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​​City-owned Golf Courses
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Alert !
The City of Winnipeg Multi-year Budget passed on March 20, 2020 by City Council raises serious concerns for city-owned golf course lands.

We see the Sam Katz plan to sell city golf course lands revived as part of the proposed Transformative Fund approved for the 2020 City Budget.

At the March 20 Budget Meeting City Council directed the Public Service to bring forward options to establish a new Transformative Fund (TF)  for Council's consideration, by the fall of 2020. The plan will  include the initiation of the sale of John Blumberg Golf Course and re-purposing up to 30 percent of all City-owned golf lands.

The fund  will be funded from the sale of assets deemed surplus to the City's needs.

The budget includes $200,000 to procure third party resources to assist in the development of the golf lands re-purposing study. 

The “Transformative Fund” approved by the City in the  Capital and Operating Budget 2020 allows up to 30% of golf lands to be repurposed.
  • The Transformative Fund may acquire funding from the sale of golf lands.
  •  Residential development is presented as an option for the golf lands. 
  • We question how the amount of 30% of golf lands available for repurposing was determined. 
  • Citizens expect evidence based policy decisions and the 30% of golf lands is not validated by evidence.

Transformative Fund and Repurposing Golf Lands (park zoned lands) proposal allows for:
  • acquiring funding from the sale of golf lands
  • residential development on golf lands
  • repurposing up to 30% of all golf lands
  • proceeds of fund to reduce City’s infrastructure deficit
  • “reinvestment” of capital assets (golf land) into services and deficit reduction​

Winnipeg Golf Services has balanced its budget for the last several years and now the City is proposing to sell some of its publicly owned golf lands for residential development.
 
Note that Golf Services Special Operating Agency has a balanced budget and forecasts a balanced budget for the multi-year budget 2020 - 2024.
  • Golf lands provide year round recreation opportunities, both formal and informal.
  • Golf lands provide year round services to the environment - climate change mitigation and resilience, storm water retention and heat absorption in summer, habitat, natural areas for birds
  • More parkland (not less) will be needed to accommodate increased population density in infill areas where golf courses are mostly located
 
Summary of Requests by OURS-Winnipeg

1.      OURS-Winnipeg requests that the residential development option be removed from the repurpose proposal for golf lands
2.      OURS-Winnipeg requests that the proposed re-purposing of city golf lands be halted until a master plan for greenspace in Winnipeg is completed. 
3.      OURS-Winnipeg requests that any decisions regarding repurposing of the golf courses are put on hold until the golf course lands are integrated into the Climate Action Plan with key directions and short and medium term actions.
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  • The city owns 12 golf courses located in neighbourhoods mostly along river corridors.
  • Summer of 2020 has seen increased rounds of golf at city -operated courses and new golfers visiting
  • Golf rounds on city-operated golf course are up 17% over the previous year, as of Aug 3 2020.
  • Golf Services Special Operating Agency has balanced budget for 2020  and forecasts same for multi-year budget 2020 - 2024
  • Generate close to $600,000 a year in revenue for the city from rent, leases, taxes
  • Provides  ecosystem services of storm water retention, heat mitigation, habitat, health benefits
  • ​The publicly owned  golf courses are zoned parkland, and comprise about 12% of  city owned greenspace . 
  • The city estimates the cost of maintaining parkland to be $11,000 per hectare. The city cannot afford the additional cost of maintaining more parkland if the golf courses were to no longer cover that cost
  • Many of the golf courses are well used by the public in the off season and more use is possible
  • The golf course lands are some of our nicest park lands and must not be developed or sold.
  • ​The golf course lands have been acquired over the past 100 years and belong to us
OURS-Winnipeg  originated in December, 2011 in response to a plan by the City of Winnipeg  to make  seven of the city-owned golf courses available for sale or lease for commercial or residential development. A public campaign to have the Expression of Interest withdrawn was successfully implemented. 
​The city's 12 publicly owned  golf courses are zoned parkland, and comprise about 12% of  city owned greenspace . 



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