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Winnipeg is a major Canadian city, and the capital of the province of Manitoba. Located in Western Canada, near where the Canadian Shield meets the Prairies, Winnipeg plays a prominent role in transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education. It is known as the Gateway to the West, and was historically known as the "Bullseye" of the Dominion and "Heart of the Continent", due to its critical location on the Canadian transportation network.

The city is located near the geographic centre of North America. It lies in a flood plain at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers and started around the point now commonly known as The Forks. It is protected from flooding by the Red River Floodway. Winnipeg is one of the coldest large cities in the world and has the coldest winters of any city of over 500,000 population in the Western Hemisphere. It is by far Manitoba's largest city with a population of 619,544 people (2001 Canadian Census). The Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area (which includes Winnipeg and surrounding rural municipalities) has a population of 706,900 (Statistics Canada, July 1, 2005 estimate).

Winnipeg offers an abundance of recreational opportunities as it lies in close proximity to hundreds of lakes including Lake Winnipeg, the world's eleventh largest lake, Lake Manitoba, and Lake of the Woods. The city is one of Canada's major cultural centres and is home to the world-famous Royal Winnipeg Ballet. It boasts historic architecture, scenic waterways, and several attractive bridges. Winnipeg hosted the Pan-American Games in 1967 and again in 1999, the only city besides Mexico City to have hosted the event twice.

A resident of Winnipeg is known as a Winnipegger.

History

In 1738, the Sieur de la Vérendrye built the first post on the site, Fort Rouge, but it was later abandoned. Other posts were built in the Red River region, which was fiercely contested by the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. Fort Gibraltar, a post of the North West Company on the site of present-day Winnipeg, was renamed Fort Garry in 1822 and became the leading post in the region. In 1835, Fort Garry was rebuilt after the devastating flood of 1826 and although it played a small role in the actual trading of furs, it housed the residence of the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company for many years. In 1869-1870, Winnipeg was the site of the Red River Rebellion, a conflict between the local Métis people led by Louis Riel and newcomers from eastern Canada. This rebellion led directly to the entry of Manitoba into Confederation as Canada's fifth province in 1870. On November 8, 1873, Winnipeg was incorporated as a city. In 1876, the post office officially adopted the name "Winnipeg", three years after the city's incorporation.

The name Winnipeg is a transcription of the western Cree word wi-nipe-k (????), meaning "muddy waters" from wi-ni (??) - dirty, or soiled - and nipiy (???) - water. It is the Cree name of Lake Winnipeg, some sixty kilometres to the north (about forty miles).

Winnipeg experienced an economic boom during the 1890s through 1920s, however, growth slowed towards the end of that period due to the opening of the Panama Canal, a key event in 1914. This 77 kilometre conduit for international trade and passenger travel helped propel Vancouver over Winnipeg in the resulting years. No longer did cargo or people have to traverse the country solely by railway. The option of using the Panama Canal had a profound effect on Winnipeg's development.

Another major event that effected Winnipeg both economically, socially and politically was the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919. Appalling labour conditions following World War I led to calls for reform. Around 35,000 Winnipeggers walked off the job in May 1919. The government defeated the strike through arrests, deportation and violence. The strike winded down in June 1919, but the lasting effect was a polarized population.

The population rose from about 25,000 in 1891 to more than 200,000 by 1921. The Manitoba Provincial Legislature Building reflects the optimism of the boom years. Built of Tyndall Stone in 1920, it is topped by the "Golden Boy".

From the 1920s to 1945, Winnipeg experienced many challenges. Vancouver surpassed Winnipeg to become the third largest city in Canada in the 1920s. Saskatoon, Regina, Edmonton and Calgary also grew quickly and this allowed them to offer services comparable to Winnipeg firms. Wholesale trade declined in Winnipeg from 1924 to 1930 due in large part to growth in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The wholesale trade continued a downward spiral in Winnipeg due to national department stores moving into the region. Manufacturers bypassed city wholesalers offering their goods directly to retailers and the public. The mail order business also hurt Winnipeg since many of the orders were filled in eastern Canada.

The stock market of crash in 1929 only hastened an already steep decline in Winnipeg. The Great Depression followed and dragged Winnipeg down to depths not seen it its history. By 1937, city officials told a federal commission from Ottawa that they could no longer function without assistance.

Numerous companies shut down and massive unemployment ensued. To make matters worse, drought and depressed agricultural prices drove people off the land and into the cities.

The only thing that saved Winnipeg and the rest of the province from complete devastation was the city and provincial hydro-electric power plants built in the years prior to the Depression. The low cost electric power made it possible for businesses to slowly develop throughout the province. One of the industries that blossomed in the Depression years was the garment industry. The low cost power, vacated warehouses and plentiful workforce were ideal for the needle trade.

