Manitoba

Park Theatre hosts Phoenix Sinclair playhouse fundraiser

A playhouse to be built in honour of a little girl who was murdered over a decade ago got a boost in Winnipeg on Friday night.

Phoenix Sinclair Stay and Playhouse, named after murdered girl, 1 step closer to becoming a reality

Phoenix Sinclair was just five years old when she was killed in June of 2005 by her mother, Samantha Kematch, and her boyfriend, Karl McKay. (Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry)

A playhouse to be built in honour of a little girl who was murdered over a decade ago got a boost in Winnipeg on Friday night.

A small group of people came together at the Park Theatre to raise money for the construction of the Phoenix Sinclair Stay and Playhouse.

Sinclair, 5, was murdered by her mother, and her mother's partner, in 2006.

Kim Edwards, who used to take care of the little girl, said building the playhouse is a great way to honour the memory of Sinclair.

"Naming it after Phoenix, it was a way of giving her a positive legacy away from Child and Family Services," said Edwards. "The majority of Phoenix's life was spent away from Child and Family Services, not in it."

The playhouse will be for kids under the age of 5 and will be built on Selkirk Avenue.

A 91-day, $14-million public inquiry looked at how Manitoba Child and Family Services officials handled the Sinclair's death. It ultimately led the province to issue an apology and set out to implement a series of recommendations made by the report intended to prevent future tragedies.