That’s why Pokrant made plans to head to the community beach, about 70 kilometres north of Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
The 56-year-old Winnipegger, who previously worked as a health-care aide, recently lost much of her mobility due to complications with her heart that caused balance issues. She has been using a power wheelchair since January.<\/p>\n
The wheelchair gave Pokrant back some independence, which she planned to take advantage of with a trip to Winnipeg Beach \u2014 to get close to the water, have a bite at a local restaurant and take in the community.<\/p>\n
LISTEN | Winnipeg Beach accessibility challenges leave new wheelchair user frustrated:<\/p>\n
When she arrived on July 27, Pokrant said she encountered one of the most inaccessible experiences she’s had yet.<\/p>\n
The beach mobility mats were nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n
“I’m running into this [in] a lot of places, but that being a tourist attraction, and saying that they have these water mats, and you get there and there’s nothing,” Pokrant told Information Radio host Marcy Markusa.<\/p>\n
Getting around the town posed a host of accessibility issues, too.<\/p>\n
Pokrant said some restaurant patios that spill onto the boardwalk had wooden accessibility ramps, but the ramps were small, and some had large enough gaps between the curb and ramp that she got her wheelchair stuck.<\/p>\n
She also encountered crosswalks with chipped pavement and uneven sidewalks that posed hazards.<\/p>\n
In a post she made in a Facebook group called Meanwhile in Winnipeg Beach, Pokrant shared that “more than once I had to backtrack an entire block, travel on the road because there wasn’t a safe accessible route, and then run into the exact same problem again.”<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cbc.ca\/6c51a350a638b5717dc0382a95744e83.jpeg\"\/)
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A crumbling section of a crosswalk on a Winnipeg Beach street. Pokrant says pavement and other issues made getting around in her wheelchair difficult. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Disability advocate David Kron said he understands Pokrant’s frustration given the province advertises accessible features at the beach.<\/p>\n
The provincial website also mentions mat availability might vary based on “wave action and lake levels<\/a>” and instructs people to contact specific park offices to confirm.<\/p>\n That caveat isn’t fair to Manitobans with accessible needs, said Kron, the executive director of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba.<\/p>\n “The onus is on the town and on the province to let people know. We should be at a place in 2026 that that should be a given, and it shouldn’t be the exception,” he said.<\/p>\n “They spent a lot of money on putting these accessibility features in place. And if, for whatever reason, they have to pull them out because of high water or whatever, they need to update their website to reflect that. People are not going to keep phoning.”<\/p>\n In a statement, a provincial spokesperson said “Winnipeg Beach presents unique challenges” due to wave action that “regularly shifts the shoreline, causing mobility mats to be pulled from their anchors and creating a safety risk for users.”<\/p>\n The spokesperson told CBC News the mats were back in place at the beach as of Friday, “but their availability can fluctuate depending on lake conditions.”<\/p>\n Accessibility ‘key’: Winnipeg Beach mayor<\/p>\n Winnipeg Beach Mayor Terry Calof said accessibility is among the “key” priorities identified by the new council, which was elected July 24.<\/p>\n Bigger-ticket infrastructure improvements “will need to be considered through future budgeting and planning processes,” he said.<\/p>\n “We are aware of the concerns that have been raised regarding accessibility along Main Street, including the condition of portions of the sidewalks, gaps between ramps and the available space around patio areas,” Calof said in a statement.<\/p>\n “We take these concerns seriously and will be looking into the specific issues that have been brought forward.”<\/p>\n That includes Pokrant’s complaints about ramp gaps and issues around patios, the statement adds.<\/p>\n Kron said needed accessibility requirements on sidewalks and in parks, as reflected in the Accessible Outdoor Spaces Standard<\/a>, are years behind.<\/p>\n Manitoba hasn’t yet set enforceable regulatory standards that would require sidewalks, parks, pathways and temporary structures in outdoor spaces be usable for people with accessibility needs.<\/p>\n