Winnipeg Offers Something for Everyone
by Scott A. Sumner
www.thunderbaybusiness.ca
A one hour flight to the west of us is the city of Winnipeg. It had been many years since I had spent any time in this interesting city with a population of 725,000. Usually, I would just make a
quick stop in the airport but this time my trip would be for 7 days and include visiting the CN Canadian Women's Open Golf Championship at St Charles Golf Club as well seeing many of the attractions Winnipeg has to offer.
My Air Canada flight landed on schedule to the old terminal building. Winnipeg has a brand new glistening air terminal that looks like you might be in Toronto, which is set to open soon. It
will be a great addition to the city. It was off in a taxi car, a Toyota Prius no less, to the Delta Hotel which is very centrally located and offers full service. It also was home to most of the LPGA golf stars which made it a happening place. Winnipeg Tourism had set up a busy schedule for me to see the city’s attractions, play some golf and save some time to be at the CN Canadian Women’s Open world class golf event.
Perhaps one of the most exciting projects underway in Winnipeg is the new Canadian Human Rights Museum currently under construction. The Human Rights Museum started construction in April 2009 and will be finished sometime in 2012. All kinds of human rights stories from Canada and internationally as well will be depicted in this world class building. It is more of an ideas museum stated Stephanie, tour guide/ marketing assistant at the project. There will
be high tech galleries in a very unique building. It is the only museum funded by all levels of government and the private sector. The cost will be $320 million. There are tours of the perimeter of the site with a video and look at the model to start. The new museum is located in the Forks which has been a meeting place for thousands of years. Lots of people still come to the Forks, where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet.
Another stop for me in Winnipeg was at the area known as the Exchange District Biz, a unique downtown area of Winnipeg with a rich history. They have a walking tour program which was started in 1979. The Exchange District Biz is a not for profit organization.
“The tours are to inform people about the history and importance of the area and the impact it had on the financial base of Winnipeg. We talk a lot about the architecture of the buildings, the history of the area and some of the important events that happened here such as the Winnipeg general strike,” said Ansel Vyrauen, tour guide with the Exchange District Biz who talked about some of the important milestones of the area. “The businesses have a tax levied and some of that goes to the Exchange District Biz and back to the community to do Greenspace enhancement, graffiti control and operations such as the safe walk program which acts as a deterrent for any vagabonds or panhandlers or vandalism”
This area of Winnipeg goes back to 1873, the boom time of Winnipeg. “We tried to maintain the heritage of the area. We have 140 historic building that have been designated a national historic site. Any new businesses to come here have to follow some rules. Red River
College has worked with the area to keep heritage alive and bring in more students to the area and life.” said Vyrauen. “It is an attempt to keep people in the core to avoid urban decay with year round residents. We have festivals in the summer like the Jazz or Fringe but in winter time everyone scatters. With the condominiums here now it is safer and livelier. No one should be afraid of their city. It shows a whole new side of the city with these tours and I am very proud of
them. “
The Winnipeg Museum is a very attractive representation of the history of Manitoba. It has a full size early ship on display and many wildlife exhibits that I enjoyed seeing. It is well worth
a visit. Also the Winnipeg Art Gallery is a very impressive structure with excellent art displays in a spacious setting. Perhaps one of the most interesting buildings in Winnipeg is the Manitoba
Legislature building. A 2 hour tour showed us the tremendous complexity of the stately building which was built to accommodate a population of 4.5 million people in the province. Manitoba currently has 1.2 million people in the entire province.
Overall I was quite impressed with Winnipeg. It is a destination people from NW Ontario should spend some time in and experience!
