Upper Fort Garry finds a new friend
Councillor opposes development next to site
Fri Nov 16 2007
By Bartley Kives | Winnipeg Free Press
THE Friends of Upper Fort Garry have finally caught a break in their crusade to push an apartment building off the edge of the historic site, as a member of Mayor Sam Katz's cabinet has joined their cause.
Six months after the city approved the sale of land southwest of the old fort's footprint to Crystal Developers, downtown development committee chairman Russ Wyatt is now opposed to a residential building next to the site.
In May, the $1.8-million deal sparked protests from The Friends, a non-profit group that wants to build an historic park where the city's birthplace once stood.
The group's cause appeared doomed until October, when an archeological dig found the former fort's northwestern bastion three metres to the west of where it was expected, surprising historians and effectively reducing the size of the developer's parcel of land.
While the city's Land Use Division and Crystal Developers try to hash out a reduction in the sale price, Wyatt changed his mind and is now calling on the company's owner, Ruben Spletzer, to back out of the project.
"In light of the new archeological evidence, the developer's site is smaller and the fort's footprint is even bigger. I would encourage Mr. Spletzer to reconsider," Wyatt said Thursday.
"We don't have a great appreciation of history in this. This is the trading post that opened up Western Canada. You wouldn't put an apartment building on the Plains of Abraham."
Spletzer could not be reached for comment. But Harold Buchwald, a spokesman for Friends of Upper Fort Garry, was elated by Wyatt's change of heart.
"I'm very excited he's taking this leadership and he's seeing the virtue of (an historic park) over a commercial development," said Buchwald, whose group has pledged to raise $2.5 million toward a $12 million park supported by all three levels of government.
"We have credible, reliable people ready to go out and develop this -- if we have something to develop."
The Friends' membership includes former Manitoba Premiers Duff Roblin and Gary Filmon, former Gov.-Gen. Ed Schreyer and Lt.-Gov. Pearl McGonigal, ex-mayor Bill Norrie and businessman George Richardson, Leonard Asper, John Buhler, Bob Chipman and Bob Silver.
But so far, these heavyweights have not raised a single penny toward a historic park, Buchwald conceded.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, is in a poor position to fund a new park, as the city is having trouble maintaining approximately 900 existing parks and open spaces, including its decaying flagship, Assiniboine Park.
Manitoba already has 113 provincial heritage sites. And the federal government only manages seven out of Manitoba's 55 National Historic Sites.
That said, Parks Canada is interested in working with whoever winds up managing Upper Fort Garry to enhance the profile of the city's birthplace and possibly connect a future park to the nearby Forks National Historic Site.
"We've sat in on meetings about Upper Fort Garry Gate. Obviously, it's linked to The Forks and it's of national historic significance," said Dawn Bronson, the superintendent of Parks Canada's Manitoba Field Unit.
But Parks Canada is unlikely to contribute significant funding or hands-on management.
"Over the past 25 years, we have assumed management of very few national historic sites," Bronson said.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
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