A local seniors’ group says they’ve had to cut back on recreational programming after they were kicked out of a city building no one is using.
The Charleswood 55+ Active Living Centre was previously using the vacated former Charleswood Library on Roblin Boulevard after a new library was built in 2015.
The City gave the centre written permission to use the space until it went up for sale, said Camilla Waitt, executive director of the centre.
Last April, the centre got notice they needed to be out of the space by June 30 so the building could go up for sale, said Waitt.
However, the building sat empty for another nine months before it was officially put on the market in January of this year.
“It didn’t make sense to us because if potential buyers wanted to walk through we could have left for the day, or cleaned up the space,” said Waitt. “They just told us we weren’t allowed to be in it.”
The building’s extra space allowed the centre to create new programming for members and to expand existing activities, she said.
One new program was the men’s club. This was especially important because men are less likely to get involved in recreational activities, said Waitt.
The centre is short on space in their main facility so they couldn’t continue the men’s club. It was cancelled and all the furniture, including the woodworking station was sold online, said Waitt.
“We thought ‘why do we have to be pushed out so soon?’, because we had to relocate and cancel a bunch of programs,” she said.
Local Coun. Kevin Klein recently tabled a motion in city hall to delay the sale of the property.
“I got to know the group and heard about what had happened and I offered to be a part of the solution,” he said.
“Ultimately the goal is to give them a sense of security for a year or two while we work on a new location or partnership to continue these programs.”
Klein said the cancelled programs served an essential need in Winnipeg’s aging community.
“Offering these program is something the city is supposed to do. We need to be offering more programming for people over the age of 55. If you look through the Leisure Guide there aren’t many 55-plus programs for residents and this group does and they do it for free,” he said.
Council will meet again and vote on the future of the vacant building at the end of April.
As of the time of writing, the building had not been sold.
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Editor’s Note: dates relating to when notice was given and the deadline for vacating have been revised.