Kelvin report flawed, Elmwood MLA

Jim Maloway calls for public hearing on Kelvin, Mayor asks where MLA has been

The report that placed Kelvin Community Centre at the bottom of the list of city clubs and led to city council’s decision to close it is seriously flawed, said a local provincial politician who is now calling for a public hearing.

Elmwood MLA Jim Maloway said though it was difficult to get a hold of the May 3, 2004, Community Centre Review Task Force Report, it was worth the effort because of the information it contained.

“This report should be scrapped, we should start over,” said Maloway. “The survey is two-and-a-half years old, we have new population data, a new census was done a few months ago.”

Throughout the debate on whether or not to close the west Elmwood club, councillors, Mayor Sam Katz and representatives of the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres have often cited this report, which had Kelvin in 70th place out of 71 clubs.

Maloway said that of the seven indicators used in the 2004 report, which were infrastructure, participation, governance, financial management, amenities inventory, location and population, in only three categories did Kelvin place in the 60s.

These three categories are infrastructure, governance, and location, where Kelvin placed 67, 66 and 64 respectively.

Kelvin placed in the mid-to-low range in four categories, participation (47), financial management (51), amenities (54) and population (47).

When looking at those numbers, Maloway said it is hard to understand why Kelvin placed so low.

“It feeds on the whole question of no public hearings, decisions being made in the dark and people being ambushed,” he added.

“If you take the indicators, none of them add up to a failing grade.”

Mayor Katz said the failing grade should be given to Maloway for doing little to improve volunteerism at the club.

“Jim Maloway has been MLA there for years. Jim, where have you been? Did you just ignore it? Did you not care? This is the same problem with the area councillor,” said Katz, referring to Elmwood-East Kildonan Coun. Lillian Thomas.

“What I find offensive is for comments such as Jim Maloway’s, who obviously doesn’t have a clue (about the Kelvin situation)…I find that sad, I find that pathetic.”

Katz said it was he who brokered a new meeting between the General Council and the Concerned Elmwood Citizens group, where Kelvin supporters will get the chance to state their case to the General Council’s executive.

Regan Wolfrom, Kelvin’s interim board president and member of the Concerned Elmwood Citizens group, said he asked the General Council for this report many times but was denied.

Maloway’s proposal of public hearings, Wolfrom added, is something long overdue because the community does not feel it was consulted.

“I support anything that brings this situation out in the open because the community deserves answers,” he said. “How is it that we ended up second last?”

Wolfrom’s group has met once with the General Council since Mayor Sam Katz referred a keep-Kelvin-open motion back to his next executive policy committee meeting, which will take place after the election.

“They (the GCWCC) still believe that they didn’t do anything wrong and I’m surprised about that,” he said.

At the May 3, 2004, standing committee on protection and community services meeting, councillors referred the 2004 Community Centre Review Task Force Report to the Public Use Facilities Study process, which later became known as PUFS.

The PUFS report, which was never adopted, called on the City to declare four community centres surplus. These were Bronx Park, Chalmers, Kelvin and Morse Place.