The District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB) is apologizing for the manner in which plans to remove playground equipment from its Fifth Street property (formerly St. Michael’s School) were made public.
It was always intended to be taken down to accommodate a planned housing development.
The project has not yet started, but the Services Board decided recently to remove the structure because of health and safety concerns with its age and no longer meeting safety and accessibility standards.
News of the planned removal was provided to the media last week ahead of the DRRSB’s annual meeting.
Chief Administrative Officer Charene Gillies says they had planned to communicate the removal plan in a respectful way first with those who played a part in its installation over 30 years ago.
“Prior to us being able to inform the Knights of Columbus and local residents, a concerned citizen released information to the media, and a media story was released last week,” says Gillies.
“A sincere apology to the citizens of the local neighbourhood who were not informed in the way that we had planned.”
Gillies says the Rainy River District Services Board does not operate or maintain playgrounds as part of its mandate and is not in a position to assume the liability, cost or responsibility associated with maintaining the structure.
She adds childcare operators must meet strict provincial standards and are only permitted outdoor spaces that are fully fenced, regularly inspected and meet CSA standards.
Despite the proximity to some of its children’s services programming, the playground has never been a part of their outdoor play environment.
The playground has been marked off with yellow caution tape and is to be dismantled in the next few weeks.
Playground equipment on the grounds of the former St. Michael’s School in Fort Frances, May 26, 2025. Image: Randy Thoms/Acadia Broadcasting
