City of Winnipeg asks what should happen with the Alexander Docks site
Public consultations at The Forks Thursday and Saturday to decide the future of the area
Winnipeggers are being asked to help decide what happens with the Alexander Docks site.
There are public consultations at The Forks Thursday and Saturday as part of a City of Winnipeg initiative to revitalize the waterfront area.
The area has a rich history including as a gathering place during the 1919 general strike, said Clare MacKay, vice president of Corporate and Community Initiatives for The Forks North Portage.
- City asks for input on future of Alexander Dock site
- Tina Fontaine's memorial site to be moved as Alexander Docks deemed unsafe
"The dock itself was created in 1929. But it's beyond repair at this point," she said on CBC Radio's Up To Speed on Thursday afternoon.
"The dock ... has been damaged numerous times over the years and quite honestly was repaired an awful lot of times throughout its history. But there were several ice storms over the course of a couple of winters that made it to a point where it's just not even repairable anymore."
"It's such an important part of our downtown and such a beautiful part of our downtown along Waterfront Drive," MacKay said.
On top of the two consultations, people can also contribute ideas online. MacKay said they are not trying to "prescribe what people would want to see" at the site, but they are providing some themes, including contemplation, memory and active living.
"Should it be a place where in the winter you can lace up your skates? Is it a place you would like to dock up your canoe?" MacKay said.
The place has also become a memorial for Tina Fontaine, the 15-year-old who was found in the Red River near the docks in 2014. The memorial has been maintained anonymously by the community, MacKay said, and they "see value in maintaining a location for a memorial on the site."
