Portage and Main one year after
A short discussion about Portage and Main and decision making in Winnipeg
Friends of Upper Fort Garry: Is the end in sight?
The Friends are borderline insolvent. Their board has dwindled from 14 members in 2018 to to 5 today. Past Chair and chief booster of the project Jerry Gray has apparently disowned the project. Current Secretary Penny McMillan refuses to comment, saying it’s not her job;
Around: Boston
I spent a few days in Boston. What follows is a disjointed series of pictures observations from that trip. Getting Around Look at Boston on google maps and you’ll see freeways cutting through the middle of the city. Route 90 shoots west, straight through the historic Back Bay neighbourhood (or should I type “neighborhood” because…
What we need from Winnipeg’s new mayor
11 people are in the race to be the new boss of Winnipeg. Although one candidate has more name recognition and support in the polls, the winner is not quite a foregone conclusion. I find it refreshing to have a civic election where there is no incumbent mayor and many different visions and personalities to…
The South Perimeter Project: a preview (featuring roundabouts)
A couple of years ago the government of Manitoba announced that it was going to upgrade the South Perimeter Highway. Work has begun. This whole summer equipment has been digging and plowing and getting land ready for new split-grade intersections at the St. Anne’s Rd. and St. Mary’s Rd crossings of the Perimeter. Yes!! It’s…
The uncertain future of Blumberg
The future of the Blumberg golf complex has been uncertain for the better part of a decade. It was 2013 when the city-owned property outside of city limits was declared surplus. Throughout that time the complex, which includes an 18 hole and a 9 hole golf course, has managed to evade the wrecking ball, but…
Trees and greenspaces in Winnipeg
One Million is a nice round number. It is the unofficial population benchmark of a Big City. It is also the number of trees that Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman once pledged to plant. But between destructive bugs, an underfunded tree program and infill development, it may take a million years to get there. How do…
Speed and Pedestrian Fatalities
The momentum behind a movement to reduce residential speed limits is building, not just in Winnipeg but in larger cities all over the world. Calgary city council recently voted to reduce their residential speed limit to 40 km/h. The UN and WHO are pushing for reduced residential speeds. Outspoken individuals and advocacy groups have sprung…
Building Under A Flight Path
Winnipeg City Council might be on the verge of condemning a vast area of central Winnipeg to being a concrete wasteland for decades to come. The area in question is the former site of the Winnipeg Stadium adjacent to the Polo Park mall. Two development companies have proposed an elaborate project, integrated with the Polo…
Friends of Upper Fort Garry: Time to Give Up?
It’s been over 12 years since a rag-tag group of millionaires banded together to stop a high-rise apartment complex from being built on a surface parking lot in downtown Winnipeg. The promise was that the parking lot, adjacent to the former site of historic Upper Fort Garry, would become an interpretive centre — part of…
Around This Town 