$180M plan for Assiniboine Park includes tree forts, tubing

A $180-million renewal plan to turn Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park into a world-classattraction was announced Friday.

"This is truly a new day and a new century for Assiniboine Park," said Margaret Redmond, CEO of the park conservancy. "This civic treasure has been enriching lives of Manitobans for the past 100 years. Today, we present a plan that will ensure it is an extraordinary place to generations to come."

The renewal plan includes a nature playground, tree forts, a rushing river for tubing, a world-class polar bear enclosure and a family centre that overlooks the duck pond and English gardens, said Redmond.

Hartley Richardson, chair of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, said $45 million for the 10-year project will come from the private sector. Promoters hope the rest will come from the three levels of government.

While the city of Winnipeg has not confirmed plans to fund the project, it said it likes the proposal. Neither the federal nor provincial governments have responded.

The announcement comes at a time when the park needs a massive infusion of cash to repair crumbling infrastructure.

"Some of the infrastructures actually reached the point where some of it may have to close in a few years if you don't start putting some capital in," Redmond said. "So this was really a critical juncture for the park. And this plan is really about ensuring that it is there for generations to come."

It's a solid business plan that will breathe new life into Assiniboine Park, the Zoo, the Conservatory and the children's area, said Redmond, who unveiled the plan at the park's Lyric Theatre.

Richardson said there have been proposals in the works for decades to fix up the park, but they didn't succeed because there was no solid business plan. This one is different, he said.

"This has been talked about for as long as I can remember," he said, adding that despite the need for funding for upkeep, the park has still been able to add new infrastructure and attractions likethe Leo Mol Garden and the Lyric Theatre.

"And we are going to try and build on that success, and let people know we have a credible plan and that this time it is going to happen."