seeing so many new apartments being constructed along Pembina Highway and alongside the new rapid transit corridor, and many more are being proposed. Many of you have asked why all this construction is occurring and I would like to provide you with a brief overview.

Winnipeg is growing.  Between the 2016 census and July 2020, the city grew by 40,679 people. Over 27 per cent of those people (11,171) moved into the Waverley West ward.

Winnipeg is growing through immigration and city economists project Winnipeg’s population will increase by another 52,000 over the next four years (by 2025). Many will continue moving to southwest Winnipeg.

Apartments are being built along Pembina Highway and along the transit corridor for a multitude of reasons.

Rec campus gets federal, provincial boost

In 2019, after much encouragement by area residents and myself, City Council unanimously approved almost $30 million towards the construction of a new recreation campus in southwest Winnipeg.

An application was made to the federal and provincial governments to match the city’s funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. On Aug. 12, 2021, MP Terry Duguid (Winnipeg South) and MLA Jon Reyes (Waverley) each announced matching funding making for a total of approximately $90 million for the recreation campus. Huge thanks to both Terry and Jon for pushing this project forward, and for being such great champions of our community — in so many ways!

Securing funding for the construction of a new recreation campus has been my top priority since being elected, and its been a priority of many residents for many years. Much ground work was done in years past. Huge thanks to past South Winnipeg Community Centre presidents, Chuck Davidson, Craig Sheldon, and current president Julie Fisher. And excellent work by Ian Shaw, Trevor Buchberger, former councillor Justin Swandel, and many many community members who volunteered so much time to see this project move forward.

The new recreation campus will serve the fastest growing quadrant of the City of Winnipeg. It will operate in partnership with Waverley Heights and Silverstone Community Centres, and will provide recreational opportunities for all residents!  The campus will be joined to the new high school, and will be located in the new community of Bison Run.  The campus will be located just east of the Tim Horton’s on North Town Road.

Thanks to those helping clean up our ward

Mom Pestrak sent me an email last week to share some joy, and I then asked her permission to share this joy far and wide.

 Armed with garbage grabbers and a bag, the Pestrak children are picking up garbage in Kirkbridge Park every week. She tells me her kids love doing it and have been stopped countless times by others who frequent the park, who encourage them to keep it up and remind them they are doing a great job. Thank you, Pestrak family, for all you do.

Many of our neighbourhoods are active construction zones and with the high winds we’ve had lately, it seems like the garbage is everywhere.

So, huge thank yous to the many residents who are helping clean up our neighbourhoods!. University Heights residents loaded truckloads of garbage, the Prairie Pointe Neighbourhood Association filled many bags, the Bridgwater Trails community piled up a small mountain.

Investing in Waverley West

Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, Waverley MLA Jon Reyes and I had the great pleasure of serving pancakes at the South Winnipeg Community Centre’s Skate with Santa holiday party!

I’m very pleased that while Mr. Duguid, Mr. Reyes and I are from different levels of government and have different political leanings, we are absolutely united in working together on behalf of the residents of South Winnipeg!

South Winnipeg Community Centre (SWCC), both Waverley and Silverstone locations, offers residents of all ages in Waverley West opportunities to come together and engage in many different recreational opportunities, but the SWCC buildings are old, small and are not adequate to serve the needs and population of the rapidly growing neighbourhoods of south Winnipeg.  

For the past four years, I’ve worked to secure funding for the purchase of land and development of plans for a new recreation facility in the Waverley West ward. Delivering recreational opportunities is a core City responsibility, often supported by other levels of government. Through much advocacy work, the City has now allocated $26 million towards Phase 1 of a new recreational facility in the ward. This past fall, the City made a formal funding application through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, requesting $20 million from the Province and $24.5 million from the federal government towards construction of the recreation facility. The funding application is now awaiting commitments from the provincial and federal governments.

