City announces $1.96 million in grants awarded to community centres

Residents across the city can expect to see several maintenance upgrades coming soon to 24 city-owned community centres.

On June 11, the City of Winnipeg and the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres (GCWCC) announced $1.96 million will be going towards various recreation centres.

“They’re termed ‘community centres’ for a reason because for generations of Winnipeg, those have been the hubs for community life,” Mayor Scott Gillingham told reporters after the funding announcement at Garden City Community Centre (725 Kingsbury Ave.), which will receive $100,000 for replacements and repairs at the Soccerplex.

“This grant will help us renovate our soccerplex, ensuring the facility remains welcoming, functional, and safe for families, volunteers, participants, (and) community members who use it throughout the year,” said Margie Reis, general manager of Garden City Community Centre/Seven Oaks Sportsplex.

Breaking barriers in hockey

Winnipeg sports-lovers are working to start a queer hockey league in the city that’s accessible and not defined by traditional hockey norms.

The trio of founders — Key Caguioa, Brie Villeneuve, and Victor Selby — officially launched Prairie Pride Hockey League on June 5.

The group was inspired by the PWHL city takeover event where the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge played in Winnipeg on March 22.

“We’re still coming down off the high from the launch,” laughed Caguioa. “It’s unreal. I can’t believe we did it in that short amount of time.”

Feeling the soccer love

Two high school soccer teams — one in southeast Winnipeg and the other in the West End — have been kicking up a storm recently.

That’s because the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA provincial soccer championships were held on the first weekend of June.

In the girls’ championship game, Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard beat Kelvin High School 5-2, while Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute defeated West Kildonan Collegiate 2-1 in the boys’ championship game.

It’s the second year in a row the Renards have brought home the championship banner in the girls’ category. And the fact it was also a finalist two seasons ago is a testament to the legacy everyone involved with the team is creating.

Local football players get a taste of the big leagues

Two Winnipeg Rifles hope their Canadian Football League training camp experience with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have them locked and loaded for the 2026 Canadian Junior Football League season. Linebacker Cohen McCluskey and receiver Jarome Penner earned the coveted invitations with strong junior performances in 2025.

Penner was a First Team All-Canadian in 2025, thanks to 40 receptions for 794 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Despite missing three games, McCluskey registered 26 tackles, one sack and one interception. He holds the Rifles record with three interceptions in a 2024 game.

“The off-season was about two months shorter because Bomber camp starts in May rather than Rifles starting in July, so I had to shorten up all my training blocks,” Penner, a Dakota Collegiate alumnus, explained. “I focused mainly on transferring my strength into speed and power and being more efficient.”

“I was told by (head coach) Geordie (Wilson) this offseason to be ready because it might be happening, so I trained all offseason after recovering from my shoulder injury just on my own,” McCluskey added.

East edition news in brief — week of June 17, 2026

Archwood CC to hold AGM on June 18

Archwood Community Centre (565 Guilbault St.) will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m.

Community members are invited to attend the event. Visit www.archwoodcc.com/events to learn more.

Champlain CC to hold AGM, family party on June 19

Olympiens bring home softball bronze

The Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens won the bronze medal at the Manitoba High School Athletics Association’s provincial softball championship on June 6, defeating Vincent Massey (Brandon) 3-2.

The Olympiens beat Hamiota 8-3 to advance to the semifinals, where the team lost 10-0 to the eventual champion Stonewall team. Olympiens Linnae Johnson and Brooklyn Millroy were also named to the provincial all-star team.

New book provides insight into famous architect

“It was a book that just had to be written,” said Gail Perry of her new book John D Atchison, Architect: His Work and Times, published by the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation and launched at McNally Robinson bookstore recently.

“My concern was that if another generation passed, we were going to lose Atchison altogether,” said Perry. “It was important to get this information collected and together, as a start.”

In her book, Perry writes that while no single characteristic defines an Atchison building, it will always have “disciplined composition (their ‘just right’ look).” His buildings were beautiful, state of the art for the time, and are still comfortable, efficient and elegant today.

Perry was an architectural enthusiast since she was a little girl, and Perry read the 1970s centenaries publications on local and regional history. Atchison’s name popped up most frequently, yet Perry knew he was part of the revolutionary Chicago School of Architecture.

Experience Elmwood this summer

After a long, cold winter and dreary spring, summer is once again upon us.

It’s a time for enjoying the weather, spending time with friends and family, and getting active. Many will vacation, either across the country or out of the city. There are popular attractions within city limits like The Forks and Assiniboine Park. But there is also plenty to do right here in Elmwood.

On Friday, July 10 the Glenelm Neighbourhood Association will hold its monthly boardgame night from 7 to 10 p.m. Held in partnership with Victory Pints Games and hosted at The Big Red Church (127 Cobourg Ave.), this will be a night of board game fun and light snacks. An event for the whole family, people can play together and meet their neighbours.

If the weather is nice, and even if it is not, people can also get some great time volunteering each Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon with the Elmwood Unity Walks. These happen each Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. and each Sunday from 12:30 4 p.m. At these Unity Walks, volunteers will help clean up the neighbourhood and distribute food and clothes to vulnerable community members. It is a really impactful way to spend your free time.

Harbour View in review

I was picking up some auto parts for my kid’s car the other day in sunny Transcona, and while driving home along Springfield Road, I saw the gate for Harbour View Golf Course. I have fond memories of attending many weddings and a few retirement parties in the Icelandic themed social facilities. However, I had never golfed the course that surrounds the facilities and the adjacent man-made lake. Since I had time on my hands this day, I decided it was as good a day as any.

