Councillor says province and city should fund school playgrounds

A Winnipeg councillor released recommendations asking the province, the city and school divisions to fund play structures rather than rely on parent fundraising after a 10-day task force and meetings with local leaders.

A Winnipeg councillor has proposed shifting responsibility for school play structures away from volunteer parent groups. Coun. Brian Mayes formed a 10-day task force and released recommendations after meetings with parents, school officials and local leaders. The report argues the province, the city and school divisions should take on more of the funding burden for playgrounds. It notes the current model can be inequitable because wealthier areas tend to raise more funds. Key points: - The report recommends the province fund play structures at new schools by allocating one per cent of construction costs, with contributions from the city and school divisions. - Play structures are typically paid for through provincial funding plus volunteer parent fundraising; some playgrounds sit on city land, which makes the city responsible for repairs or replacement. - Parents told the task force they were frustrated by the assumption they could take time off work to plan and run lengthy fundraising campaigns, and some raised funds were reduced in value by inflation. - Ecole Springfield Heights had a play structure removed in October after it was declared unsafe; a parent group faces roughly $200,000 to replace it and has held small fundraisers while applying for grants. - The Winnipeg School Division now includes playground funding in its budget, committing to three board-funded playground upgrades each year and no longer allowing door-to-door fundraising for building upgrades. - The province has committed $100,000 each to new outdoor play areas at Sansome School and Bairdmore School for the 2025-26 year, and a statement from the Education Minister said the province will review Mayes' report. Summary: If implemented, the recommendations would shift more playground costs from volunteer groups to provincial, municipal and school-division budgets, aiming to address fundraising inequities. The province has said it will review the report and has made some targeted playground commitments; further decisions are undetermined at this time.