Enjoy the new and improved St. Vital Park

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/07/2019 (2578 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Vital Park is one of three parks in Winnipeg designed by George Champion, along with Assiniboine Park and Kildonan Park, in the English landscape garden style.

Champion’s vision and plan to preserve land along the river for parks and public use has created one of the most forested parks in the city.

The duck pond has always been a prime skating spot and the park regularly hosts everything from family parties and photos to annual events such as the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre Walk for Wildlife and Arbor Day, and many recent upgrades and additions have made it an even more essential option.

Accessibility is a key component of all of the upgrades and renovations at the park. Jason Bell, parks manager with the City of Winnipeg, notes that the goal is to “make sure that every person has a chance to enjoy and feel comfortable coming out,” and said that future upgrades and modernizations in the park will be planned and designed for accessibility and inclusivity. Even the new facilities at the castle playground are fully accessible, with washrooms for universal use available.

The boat launch was improved and re-opened in 2015, and the riverbank was also stabilized, which is an ongoing challenge throughout the park. Bell says that St. Vital Park may now have the best public boat launch in the city, with wider ramps that make it easier to back boats into the water and take them out, and floating docks to enable people to access the boats and water.

Even the recently opened and universally accessible toboggan slide can still be enjoyed during the summer, with a treetop walkway to enjoy one of the best forests in the city and a viewing deck that is accessible to everyone, in addition to the four-season shelter below. The toboggan slide was designed by Public City Architecture, which also collaborated with Urban Ink on the impressive fire pit sculpture and seating area called Ecobuage, a park plaza that features natural grasses and stone benches.

The pavilion and fire pit are open for use by the public, on a first-come, first-served basis, although other shelters in the park must be reserved in advance. The pavilion and shelter next to the duck pond was also redesigned to reflect the natural setting and is now a beautiful focal point for the park, with windows that make it feel more a part of the park and which are opened in the summer to create an open shelter under the tree canopy.

New stone signs and planters make the entrance to the park more noticeable, particularly for new visitors. All of these upgrades have been carefully planned and designed to reflect the nature of the park and to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the amenities.
 
Abigail Byle is a community correspondent for St Vital. Follow her on Twitter, @abbyinitio or email her, byle104@gmail.com