Celebrating Kwanzaa in Waverley West

This month I had the opportunity to join in early Kwanzaa celebrations! Kwanzaa is a celebration of African heritage in African-American culture. It is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, culminating in gift-giving and a feast. The event which draws many families was expertly hosted by the Congress of Black Women of Manitoba! Thank you president Kenny Daodu and the entire committee for organizing this annual event for families to join in fellowship and celebration. The Waverley West ward continues to grow at an amazing pace, in part because of the very successful provincial nominee program, and because of our close proximity to the University of Manitoba. We are home to the most diverse, multicultural community in Winnipeg. You see the skyline changing at the corner of Bison and Chancellor Matheson, with the new student housing complex rising up 16 storeys. Over on University Crescent, a very modern seven-storey high-end condominium complex is taking shape and will create a sparkling gateway entrance to University Crescent. Tucked behind the Pembina Village Shopping mall, and situated on Chancellor Drive, a new independent living complex is being constructed. This independent living centre is a welcome addition to our community as it will have 98 units (one and two bedroom apartments), with parking, dining and patios and be available for residents who want to down size yet stay within the community. And there’s not enough space in this column to update on all the new development occurring in Bridgwater Centre, Bridgwater Trails, Prairie Pointe and South Pointe!  Altea, a world-class fitness center, new apartments and condominium complexes, office complexes, a new super shopping center in South Pointe is on the horizon, and a brand-new neighbhourhood is being created just north of Lee Boulevard in large wide-open fields. Details of all of these projects are posted on my website at JaniceLukes.ca As long as Winnipeg has jobs to offer, we will continue to grow. We are a tiny city in a very large world, but we have so much to offer. Get to know your neighbours, extend some goodwill and generosity to those who are new or are experiencing difficult times, and take some time for yourself to enjoy your family and all that is precious to you over the coming holidays. It’s an honour to serve as your councillor. Thank you! 

This month I had the opportunity to join in early Kwanzaa celebrations! Kwanzaa is a celebration of African heritage in African-American culture. 

It is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, culminating in gift-giving and a feast. The event which draws many families was expertly hosted by the Congress of Black Women of Manitoba! Thank you president Kenny Daodu and the entire committee for organizing this annual event for families to join in fellowship and celebration. 

The Waverley West ward continues to grow at an amazing pace, in part because of the very successful provincial nominee program, and because of our close proximity to the University of Manitoba. We are home to the most diverse, multicultural community in Winnipeg. 

Attend upcoming info sessions

Bravo to a spectacular summer of warm beautiful weather, fun with friends and a whole lot of festivals!  

I hope everyone had time to enjoy our sunny Manitoba summer and celebrate the wonderful city, province and country we live in. Committee meetings have started up again at City Hall and like always, a lot is happening! There are two special events I would like to invite residents to.  

On Wed., Oct. 2,  please join the Winnipeg Police Service, myself and Coun. Markus Chambers for a crime prevention discussion. The Winnipeg Police Service will be providing an update on recent crime activities in south Winnipeg, and will be available to answer questions. The event will be held at the St. Norbert Community Centre (3450 Pembina Hwy.) and starts at 7 p.m. sharp. South Winnipeg has one of the lowest crime rates in Winnipeg, but we still experience crime and this session will ensure you are aware of the many ways to protect and report if need be. Residents from south Winnipeg are invited to attend.

I’m  also holding a community conversation the following week on Wed., Oct. 9, on speed, traffic calming and road safety. A representative from the Winnipeg Police Service, Manitoba Public Insurance, Winnipeg Transportation Division and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will be in attendance. Each representative will  provide an update to residents on what they are doing to reduce speeding and to improve road safety. There will be an open mic for residents to also ask questions.

Come visit City Hall

Ever been to City Hall? Here is your chance!  

I am holding a “City Hall Open House” exclusively for residents of the Waverley West ward who live in the Neighbourhoods of Bridgwater (Forest, Lakes, Trails and Centre), South Pointe, Prairie Pointe, Whyte Ridge, Linden Ridge, University Heights, Waverley Heights, Fairfield Park and Richmond West!  

The open house for Waverley West residents will be on Sat., May 11, between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. We will have a colouring and craft station set up for young children to keep them busy while family members tour City Hall. There will be a brief presentation in the council chamber at noon sharp where we will gather and I will highlight exciting developments in our community.  

Following the brief presentation, refreshments will be served. If you are interested in attending, you must RSVP as we need to ensure we have enough crafts, tour guides and refreshments. Please email: registration@janicelukes.ca or call my office at 204-986-6964.

Building a culture of safety in Winnipeg

I’m hosting two Crime Prevention Workshops in South Winnipeg and you are invited to attend. Come to one or come to both! You will learn many things about protecting your home and yourself against crime.

• Wed., Feb. 13, 7 p.m.: South Pointe School (615 Kirkbridge Dr.).

• Wed., Feb. 20, 7 p.m.: Whyte Ridge Community Centre (170 Fleetwood Rd.).

Members of the Winnipeg Police Service will be presenting an overview on crime occurring specifically in South Winnipeg. They will discuss the most common crimes, causes of increased crime rates, and what you can do to prevent being a victim of crime.  

