Private property?
Condos another step in the commercialization of Assiniboine Park
Nick Ternette


Many Winnipeggers are bothered by Mayor Sam Katz’s idea of building condos in Assiniboine Park.

Gordon Sinclair Jr. of the Winnipeg Free Press has suggested this is a class issue. Only the wealthy can afford $200,000 condos, yet Assiniboine Park is public and belongs to every Winnipeg citizen.

(By the way, I went past the site of the proposed condos and discovered that while one of the proposed condo sites is a wide-open parking lot, the other parking lot borders the zoo! Who would want to live beside the zoo? Can you imagine the smell if the wind blows in the wrong direction? Nobody in their right mind would pay $200,000 for that experience!)

Has the mayor considered the fact that there will need to be parking for these condos? Likely two parking spots per condo, considering Winnipeg’s ‘car culture.’ And don’t doubt for a second that developers will make extra demands during the development of these condos. Perhaps they’ll require private roadway access for owners or even the building of a brick wall to separate the condos from the zoo.

One of the questions not being answered amid all the fuss is a crucial one:

Who exactly uses Assiniboine Park?

I can still remember as a child dressing up in my Sunday best and going with my mother for a picnic in the park. Why there? Because there was lots of green space to walk and play in and it was free. Many Winnipeggers from Eastern Europe made a habit of these outings because it was exactly what they did every Sunday at home. Today you still see many immigrants having picnics on a Sunday, so the tradition continues.

Perhaps the issue isn’t just about class but also the commercialization of public space — and that has already been happening in Assiniboine Park.

Since the zoo began charging an admission fee its attendance has dropped drastically. Only in recent years has the decline levelled off.

Even more bothersome was the conversion of the Pavilion into a fancy restaurant at which most people can’t afford to eat. (Thankfully, the art gallery on the second floor is still free — but I’m not sure how many people know it exists.)

Mayor Katz’s idea of building condos is merely another step down the slippery slope toward charging a fee for park attractions such as the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, the English Gardens and the Conservatory.

Let’s get off this notion that partnerships between the public and private sectors can work at Assiniboine Park. Public is public — that is, all taxpayers contribute taxes at all government levels in order to enjoy places such as Assiniboine Park free of charge. ‘Private’ is for a chosen few who can afford the price of entry.

No question, Assiniboine Park is drastically deteriorating. If we really want to improve the park, we need a considerable increase in public investment.

Perhaps we should ban cars in the park and create a ‘park and ride’ area where you could leave your car and get onto a monorail train which would take you to all the attractions within Assiniboine Park.

Nick Ternette is a community and political activist, freelance writer and broadcaster.