A section of collapsed walkway (centre right, behind tent) is shown at Fort Gibraltar in Winnipeg, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
WINNIPEG — Festival du Voyageur says the walls of the historic Fort Gibraltar are coming down ahead of next year’s festival.
Eighteen people, including 17 children, were injured in the spring when the wooden walkway within the fort collapsed during a field trip.
Multiple children from St. John’s-Ravenscourt School were injured, including one child whose parents are now suing Festival du Voyageur and the City of Winnipeg as a result of the incident.
The fort has remained closed to the public ever since and now a planned deconstruction of the fort will take place.
“The walls of the fort are planned to be brought down prior to the upcoming edition of Festival taking place from February 16-25, 2024,” the organization said in a statement on Thursday.
The news was first shared during Festival du Voyageur’s annual general meeting on Wednesday evening.
As the incident is now the subject of litigation, no further comments are being made by the Festival or the City of Winnipeg.
