Wpg Free Press: Our pride of place is missing
Winnipeg Free Press columnist Gordon Sinclair Jr. writes about Upper Fort Garry, and a parking lot.
In the column he references the work of a U of M professor.
University of Manitoba history professor emeritus Gerald Friesen summarized the place’s significance: “This, the birthplace of the province; and the decision to enter the Canadian Confederation, made on this site by a body representative of all Red River, was crucial to the creation of a transcontinental nation, Canada.”
Freisen’s account went on to detail a vision for the property, centred on using what has been designated as a provincial park as a way for school children to learn about our history by standing on it. But it needs more money to be completed. More than twice the $13 million in promises it gathered through pledges under pressure of a city-imposed deadline in 2007.