The efforts of a handful of Fort Richmond and University Heights residents proved not enough to appeal the construction of the new Winnipeg Blue Bombers stadium.

“We were very disappointed with the decision that was made, however going in we fully appreciated that the way things are set in motion that realistically we could not expect the Council to significantly rule in our favour and bring construction to a halt and therefore were not surprised by the decision,” said Jeff Fidyk, one of the residents who made a presentation to the council.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, three of the residents presented a formal appeal to the city council’s appeals committee on Friday, June 25.

The appeal was defeated by Councillors Gord Steeves (St. Vital), Russ Wyatt (Transcona) and Jeff Browaty (North Kilodan). They did, however, approve a traffic study of the neighbourhoods surrounding the stadium and attached the insurance of a project permit to the completion of the stadium.

Fidyk said that while the councilors seemed to emphasize with the concerns of the residents, ultimately, the location of the stadium was already finalized.

However, he said they are not ready to give up yet, “We are going to continue to fight this project as we still know it’s the wrong location and will be a bad fit for the neighborhood,” said Fidyk.