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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
Scott Oake is confident of reaching its fundraising goal for the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre even after it rose to $35 million due to
\nrising costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Bruce Oake there\u2019s a culture of love, and most of all a culture of hope,\u201d Oake said, speaking at the site Thursday after a media conference to announce the final push of the centre\u2019s fundraising campaign. \u201cI can feel it every time I walk into that building. And I know it will be the same here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, love alone doesn\u2019t buy steel. When the Anne Oake Centre was announced just two years ago, its fundraising goal was set at $25 million. That has now risen to $35 million, in part because construction costs have \u201cskyrocketed,\u201d Oake said, in part due to the U.S. trade war on Canada.<\/p>\n
That new price tag for the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre is more than double what the men\u2019s facility cost, but not only due to escalating costs. For one thing, it will be bigger, at 75,000 square feet, compared to the Bruce Oake Centre\u2019s 43,000. It will also have on-site child care for women in the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be worth every penny,\u201d Oake said. \u201cWe\u2019ll get there with the support of the community, and we\u2019ll get there because we have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attendees at Thursday\u2019s news conference gave a glimpse of how broad that cross-community support runs.<\/p>\n
Iconic CBC sportscaster Ron McLean flew in from Toronto to emcee the event, which was held in advance of a fundraising evening gala with guest speaker Wayne Gretzky. Premier Wab Kinew was there, along with Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith and Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine; the province previously contributed $1.5 million to the centre.<\/p>\n
Mayor Scott Gillingham attended, as did Winnipeg Jets assistant GM Craig Heisinger, Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, and two of the capital campaign\u2019s co-chairs, former premier Gary Doer and philanthrophist Bonnie Buhler. (The third co-chair, Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, was busy skating.)<\/p>\n
The show of solidarity from all three levels of local government stands in stark contrast to the fight the Oake family faced over eight years ago, when they were first working to get the Bruce Oake Centre approved and built in a tranquil corner of Crestview. Then, they faced sometimes heated resistance from some local politicians and residents.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The Oake family (clockwise from top): Darcy Oake, his wife Leslie and their children Harlan, 2, and August, 4, with patriarch Scott Oake.
\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t But five years into operations at the Bruce Oake facility, opponents\u2019 fears never materialized. The facility\u2019s integration into the community has been easy; in fact, some of those who initially opposed its construction in their neighbourhood are now volunteers at the centre.<\/p>\n In a speech Thursday, Duguid, whose Winnipeg South riding includes the Anne Oake Centre, reflected on that shift.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people see what recovery actually looks like, and they meet the people whose lives are being transformed, fear can turn into understanding, and understanding can turn into support,\u201d he said. \u201cI can tell you that this project has been embraced by the community here. People understand why it is needed, and what it will mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he gave no specifics, Duguid also stated he is \u201cvery confident, very optimistic\u201d about a \u201csignificant\u201d contribution from the federal government to help with the final $12 million fundraising stretch.<\/p>\n melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Melissa Martin Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Melissa produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS
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Reporter-at-large
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