Fort Gibraltar walkway that collapsed will be torn down, organization president says
Wall around fort will also come down as Festival du Voyageur aims to reopen site in time for annual event
An elevated walkway at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar that collapsed earlier this year during a school field trip — an incident that sent 18 people to hospital and allegedly left one boy at risk of being permanently disabled — will soon be torn down, says the president of the non-profit that operates the site.
Eric Plamondon, president of the Festival du Voyageur, said dismantling the wall surrounding Fort Gibraltar in the city's St. Boniface area — and the walkway attached to it — was determined by the organization's board to be the best way to make sure the site can reopen in time for its annual February winter event celebrating the area's fur-trade history.
"What we're working towards is securing the site, so that we have full confidence and assurance that when we invite the festivaliers to the site — when we invite volunteers, when we ask our staff to be there — that it is a safe and secure site," Plamondon said in an interview following Festival du Voyageur's annual general meeting on Wednesday evening, where the update was announced.
Plamondon said the Fort Gibraltar site will remain closed until the organization is satisfied it's safe to reopen it to the public. He said the plan is to begin dismantling the structures shortly, but did not have specific details about exactly when that would happen or how much it might cost.
The walkway collapsed while a group of 10- and 11-year-old students from St. John's-Ravenscourt School was on a field trip to the site in May, sending 17 children and one adult to hospital.
A total of 28 people were assessed at the scene, and three of the children taken to hospital were in unstable condition. Most of the injuries they suffered were orthopedic-related and none were severe or life-threatening — and only one injured boy had to stay in hospital to get orthopedic surgery for a fracture, officials said at the time.
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One of those children's parents later filed a lawsuit in connection with the incident, alleging their son might be permanently disabled after falling from the walkway and accusing Festival du Voyageur and the City of Winnipeg — which owns the site that the festival manages — of negligence.
After the walkway collapsed, the city said it directed Festival du Voyageur to retain a professional engineer to assess the entire complex for any unsafe conditions and do any necessary repairs. The reason for the structure's collapse was not confirmed.
The last time the walkway was inspected was in 2006, and the last time it had been repaired was in 2004, a city spokesperson said at the time.
Plamondon said on Wednesday he couldn't share further details about the site because of the lawsuit, and that he hopes to be able to share more once the litigation is dealt with.
Fort Gibraltar is a 1978 replica of two earlier forts of the same name. The original fort was used as a centre for fur trade commerce and early settlers in Winnipeg.
Derrek Bentley, vice-president of the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, said he's hopeful there will be a Festival du Voyageur in 2024 — but he thinks the community that surrounds the event is going to support it no matter what decisions are made.
"So if that's for a festival in 2024, awesome. Or if it's a different decision, the community will be there to support them as required in the coming months and years," Bentley said following the meeting on Wednesday.
WATCH | Fort Gibraltar walkway to be torn down:
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With files from Magalie Chinchilla Chaput