In less than a week, FortWhyte Alive will welcome nature lovers into a brand-new visitor centre and debut a second, more accessible entrance.
Liz Wilson, president and CEO of FortWhyte Alive, said the centre’s grand opening is set for noon on April 23. Up until now, the certified zero-carbon centre has been called Buffalo Crossing.
“We’re going to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and we’re going to unveil the official name on the building, which we haven’t revealed yet,” Wilson told CTV Morning Live Winnipeg on Thursday.
Along with the beautiful new building is a 21-metre-long foot bridge that spans FortWhyte’s Muir Lake and a second entrance off McGillivray Boulevard.
“Visitors can come through the building and then have full access to our trails from this south end of the site,” Wilson said.
She added one of the project’s champions has been Coun. Janice Lukes. Wilson said Lukes got a set of traffic lights installed close to the new entrance and also got the Linden Woods bus route extended to reach FortWhyte’s new visitor centre at 2505 McGillivray Blvd.
“Accessibility and inclusivity are very important to us,” Wilson said. “Part of our mission and mandate is to allow the whole community to be able to access nature.”
The new space means a major expansion for Fort Whyte’s programming.
“We’ve been bursting at the seams,” said Wilson. “We’re very fortunate that our programs are really popular, and what we want to do is really get more school kids and families out to FortWhyte.”
Wilson said Buffalo Crossing will mean more space for summer camps, day camps, and public programs.
Wilson said it’s also the most energy-efficient building in Manitoba.
Visitors can still check in from the McCreary entrance, where the Alloway Reception Centre remains open.