A lot on the go in south Winnipeg

This is my first column as councillor for the new Waverley West ward! Over the past four years, I’ve come to learn to always expect the unexpected in this role, and I must say this last election resulted in something quite unexpected for me — no election! There are many hypotheses as to why I was acclaimed, and I’m not sure what is the correct answer is. What I do know is I am honoured and humbled to be your representative at City Hall, and to have the opportunity to continue working with so many of you on important issues and opportunities. Thank you. We have a lot on the go in south Winnipeg. The top priorities I heard throughout the election from residents in the Waverley West ward were: get that recreation complex built, keep our communities safe, and deliver city services in a more consistent manner. I’m in the process of updating my website (www.JaniceLukes.ca) to reflect all the priorities I heard, and the action plan I’m putting into place. Coun. Scott Gillingham, chair of finance committee and I will be holding a “Waverley West Ward Priorities and the City of Winnipeg Budget” meeting the evening of Jan. 9. If you are interested in attending what will be a riveting budget meeting, please email me at jlukes@winnipeg.caI have three Crime Prevention Workshops in the planning process. The Winnipeg Police Service have confirmed one for Feb. 20 at the Whyte Ridge Community Centre. The South Pointe and University Heights workshop dates will be confirmed shortly. Transit in South Winnipeg will be undergoing a major transformation in preparation for the opening of the new transit corridor in 2020. There will be multiple open houses in the new year to see how routes will be changed and improved. Details (date, times, locations) for all of these upcoming events will be posted on my website and sent out through social media. In closing, on behalf of your new city council, I’d like to wish you a great Gregorian calendar New Year! In South Winnipeg, we seem to celebrate New Year’s virtually every month with our ever so diverse and multi-cultural friends and neighbours! It sounds like one big party and it is! We are so fortunate to be able to celebrate our cultures in Canada free from the many sorrows and sadness we see around the world. All the best to you and your family in 2019! 

This is my first column as councillor for the new Waverley West ward! 

Over the past four years, I’ve come to learn to always expect the unexpected in this role, and I must say this last election resulted in something quite unexpected for me — no election!

Transit transformation in southwest Winnipeg

By spring 2020 residents of southwest Winnipeg will have the best transit service in the entire city.

I know that sounds like a rather bold statement considering the current state of turmoil transit is experiencing. With the completion of the southwest transitway, this statement will become a fact. I receive calls weekly with requests to improve the transit service and want residents to know, no major changes to transit routes will be made until April 2020.

But when spring does arrive in 2020, we will experience the rewards of this $500 million infrastructure investment (plus operating costs). Southwest Winnipeg’s current transit service will be transformed into the best transit service in Winnipeg.

Transit staff are reviewing existing routes, ridership and 311 transit call requests in southwest Winnipeg to determine locations of new routes that will connect to the transitway corridor. Transit planners are looking to implement what is called a ‘high frequency’ network of routes that are essentially feeder routes shuttling riders to and from the transitway. High frequency to riders means instead of looking for the exact time that your bus will arrive, you will know that the bus comes frequently, at every 10 or 15-minute intervals. Transfers will be used and will not be as onerous to the rider, given the frequency of connections from the feeder routes to the transitway. This sounds like a major shift in transit’s current operations, and it will be.

Up for a game of cricket?

One of the first public consultations I held was to gather input and ideas from community leaders on how to improve La Barrière Park.

 La Barrière Park is not any one councillor’s responsibility as it is located in the RM of Macdonald, but I’ve always felt the history that ties La Barrière to St. Norbert, placed a responsibility on the St. Norbert councillor to provide good oversight.

Many great ideas were presented at the open house and a top priority was to install new washroom facilities. I’m pleased to report funding was secured for a new washroom in 2016 and design plans and construction are underway. Just over a year ago I was approached by local cricket players and the Manitoba Cricket Association to find space for cricket fields.

Garvin Budhoo, president of the Manitoba Cricket Association explained that two more cricket fields will increase playing opportunities for teams, assist in athlete development and enable Winnipeg to become a destination for national and international cricket tournaments. It is my great honour to have worked with the Manitoba Cricket Association and community leaders Paramjit Shahi, Manoj Chaudhari, and Shoib Khan to formalize and construct two regulation size, state of the art cricket fields with concrete pitches in historic La Barrière Park. These cricket fields should be “in play” in the next few weeks.

Are you up for a game of cricket?

One of the first public consultations I held was to gather input and ideas from community leaders on how to improve La Barrière Park.  

