Byelection blackout won’t stop the party

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2024 (701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A byelection blackout may have prevented any provincial funding announcement for the Park Community Centre project this weekend — if there was to be one — but that won’t stop the party when the community comes together for Concert at the Park tomorrow afternoon.

While on the campaign trail last summer, NDP Leader Wab Kinew promised to rebuild the Park Community Centre with a new child-care facility, should he win government. The then-Opposition leader pledged to invest up to $1 million to demolish and rebuild the centre.

As part of the Manitoba NDP’s first budget this past April following the 2023 provincial election, the Kinew government showed it intended to fulfil that million-dollar campaign promise as part of an increase of $4 million in new annual funding for sport and cultural organizations.

The bottom of the poster for the Concert at the Park event notes that the Park Community Centre has “just received provincial funding for the new community centre and daycare,” and suggested the concert would be a celebratory event.

While the cash is earmarked in the provincial budget, the province is currently under an election campaign blackout with the ongoing byelection in Winnipeg’s Tuxedo district, a situation that requires all government announcements and advertising to be suspended.

When asked if the blackout had likely affected a hoped-for funding announcement this weekend, Park Community Centre board member Eldon Schmitz said he believed it had.

“We’re not expecting (Brandon East MLA Glen Simard) to be there on Saturday. He’s at a previous engagement in Gimli or someplace. And you know, if he came he still wouldn’t be able to announce anything.”

Schmitz said the Park Community Centre board is still trying to set up a meeting with the province and the city to get working on the details for the new centre and daycare. Currently, they don’t have a memorandum agreement signed with the province or city, so any other pending donations they may have are on hold.

“It’s just another waiting game, right? Once we get the chance to meet, and once that happens, then there will be some announcements made and there’ll be some money starting to flow. And we’ll figure out that timeline.”

Schmitz says he hopes to see a few hundred people come out to support the Park Community Centre on Saturday for the Concert at the Park. Eight different musical acts will be taking part, including Matt Cory & Cy Arthurson, Michelle Boudreau, Kris Desjarlaid & Family, Ida Henderson, Amban & Da’man, Man in Toy, Brad Johnson & The Talent, and Full Flannel Jacket.

“It looks like it’s going to be a great day,” Schmitz said. “It looks like the weather is going to co-operate.”

The entertainment and food start at 1 p.m. with free entry.

Bring $5 for a hot dog, chips and a drink with food from Heritage Co-op. The Batchery ice cream truck will be on site, and Smitty’s restaurant has also donated some hamburgers for the barbecue.

» mgoerzen@brandonsun.com

» X: @MattGoerzen