While parking, I noticed an ATCO trailer in the lot. A foreboding sign of what I would experience later. There was no one in the trailer, and no signage, so I continued down the path. Passing the lawn bowling green on the right, I noticed the fenced off remains of the aforementioned social buildings. Time has not been kind to these buildings, and basement design flaws have allowed the fake lake to do what water often does to buildings. Flooding and mould concerns have condemned the lot and they are now slated for demolition. As I walked along the fence line, I noticed another small building on top of a small hill with a sign for #1 tee. I thought this was the club house. It was not. I was told by the starter to go back to the condemned fence line, and go to a little building on the edge that was not within the fence’s perimeter. This turned out to be the clubhouse. I asked if the washroom was close, and the attendant said no. He then directed be to some portable facilities back down the path by the parking lot. Joy. If you have trouble walking a full game, this course may not be for you, as there are no motorized carts available, and the course does have some small elevation changes.

Returning to the starter for the second time, I noticed some of this course’s additional, if few, amenities. There is a mini-put course, a driving range, and a practice green. All of these surround the first tee. After the starter cleared me, I was off. This course is a par 3 course, and the first hole is 100 metres of simple, straightaway golf. It is too bad, from a teaching point of view; if you are out there with someone learning the game, this would be a great second or third hole to practice on and let other players play through. The second hole is simple in design as well, but it is almost double the length. Some challenge comes on hole three, as the fairway and green elevate from the tee. Hole four, the day I played it, had an interesting hill with a sand trap on top partially obscuring the base of the green. Right of the green is an abnormally large grassed embankment that if you sliced into, your ball would likely roll right back onto the green.

The fifth hole is the shortest, and it is a downhill roll. Watch your club selection, as you can easily overdrive the green, and water finally shows up as a behind-the-dance-floor hazard. I found most of the greens had some damage here and there, but the damage of this hole was very noticeable. The walk to hole six is very picturesque, and there’s lots of local geese in residence enhancing your views of the waters.

Building community through recreation in Winnipeg South

Summer in Winnipeg means community centre barbecues, soccer and baseball, children at spray pads, and families spending time together outdoors.

These moments matter because community facilities are about more than recreation. They are places where people connect, volunteers step forward, and young people build confidence, friendships, and healthy habits that can last a lifetime.

That is why I have been pleased to support significant investments in recreation across Winnipeg South.

In late May, I announced a $31.7 million federal investment in the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus. This project will help serve one of Winnipeg’s fastest-growing areas and create a new hub for community life — bringing together childcare, recreation and fitness spaces, gathering areas, and opportunities for learning and programming.

“Try your best and you can win”

Grant Hrehirchuk is a 15-year-old Grade 9 student at River East Collegiate.

“School is good,” Grant said. “My favourite class is science.”

Grant loves sports. He plays hockey, soccer, baseball, and basketball.

“I am most focused on hockey and it is my favourite sport, too,” he said. “I like to do my goal cellies. I play forward because I like to score. Coach Halle in hockey is the best. Coach Faith at soccer is great, too. I like when she does the warm up. I hope to keep playing all the sports I love to play.”

Building stronger schools, communities together

One of the joys of serving as city councillor for the past 15 years — and admittedly, not every day has been joyful — has been my strong working relationship with the Louis Riel School Division.

Together, we have partnered on a wide range of community projects, including three running tracks, 11 basketball court upgrades, four outdoor classrooms, the performing arts space at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé, and several community kitchens. We are wrapping up this school year with another round of initiatives supported through St. Vital ward funding:

• A new Indigenous-themed entrance mural at Darwin School to welcome students, families, and visitors;

• Sponsorship of the year-end picnic at École Varennes;

All aboard the bike bus!

Students in southeast Winnipeg are discovering a fun new way to get to school.

Over the past few years, bike buses have brought kids to school across the Louis Riel School Division, usually one day a week in May and June. Schools including École Provencher and École Henri-Bergeron in St. Boniface, École Howden in Windsor Park, École St. Germain in River Park South, and Sage Creek School have all organized group rides. These bike buses follow set routes with predetermined starting points and scheduled stops, making it easy for students to join along the way.

A group leader sets the pace and guides the ride. Marshals support the group by controlling intersections so riders can pass safely. A sweep rider stays at the back to ensure no one gets left behind.

The bike bus movement began in Portland, Ore., in 2010, but didn’t really take off in the United States until 2022, when Sam Balto, a physical education teacher, led an Earth Day ride that went viral on TikTok. In the spring of 2023, my friend Suzanne Simpson, a teacher at École Provencher, approached me about starting a bike bus for my children’s schools. I agreed, and we reached out to the principal at École Provencher, David Charney, who was more than happy to help us find a way to make it happen.

Let’s do the locomotion…

The 100th birthday of a beloved Transcona landmark will be celebrated later this month.

The Transcona Museum and the Transcona BIZ are organizing an event to celebrate the centennial of the CN 2747, which will be held on Saturday, June 20 between 1 and 4 p.m. at Rotary Heritage Park (735 Kildare Ave. W). The event is presented by CN.

According to the museum’s website, the CN 2747 train was constructed in April 1926 at the Canadian National Railway Shops in Transcona. It was the first steam locomotive to be constructed at the Transcona Shops, and it was also the first steam locomotive built for the Western Region.

In recent years, more than $600,000 has been raised through a capital campaign to ensure the historic engine has been preserved, protected and secured for future generations to enjoy, and it now rests in a permanent enclosure. In 2015, the museum acquired ownership of the engine from the Midwestern Rail Association, which had acquired the locomotive from the Kiwanis Club.