Park It Here! — Red River North Tourism

In an age when so many cities seem bent on converting green space to residential developments, it’s refreshing to learn that Selkirk is planning to create another regional park and has encouraged input from future users of the space to learn what they would like to see there. They have a basic plan adopted that outlines broad parameters for use but have encouraged suggestions for some of the details.

“The times they are a-changin” intoned folk-rock singer Bob Dylan way back in 1964. Well, the times they are still “a-changin” in this post-pandemic world. It seems to me there are more people pursuing recreation that is simpler, and less expensive, than there once were. The buy-buy-buy, bigger-bigger-better world of the Baby Boomers and their offspring is running into trouble. The cost of living just keeps increasing, and many pundits feel that the middle class is slowly disappearing. Although the desire for a more opulent lifestyle is still with us, there is an ever-increasing percentage of the population spending more time with family, pursuing simpler, cheaper, healthier, activities, and connecting more with nature. For many, this means spending leisure time closer to home.

I need look no further than my son and his family, who live in the city, and lead a comfortable life, with four children They spend a large amount of time in “the great outdoors”. Yes, the kids love video games, tv, movies, and participate in sports and music. The family makes yearly trips to family in the U.S., and they have been to a few tourist “hot spots”, but they spend most of their time camping, hiking, and picnicking in the summer, and are outdoors for hours in winter, walking, sliding, and skiing. Excursions to Birds Hill Park and Grand Beach are interspersed with family walks at various locations throughout Winnipeg.

I also see large numbers of seniors spending time walking, stopping occasionally at a park bench, and generally enjoying outdoor activities more than they once did. I know from personal experience that a walk along one of the four trails in Selkirk Park will inevitably result in meeting someone, mot often someone in their “golden years”.

And, as I said at the outset, the City of Selkirk appears to recognize that there is a growing demand for facilities to accommodate this trend toward unstructured outdoor activity.

Murray Sinclair Park. Photo Credits: City of Selkirk

Little Lake Park. Photo Credits: City of Selkirk

Selkirk Park. Photo Credits: City of Selkirk

At present, the City has three categories of parks:

1. Neighbourhood – meant for users within walking distance (certainly respectful usage by those outside the neighbourhood is not forbidden). Daerwood Village Park and Murray Sinclair Park are examples.

2. Community – meant for all the citizens of Selkirk (again, I am sure that although I live in St. Andrews, I wouldn’t be ejected if I brought my grandchildren there). Little Lake Park and Hydro Park are examples.

3. Regional – meant to serve the needs of Selkirk residents and attract non-residents to the region, with people arriving on foot, by bicycle, and by bus and automobile. Selkirk Park is currently the only regional park in the city. It has a full complement of features: a campground, rodeo grounds, pool and splash pad, skate park, off-leash dog park, picnic shelters, plus four well-used trails for hikers, birders, skiers, and snowshoers, which are well used year-round.

The proposed new 90-acre West End Regional Park, located south of Manitoba Avenue and east of Highway 9, behind the Walmart Supercenter, will be developed over the next ten years. Selkirk CAO Duane Nicol has made a point of telling people that this second regional park will be a much more “naturalized” space, with no pools or playgrounds. He says people should think of a provincial park with forested and grassy areas, and opportunities to enjoy nature. He points to the ever-increasing use of the walking trails in Selkirk Park post pandemic as proof that the city needs more such amenities.

It has been said that “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. The fact that the City has invited residents, from all over the region who might want to use the park in the future, to submit their feedback via a recent survey, is proof this will truly be a regional park. Citizen input will be used to develop a park management plan by the end of 2023. Then work will begin on re-naturalization: planting trees and grass, and building a large retention pond.

This will be the second regional park developed in Selkirk in its 141-year history.

So, if you are looking for affordable recreation opportunities, a place where you can get away from the ever-increasing hustle and bustle, noise and traffic of modern life, and an opportunity to reconnect with nature – today AND in the future – Selkirk provides plenty of such opportunities.

Whether you are a resident, or a visitor, Selkirk is the place to PARK IT!