Pitching in to keep Pioneers Greenway clean

East Kildonan

North Kildonan

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This article was published 24/04/2024 (561 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the Northeast Pioneers Greenway looks a little cleaner this week, you can thank the local Scouts.

On Wednesday, April 24, members of the 1st John de Graaf Scouts and 1st Sun Valley Scouts will be out cleaning up trash along the greenway, which runs between Raleigh Street and Gateway Road. Scouts, Cubs, and Beavers from 1st John de Graaf will be picking up trash between McLeod and Munroe avenues, while Scouts, Cubs, and Beavers from 1st Sun Valley will be cleaning up the area north of McLeod. A joint group of Ventures, the oldest group under Scouts Canada, from both Sun Valley and John de Graaf will be cleaning between Kimberly and McLeod.

“There isn’t much of a rivalry, per se. The only competition is to clean up the most garbage. The real winner is northeast Winnipeg,” said Daryl Adair, a leader with the 1st John de Graaf Scouts. “It’s fitting that our combined groups will be working together.”

Adair expects between 50 and 60 kids will be out from each troop, along with group leaders and parent volunteers. This marks the third straight spring the John de Graaf troop has been out on the Greenway.

“Our youth are really excited about cleaning up,” he said. “We’re trying to teach all our youth that cleaning up your community is part of being Canadian.”

The troops will meet at Centennial Park (802 Raleigh St.) for remarks from Coun. Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) before setting off to clean up.

“I go every spring along Gateway to help clean up,” Schreyer said. “I’m always grateful for all the volunteers who’ve put in their time over the years. That area always needs cleaning up.”

Adair also thanked Take Pride Winnipeg! as well as local businesses Gateway Kitchen and Bath Centre, Circle K, and Price Industries for their support of the annual cleanup.

Once the cleanup is finished, the local Scouts won’t be resting on their laurels, though. On April 27 and 28, members will be taking donations at FreshCo at Kildonan Crossing in support of Scouts Trees Canada. Donations will go towards costs of planting new trees in Sandilands Provincial Park the following weekend, another annual event where local Scouts troops give back to the environment.

“Anything they can do support is welcome,” Adair added. “Donations are also welcome during cleanup.”

Adair thanked Schreyer for his help securing funds in the city budget to replace the clubhouse at Valley Gardens Community Centre (219 Antrim Rd.), where the 1st John de Graaf Scouts had stored their equipment for the past 20 years or more. The clubhouse, a small outbuilding located to the east of the community centre, had been water-damaged and condemned by the city in 2023, forcing the troop to find temporary storage for its gear, the cost of which Schreyer has been covering via the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward allowance.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Adair said. “We’re just waiting to see what the next step is.”

“We worked well together, despite come what may,” Schreyer said of securing up to $250,000 for the project in this year’s civic budget. “This is still a worthy project. The community club was using it, other groups were using it, the community club was renting the space out. There’s value to it.”

Work to replace the outbuilding has not yet been scheduled.