The City of Winnipeg has again denied wrongdoing in the collapse of a platform at Fort Gibraltar last spring that sent 28 tumbling to the ground, asking the court to turf the claims against it.
The elevated walkway at the St. Boniface historic site collapsed while Grade 5 students from St. John’s-Ravenscourt School attended a field trip on May 31 last year. One teacher and 17 kids were rushed to hospital.
Three lawsuits — two on behalf of students and another on behalf of the teacher — have since been filed in the Court of King’s Bench over long-term injuries they say they suffered in the collapse.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
The elevated walkway at Fort Gibraltar collapsed while students attended a field trip on May 31 last year.
The lawsuits name the City of Winnipeg, which owns the land the fort sits on, and Festival du Voyageur, which operates the site, as defendants.
The suits have alleged the two parties were negligent in maintaining the site and that the city did not ensure it was designed and properly built.
On June 13-14, Toronto law firm Zuber and Company LLP filed statements of defence on behalf of the city in response to the teacher’s lawsuit, filed in March, and the second student’s, filed in February.
While the city admits it owns Whittier Park, where the replica fort sat, it claims it was not in physical possession of the land or structures on it. The city denies it was responsible for or had control over the condition of the fort.
The city’s court filings say it has no knowledge of any injuries, but if the plaintiffs suffered losses or damages, it was the result of parties that the city is not legally responsible for.
Festival du Voyageur has previously denied liability in its own court filings in response to all three suits. The francophone festival is also seeking to have the lawsuits tossed.
The previous lawsuits remain before the court, records show.
Festival du Voyageur announced in October it would dismantle and reconfigure the historical site.
Festival built the site, which is a replica of two earlier forts of the same name, in 1978 on city-owned land. It had been used regularly for public and private events.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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