La Barrière Park is not any one councillor’s responsibility as it is located in the RM of Macdonald, but I’ve always felt the history that ties La Barrière to St. Norbert, placed a responsibility on the St. Norbert councillor to provide good oversight.

Many great ideas were presented at the open house and a top priority was to install new washroom facilities.

I’m pleased to report funding was secured for a new washroom in 2016 and design plans and construction are underway. Just over a year ago I was approached by local cricket players and the Manitoba Cricket Association to find space for cricket fields.

South Winnipeg is growing

Winnipeg is experiencing significant growth and changes in the distribution of population, as evidenced by the recently released Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census of Population.

In South Winnipeg all we have to do is drive south on Kenaston Boulevard to see constant construction of new homes, apartments and condominiums in Waverley West! These growth trends are expected to continue for the coming years, and while this is very positive news for our city, rapid growth also brings challenges.

One of the major challenges I’ve faced since being elected in 2014, it the ability to provide strong representation to all the citizens of the South Winnipeg-St.Norbert ward. The South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward is the largest in population and geographic size of all the fifteen wards. The population is approximately 70,000 residents based on 2016 census data and does not include the population growth over the last two years! The South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward is more than double that of the St. Charles Ward (32,171) and comes close in double the size to the St. James ward (37,000), the Mynarski ward (42,000) and the North Kildonan ward (42,000). A ward with a population of 70,000 poses challenges in terms of service issues, citizen representation and basic electoral fairness. In addition, councillors are allocated a set budget to secure office support regardless of ward population. The day-to day-reality of this large population base translates into a much slower turnaround time on responding to phone calls, emails, meeting availability. I must extend my heartfelt apologies for the less than desirable turnaround on emails, phone calls and meeting availability and hope citizens can understand why.

Coun. Mayes (St. Vital) and I brought forward a motion in 2015 to conduct a ward boundary review to focus on establishing constructive, workable, and durable ward boundaries for the future, within the existing number of wards. The result of the boundary review is that the South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward is being essentially split in half. The communities of St. Norbert,  Fort Richmond, Normand Park, Van Hull and River Park South will be now part of the new St. Norbert-Seine River ward, and the new Waverley West ward will include Whyte Ridge and Linden Ridge within the boundaries. These changes will become official for this fall’s civic election.

South Winnipeg is growing

Winnipeg is experiencing significant growth and changes in the distribution of population, as evidenced by the recently released Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census of Population.

In South Winnipeg all we have to do is drive south on Kenaston Boulevard to see constant construction of new homes, apartments and condominiums in Waverley West! These growth trends are expected to continue for the coming years, and while this is very positive news for our city, rapid growth also brings challenges.

One of the major challenges I’ve faced since being elected in 2014, it the ability to provide strong representation to all the citizens of the South Winnipeg-St.Norbert ward. The South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward is the largest in population and geographic size of all the fifteen wards.

The population is approximately 70,000 residents based on 2016 census data and does not include the population growth over the last two years! The South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward is more than double that of the St. Charles Ward (32,171) and comes close in double the size to the St. James ward (37,000), the Mynarski ward (42,000) and the North Kildonan ward (42,000). A ward with a population of 70,000 poses challenges in terms of service issues, citizen representation and basic electoral fairness.

Celebrating a new Mission Centre

On April 14, community leaders joined together to celebrate the opening of the Guru Nanak Mission Centre in St. Norbert, Man.  

The Guru Nanak Mission Centre is a Sikh place of worship and prayer located in the former Richmond Motors building. Extensive internal renovations to the Richmond Motors building are underway and will continue throughout the summer months.

Manjit gill, Mewa bedi, ranjit gill, Paramjit Shahi and muninder singh joined in opening ceremonies with Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for South Winnipeg, Jon Reyes (MLA for St. Norbert), myself, and colleagues Andrew Smith (MLA for Southdale), Janice Morley-Lecomte (MLA for Seine River), Coun. Brian Mayes, (St. Vital), Marilyn Firth from Le Marché Saint-Norbert Farmers’ Market, and Bob Roehle, founder of Le Marché Saint-Norbert Farmers’ Market.

Celebrations also centered around Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year and fall harvest occurring in India. Celebrating India’s fall harvest in St. Norbert, home of Manitoba’s largest outdoor farmers market seemed a very appropriate welcoming for everyone!

Celebrating a new Mission Centre

On April 14, community leaders joined together to celebrate the opening of the Guru Nanak Mission Centre in St. Norbert, Man.  

