Civic Centre aims for 50 more years

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/04/2016 (3679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Sat., April 9, 1966, Manitoba premier Duff Roblin opened the front of the St. James Civic Centre.

The visionary 1966 St. James council deserves a lot of credit for completing the Civic Centre, which has become the most famous building in St. James. On Jan.  22, 2016, at the 50th anniversary hockey game, I was able to take a picture of those St. James aldermen — J. Frank Johnston, Gordon Keatch and Al Mackling.

The auditorium has hosted many memorable public meetings. In 1971, Al Mackling and Saul Cherniack tried to convince 850 hostile residents about the soon-to-be implemented Unicity proposal. In October 2003, then-mayor Glen Murray held his first New Deal meeting. On Oct. 17, 2015, Justin Trudeau walked down Ness Avenue to greet an overflow crowd at a hastily organized rally just days before his recent federal election victory.

Several Folklorama pavilions have used the auditorium over the years. During the 1970s, the Scandinavian Pavilion featuring the Swanson, Swenson and Yenson show  drew packed crowds and the Hungarian and Serbian Pavilions currently use the facility.

Linwood School held a dance in the Civic Centre as part of its 2013 100th anniversary celebrations. Optimist Club rewards nights, Girl Guide carnivals, markets, socials and bingos have all used the Civic Centre auditorium.

These days, dance and yoga Clubs regularly use the facility. Tennis, badminton , gymnastics, pickle ball, ringette and lacrosse have been played at the Civic Centre.

The swimming pool remains well used. The St. James  Seals Swim Club trains young swimmers to compete in international events and the Civic Centre has been their main facility since 1972. Wilf and Audrey  Strom became internationally known swimming coaches, and they developed a tapping system for visually impaired swimmers.

One of their students, Tim McIsaac won a Canadian record 28 medals in the Paralympics. Tim has been  inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. 

The 2016 Anniversary Weekend, held earlier this month, was a great time, especially for future users of the Civic Centre. The weekend featured free swims and skates and a family fun day on April 10.

Provided promised provincial funding remains in place, expansion of the Civic Centre will begin in 2018, ensuring it can continue to serve the community, as it will be the new home of a 55+ Active Learning Centre.  

Fred Morris is a community correspondent for St. James.