City makes last-ditch pitch to save golf course plan

The City of Winnipeg is making a last-ditch effort to convince councillors to pull the plug on the municipal golf business.

At a special meeting of the executive policy committee (EPC) on Tuesday — ahead of Wednesday's full council session — a city auditor told councillors that the public golf courses have been financially underperforming.

Auditor Brian Whiteside showed EPC members a 2011 report suggesting that at the very least, management of the courses should be contracted out.

Golf participation is down across Canada, according to the report, which said weather, the costs of playing and golf course conditions are among a number of contributing factors.

A proposal was put forward to privatize the operation of the Kildonan Park, Windsor Park, Crescent Drive and Harbour View golf courses, and sell off the John Blumberg Golf Course.

The controversial plan, which needs two-thirds support at council to pass, has come under fire by a number of councillors, who also took exception to the city's $90,000 ad campaign to garner public support.

After a lengthy debate, EPC narrowly passed the plan by a 4-3 vote on May 22.

That tight margin prompted some councillors, as well as Mayor Sam Katz, to predict the plan would die at city council on Wednesday because it won't have the support of two-thirds of councillors.