Pricey Assiniboine Park attraction tickets will Leaf many out, critics predict Nearly $75M in public money went into construction of long-delayed Canada’s Diversity Gardens project By: Chris Kitching Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 26, 2022

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Ticket prices for Assiniboine Park’s newest attraction — which has received about $75 million in public funding — are raising concerns people on lower incomes will be shut out.

When the Leaf opens later this year, a family of four will pay up to $48 before tax to enter the indoor garden.

This is a “hugely expensive” sum for Manitobans who earn less, according to a group of residents opposed to park user fees.

“Many Winnipeggers will be left out in the cold due to the high price of attending,” said organizer Molly McCracken. “Ideally, we’d like to see it free to the public, like the conservatory (was). Our free spaces in this city are dwindling, and this is an example of that.

“It’s quite unfortunate something with ‘diversity’ in the title will not include the full diversity of people.”

The Leaf, part of Canada’s Diversity Gardens project, is two years behind schedule. The cost of construction, which continues, is tens of millions more than originally estimated.

Tickets will go on sale when the opening date is announced in early November.

Gate prices, announced Friday, are $15.50 for most adults, $13.50 for seniors and students with a valid ID and $8.50 for children three and up. GST is not included.

There is a slight discount for tickets purchased online.

Children two and under are free.

There is no cost to visit the outdoor gardens, which opened to the public last year.

Kate Kehler, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, said more needs to be done to give access to people on low incomes.

“Letting kids under two in for free still means that the adult with them has to pay $15. That is just too much money to charge in the province with the highest rates of child and family poverty,” she said.

Located across from the well-to-do Tuxedo area, the Leaf replaces the century-old conservatory, which was free to visit before it was demolished in 2018 after reaching the end of its lifespan.

Free admission vouchers for the 6,000-square metre facility will be handed out via community agencies to people with the greatest need, said Laura Cabak, a spokeswoman for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, the non-profit organization that manages the public park.

A total of 13,500 vouchers for the Assiniboine Park Zoo were distributed in 2022.

When the Leaf opens, 22,500 vouchers will be distributed with the option of redeeming them at the new attraction or the zoo, said Cabak.

For years, the conservancy has been transparent with the information that a free-admission model for the biome would not be possible for sustainable, long-term operation of the site, she said.

The admission and membership fees are in line with local museums, Cabak said.

The project has received $114 million in capital funding commitments: $36 million from Ottawa, $25 million from the province, $13.3 million from the City of Winnipeg and $39.7 million from private donors.

In 2017, the initial cost of construction was pegged at $75 million.

About 40 per cent of the operating costs are covered by city funding, but the percentage will decrease when the Leaf opens, said Cabak.

The balance must be covered through means such as admission, memberships, school programs, restaurant and retail operations, special events and rentals, she said.

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy also relies on annual fundraising, grants and sponsorships.

“This is paid primarily by the taxpayers, and many of them will be unable to afford the (admission).”

The voucher model creates a two-tiered system, said McCracken, the Manitoba director at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives think tank.

People will miss out on the limited vouchers if they don’t have connections to one of the community agencies, she said.

She pointed to museums or art galleries in other provinces or countries that don’t charge admission, or offer free entry once a week or once a month.

Linda Taylor, who is advocating for free admission, said the situation is “terribly unfair.”

“This is paid primarily by the taxpayers, and many of them will be unable to afford the (admission),” she said. “I find it so sad that so many people will never get to see the inside of this.”

Winnipegger Linda Jones, who visited the outdoor gardens with her husband, Richard, on Monday, said the rates will be prohibitive for some.

“It would be very seldom because of the fees, especially now with everything else going up,” she said, referring to the frequency of her visits to the Leaf.

“We’re seniors on a fixed income.”

The conservancy will partner with community groups to offer free programming for older adults who face socio-economic barriers or social isolation, Cabak said.

The inclusion of admission fees was part of a council debate when city funding was approved in 2017, said Jeremy Davis, a spokesman for Mayor Brian Bowman.

“The inclusion of an additional subsidy to cover admission fees was not part of that debate,” he said, noting the mayor is pleased with the conservancy’s work on the project.

In separate statements, Manitoba’s senior Liberal member of Parliament, Dan Vandal, and a spokesman for the province made note of the program that provides vouchers.

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein, one of two city councillors on the conservancy’s board of directors, said he will raise the concerns and ask questions about the funding model at an upcoming board meeting.

The Leaf must be affordable for everyone, he said, noting he doesn’t want to rush to judgment without hearing from the conservancy.

If elected, former mayor and current candidate Glen Murray said he will look for ways to make the Leaf more accessible.

“High fees discourage the volumes of visitors required to financially sustain this new facility over the long term and, more importantly, they discourage people from learning more about nature,” he said.

“High fees discourage the volumes of visitors required to financially sustain this new facility over the long term.”

Shaun Loney, who is running for mayor, said he would look to improve equitable access.

Candidate and city Coun. Scott Gillingham said fees were part of the financial model from the beginning to support programming and maintenance.

The rates are competitive with similar attractions, such as the zoo, he said..

Provincial Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the fact some people won’t be able to afford tickets is a problem, “especially in a city and a province with deep issues with poverty.”

“The basic model for public projects for decades in Manitoba is to spend lots of money on construction, while providing virtually no operating funding to actually provide services, so they want to tack on charges,” he said.

“The Leaf needs to recognize social diversity, as well. It’s unjust to shut people out of it.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching