Editing Fort Garry (section)

=== Provincial Heritage Park ===
Work has begun on a project to establish a heritage park in the area surrounding what remains of Upper Fort Garry. In the spring of 2010, a bill passed the House in the Manitoba Legislature, entitled ''The Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Act''.
[[File:Governor’s Gate, Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba 2019 07 22.jpg|thumb|left|The stone gate tower, the last standing structure from Fort Garry. It is now used as the Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park Gate Entrance.]]
In 2007, a development company, Crystal Developers, sought to build an apartment complex next to the fort's original "footprint". However, the Friends of Upper Fort Garry, a group dedicated to developing a historical interpretive park at the site, was convened to oppose them.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/history-buffs-fight-development-near-upper-fort-garry-1.653616?ref=rss History buffs fight development near Upper Fort Garry]. CBC News-Manitoba, May 29, 2007. Retrieved 16 Oct 2010.</ref><ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/dig-uncovers-more-of-winnipeg-s-upper-fort-garry-1.665041 Dig uncovers more of Winnipeg's Upper Fort Garry]. CBC News-Manitoba, Oct. 11, 2007. Retrieved 16 Oct 2010.</ref> The plan called for an interpretive centre just outside the old fort's walls, and a large surface parking lot that would have been placed closer to the walls than the apartment itself. After a City of Winnipeg-imposed deadline to raise funds to build a park on the site was nearing, Crystal Developers decided to grant the Friends an additional two years to finish raising the needed funds.<ref>[http://www.upperfortgarry.com/resource/File/MediaRelease-6.pdf Deadline Extended for Upper Fort Garry]{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Friends of Upper Fort Garry, 28 March 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.</ref> Crystal ultimately bowed out of its proposed development plans. Two years later the City of Winnipeg approved the construction by Crystal Developers of a 25-storey apartment tower just west of the original location, on Assiniboine Ave.<ref>[http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4872787&postcount=2 Green light given to downtown high-rise apartment tower]. Archived article from Winnipeg Free Press, June 10, 2010. Retrieved 16 Oct 2010.</ref>

The Friends raised enough funds to purchase the buildings already on the site of their proposed heritage park, including a Petro-Canada gas station.<ref>[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Gas-sation-site-to-be--46627907.html Gas station site added to heritage park at city's birthplace]. Winnipeg Free Press, June 1, 2010. Retrieved 17 Oct 2010.</ref> The only building that was allowed to stay untouched was the current home of the Manitoba Club,<ref>[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/even-losers-must-celebrate-upper-fort-garry-46706777.html Even losers must celebrate Upper Fort Garry]. Winnipeg Free Press, June 2, 2009. Retrieved 17 Oct 2010.</ref> which started as an organization in 1874,<ref>[http://www.virtual.heritagewinnipeg.com/vignettes/vignettes_122W.htm# Virtual Heritage Winnipeg - Manitoba Club]. Retrieved 17 Oct 2010.</ref> only one year after the incorporation of [[Winnipeg]]. The existing [[Manitoba Club]] building was completed in 1905. The historic [[Fort Garry Hotel]] across the street was built shortly thereafter, in 1913.

The plans for the future heritage park at the site of Upper Fort Garry were officially unveiled in May 2010.<ref>[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Plans-for-Upper-Fort-Garry-park-unveiled-93625354.html Plans for Upper Fort Garry park unveiled]. Winnipeg Free Press, May 12, 2010. Retrieved 17 Oct 2010.</ref>

From the Hansard Records of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, dated Monday, June 14, 2010,<ref>[https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_4th/ju_01/ju_01.html Legislative Assembly of Manitoba] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074801/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_4th/ju_01/ju_01.html |date=2014-04-07 }}. Debate of the Standing Committee on Justice, June 14, 2010. Retrieved 17 Oct 2010.</ref> it is clear that the boundaries of the proposed Upper Fort Garry Provincial Heritage Park, described in ''Bill 27–The Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Act'' then under consideration, would not include the Manitoba Club building. In the meeting referenced above, Mr. Jerry Gray (Friends of Upper Fort Garry), referring to the future park boundaries, states that the property is "bordered by Main Street on the east side, Assiniboine on the south side and Fort Street on the west side and then goes up to the back where the gate property is." Evidently, the Manitoba Club property on [[Broadway (Winnipeg)|Broadway]] is excluded from the proposed heritage park, aside from being located on the same city block.<ref>[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/showing-that-pioneering-spirit-93661914.html Plans for Upper Fort Garry park and interpretive centre unveiled]. Winnipeg Free Press, May 15, 2010. Retrieved 17 Oct 2010.</ref> According to the records of the Thirty-Ninth Legislature, ''Bill 27'' received Royal Assent on June 17, 2010, by Proclamation of the Lieutenant-Governor Philip S. Lee.<ref>[http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/2010/c02510e.php Manitoba Laws - The Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Act]. Bills of the Fourth Session, Thirty-Ninth Legislature, [https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/bills/index.html Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (Printed copies of bills)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115053342/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/bills/index.html |date=2013-11-15 }}. Updated to Nov. 15, 2010. Retrieved 24 Nov 2010.</ref>

The park opened to the public on August 6, 2015, with development still to come.<ref>"[http://park.upperfortgarry.com/ufg-blog/upper-fort-garry-provincial-park-open-to-public-construction-fence-coming-down/ Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park Open to Public: Construction Fence Coming Down] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809001143/http://park.upperfortgarry.com/ufg-blog/upper-fort-garry-provincial-park-open-to-public-construction-fence-coming-down/ |date=2015-08-09 }}", press release.</ref><ref>David Lipnowski, "[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/upper-fort-garry-open-for-visitors-321007461.html Upper Fort Garry open for visitors]" in the ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 2015-08-07.</ref>