The Guru Nanak Mission Centre is a Sikh place of worship and prayer located in the former Richmond Motors building. Extensive internal renovations to the Richmond Motors building are underway and will continue throughout the summer months.

Manjit Gill, Mewa Bedi, Ranjit Gill, Paramjit Shahi and Muninder Singh joined in opening ceremonies with Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for South Winnipeg, Jon Reyes (MLA for St. Norbert), myself, and colleagues Andrew Smith (MLA for Southdale), Janice Morley-Lecomte (MLA for Seine River), Coun. Brian Mayes, (St. Vital), Marilyn Firth from Le Marché Saint-Norbert Farmers’ Market, and Bob Roehle, founder of Le Marché Saint-Norbert Farmers’ Market.

Celebrations also centered around Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year and Fall harvest occurring in India.

Together, we can

On March 8, please consider joining myself, fundraising chair Mr. Jerry Jarret, and members of the Pembina Active Living (PAL 55+) for the launch of the “Together We Can” fundraising campaign aimed at enhancing the lives of all older adults!  

I’ve had the opportunity to work with the very knowledgeable Mr. Jarret in brainstorming and helping the fundraising committee. Mr. Jarrett and his committee have an exciting evening planned with live entertainment, prizes and information on the Together We Can fundraising priorities. The event begins at 7 p.m. at the beautiful Riverwood Square, 1778 Pembina Hwy. on the banks of the Red River. For further details please contact Alanna 204-830-6931 or ed@pal55plus.com  

PAL 55+ was conceived and is driven by community members. In 2009, volunteers began passionately working together to create programming for older adults in our community. Today, just eight short years later, PAL 55+ has over 500 members, and is the only organization in South Winnipeg offering recreational, social, educational and fitness programming specifically for older adults.  

Isolation and loneliness are issues that plague seniors throughout Manitoba. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority estimates there are 12,000 seniors living in South Winnipeg. PAL 55+ members recognize the important need to reach out to many older adults and are building capacity to do just that! The “Together We Can” campaign aims to raise $50,000 to allow the purchase of computer equipment and software to increase efficiency of managing the programs, services and communication to the growing membership. Communications will be increased to reach isolated seniors, and funding will support training, orientation and succession planning of volunteers. PAL 55+ is a registered charity and is able to issue tax receipts.

Together, we can

On March 8, please consider joining myself, fundraising chair Mr. Jerry Jarret, and members of the Pembina Active Living (PAL 55+) for the launch of the “Together We Can” fundraising campaign aimed at enhancing the lives of all older adults!  

I’ve had the opportunity to work with the very knowledgeable Mr. Jarret in brainstorming and helping the fundraising committee. Mr. Jarrett and his committee have an exciting evening planned with live entertainment, prizes and information on the Together We Can fundraising priorities. The event begins at 7 p.m. at the beautiful Riverwood Square, 1778 Pembina Hwy. on the banks of the Red River. For further details please contact Alanna 204-830-6931 or ed@pal55plus.com  

PAL 55+ was conceived and is driven by community members. In 2009, volunteers began passionately working together to create programming for older adults in our community. Today, just eight short years later, PAL 55+ has over 500 members, and is the only organization in South Winnipeg offering recreational, social, educational and fitness programming specifically for older adults.  

Isolation and loneliness are issues that plague seniors throughout Manitoba. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority estimates there are 12,000 seniors living in South Winnipeg. PAL 55+ members recognize the important need to reach out to many older adults and are building capacity to do just that! The “Together We Can” campaign aims to raise $50,000 to allow the purchase of computer equipment and software to increase efficiency of managing the programs, services and communication to the growing membership.

Time to get a new rec centre built

This column will attempt to summarize 12 years of work focused on developing a new South Winnipeg Recreation Complex. Additional details can be found at www.JaniceLukes.ca 

The City of Winnipeg’s Recreation Policy states 1.88 square-feet of heated recreation space is required per person. In 2005, before a shovel went in the ground for the development of Waverley West, South Winnipeg had the largest recreation deficit in all of Winnipeg at 1.71 sq.-ft./pp.

The 2016 Stats Canada Census population count is resulting in a total of .67 sq.-ft./pp. and by 2020, it will be .53 sq.ft./pp. of recreation space for residents in South West Winnipeg; well below the City Policy of 1.88 sq.-ft./pp. 

How can this be? The 2004 City of Winnipeg ‘Public Use Facilities Study’ (PUFS) report recommends when new developments reach 15,000 people, a community centre should be built. The 2005 General Council of Community Centres  “Plan 2025” recommends regional recreation centres be developed in large emerging communities.