Winnipeg police arrest plans to build new North End station at Old Ex Grounds

The City of Winnipeg is looking to build a new North End police station somewhere other than the Old Exhibition Grounds due to opposition from area residents.

Last spring, the Winnipeg Police Service identifiedCharlie Krupp Stadium on the Old Exhibition Grounds along McPhillips Street as the preferred place to build a new North District station.

The new station would replace the dilapidated and cramped District 3 station on Hartford Avenue in West Kildonan.

Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie and Sel Burrows of the Point Douglas Residents Association opposed the idea on the basis it would displace the North Winnipeg Nomads football club and also claimed public consultations about the plan were "a farce" and "fake," respectively.

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Those consultations, however, revealed North End residents don't like the idea, the Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday.

"At this point, the message that the WPS has received through that public engagement is that a different location should be considered.The final decision will be made by council,"police spokesperson Kelly Dehn said in a statement.

Senior City of Winnipeg sources told CBC News that while the decision to look elsewhere in the North End is not official, it is all but certain right now.

"It looks very unlikely the building will go there," said one senior public servant, speaking on condition of anonymity because city councillorshave yet to receive a report about the police station.

"We're looking at what this means and where it will go."

The city has set aside $23.1 million to build the new station, which would be the fourth and final new police station in a construction program that started in 2007, with the construction of a new East District station onDugaldRoad in the St. Boniface Industrial Park.

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The city also built a new West District station on Grant Avenue in Tuxedo and converted the former downtown Canada Post warehouse and office tower complex into a new police headquarters.

The HQ project was completed four years late andnearly $80 million over budget as part of a construction project that remains underRCMPinvestigation.

The new North District station would replace a Hartford facility that was infested by rats in 2016 and was described by the Winnipeg Police Board as rundown in dire need of replacement.

The police service said it's committed to finding somewhere to build the station.

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In 2017, Winnipeg police chief Danny Smyth accused Coun. Eadieof poisoning the well when it came to public consultations about the Old Exhibition Grounds site.

After an exchange of words, the Winnipeg Police Board reprimanded Eadie for revealing details about the plans.

Eadiesaid Tuesday he is relieved the police won't eat up what he called "prevention lands"recreation space that diverts kids from getting involved in crime.

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"I still think the original idea to go there was strictly financial. They weren't considering the community'sneeds,"Eadiesaid in a telephone interview.

"I will get reprimanded any day upholding the public interest."

Football club would have welcomed the police

The North Winnipeg Nomads, however, were ultimately OK with the police plan to build on the Old Ex Grounds.

Nomads president JeffPirriesaid Tuesday while the football club initially feared it wouldbe displaced, it eventually approved of the plan because it would improve safety in the neighbourhood and provide the club with a new facility.

"We were a little surprised and a little bit disappointed," saidPirrieof hearing the news through the media Tuesday morning.

"After looking at the plans last year and then realizing we were staying in the same area and possibly getting some new stuff out of the deal, [it] would be very good for us, the kids, and everybody in general," he said.

"It just seems like it was a perfect fit for everybody," said Pirrie.

He said the building that is currently used for the team is in good condition and doesn't need to be replaced, but the turfcould use some work in the future.

"Right now we're OK, but we will definitely be looking at some fundraising sponsorships and just try to upgrade everything here," he said.

The decision to formally abandon the plans to build at the sitestill lies with city council.