The volunteer board overseeing the South Winnipeg Community Centre has handed governance of the facility over to the city, saying years of criticism and public disputes made its work increasingly difficult.
The board approved a resolution at a meeting Tuesday transferring authority, oversight and responsibility for the centre to the city.
In a statement posted online, the board said it spent the past year and a half working to improve operations, financial oversight, governance and organizational stability, but ongoing disputes had taken a toll.
“Over time, the broader governance environment, including sustained public commentary and repeated challenges to board processes, has affected board continuity, contributed to earlier board and senior leadership resignations, and placed an unsustainable burden on volunteer leadership,” the statement said.
Programs, rentals, staffing and community services are expected to continue uninterrupted during the transition.
Community centres in Winnipeg are operated by independent non-profit boards under a partnership involving the city and the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres.
The South Winnipeg centre had faced scrutiny in recent years after some residents raised concerns about finances, staffing decisions and board elections.
An independent audit in 2024 found no evidence of financial wrongdoing.
Tanis Knowles Yarnell, manager of the city’s community centres division, said the city had no concerns about how the outgoing board was managing the facility.
“From the city’s perspective, we didn’t have concerns with the board in terms of how they were running and operating that centre. So, we weren’t in any way looking to intervene at this point in time,” she said.
Laura Meseman, executive director of the council of community centres, also said the organization had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
“At no time did we see that there was any mismanagement or anything unfavourable happening. It’s just been too much for the community centre board,” she said.
Meseman said board members faced criticism through social media, anonymous emails and ongoing public disputes. She said volunteers often balance community work with jobs and family responsibilities, adding she was disappointed the board’s members felt they needed to step down.
St. Norbert-Seine River Coun. Markus Chambers, who has previously met with board members and residents about the concerns around the centre, said he believes board members felt they had exhausted their efforts to address questions from the community.
“The board felt that they did everything that they could to demonstrate that they were being accountable, being open, being transparent, but the community felt that there was more that should have been uncovered,” Chambers said.
Deepak Walia is a former sports convener who was later banned by the board under its harassment policies — a decision he says he is challenging through the council of community centres. He said he still believes more questions need to be answered.
Walia argues an additional independent review should be conducted and wants the city to ensure future board elections are conducted fairly.
“They have to be made accountable for all the lapses which they have done. They have to be made accountable for all the difficult situations they have brought to the community centre,” he said.
Under the city’s agreement with the council of community centres, the organization will provide oversight of the South Winnipeg facility while reviewing its operations and working toward electing a new volunteer board.