The Depression only ended when World War II broke out in 1939. Thousands of Canadians volunteered to join the forces. In Winnipeg, the old established armouries of Minto, Tuxedo (Fort Osborne) and McGregor were so crowded that the military had to take over other buildings to handle the capacity. Businesses in Winnipeg went on a war footing as well and men and women were hired in large numbers.

Despite nearly full employment in Winnipeg, the hardships of the Depression were not completely left behind. Rationing, shortages, stamps and coupons were the order of the day. There was also an entire generation of men and women overseas contributing to the war effort which left huge holes in many families.

The end of World War II brought a new sense of optimism in Winnipeg. Pent up demand brought a boom in housing development. Neighborhoods on new streets sprung up almost overnight. The building activity came to an abrupt halt in 1950 when city was swamped in the Winnipeg Flood. Not since 1861 had the water levels risen so high and heavy rainfall in the spring kept the flood waters above flood stage for 51 days. On May 8, 1950, the huge swell of water tore through eight dikes and destroyed four of eleven bridges. Homes and businesses filled with water and nearly 70,000 people had to be evacuated. Premier Douglas Campbell called for federal assistance and Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent declared a state of emergency. Soldiers from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were brought to the city just prior to the flood and remained for the duration of it. Only one person lost their life to the flood but the final tally in damage was over $1 billion.

The end result of the flood was a federal and provincial Royal Commission to determine what needed to be done to prevent such a thing from happening again. The Red River Basin Investigation recommended a system of complementary flood control measures. This involved a primary and secondary diking system for Winnipeg and a floodway to divert the Red River around Winnipeg.

The whole project, which also included the Shellmouth Reservoir on the upper Assiniboine River, the Portage Diversion channel and a control structure on the Fairford River, cost of $99,200,000. The Winnipeg Floodway alone cost $62,700,000.

Despite the damage done in the Winnipeg Flood of 1950, there was much criticism and outright opposition to the project. Under the leadership of Premier Duff Roblin, an agreement for cost sharing with the Government of Canada was signed. Construction commenced in October of 1962 and was completed in 1968. For many years, both critics and supporters called the floodway "Duff's Ditch."

The current city of Winnipeg was created when the City of Winnipeg Act was amended to form Unicity in 1971. The municipalities of St. James-Assiniboia, St. Boniface, Transcona, St. Vital, West Kildonan, East Kildonan, Tuxedo, Old Kildonan, North Kildonan, Fort Garry, and Charleswood were amalgamated with the Old City of Winnipeg. Small portions of the city have since seceded, but the vast majority of the populated area of the city remains within one single municipality. In order to prevent urban sprawl, the city restricted development to inside an urban limit line and in most cases left several kilometres of open space between the municipal boundary and suburban developments. Surrounding municipalities have a combined population of fewer than 100,000.

Geography

Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the valley of the Red River and has an extremely flat topography. There are no substantial hills in the city or in its vicinity. Downtown Winnipeg is centred at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street about one kilometre (0.6 mile) from The Forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. From this intersection, known as the windiest in Canada (and widely recognized as the most famous intersection in Canada), all roads radiate outwards. The city uses the grid system for streets although there are several different grids in place which correspond to old Red River Lots and the meandering courses of the rivers. This creates some very irregular intersections. As a result many visitors find it difficult to get around in Winnipeg. There is no absolute numbering system in place but usually street addresses become higher the farther one moves away from either river. For example west of the Red River street addresses will increase as one heads west, but east of the river they will increase as one heads east. In general avenues run east and west and streets north and south. Unlike many cities in North America, all streets are named, not numbered. Of interest, many of the main thoroughfares in Winnipeg are extremely wide due to the spring soil conditions and the historical use of the Red River Cart which created wide ruts in the (then) muddy roads. Portage Avenue has four lanes of traffic in each direction plus a central boulevard for much of its run through Winnipeg.

Downtown Winnipeg is the financial heart of the city, and covers an area of about one square mile (2.5 km²) which is quite large for a city this size. Although downtown Winnipeg once housed what was for a time one of the world's most successful department stores, the Eaton's store on Portage Avenue, it is no longer the retail centre of the city. The Eaton's store was torn down and replaced by an arena, the MTS Centre in November, 2004. Surrounding the downtown area are various residential neighbourhoods. Urban development spreads in all directions from downtown but is greatest to the south and west, and has tended to follow (and has been determined by) the course of the two major rivers. The urbanized area in Winnipeg is about 25 km (15 mi) from east to west and 20 km (12 mi) from north to south, although there is still much land available for development within the City Limits. Areas include Downtown/Exchange District, Chinatown, The Forks, Fort Rouge/Crescentwood, River Heights, Tuxedo, Charleswood, St. James-Assiniboia, The West End, Weston, Wolseley, North End, Elmwood, East Kildonan, West Kildonan, and North Kildonan, St. Boniface, St. Vital, Fort Garry, St. Norbert, and Transcona. Winnipeg is known for its urban forest particularly its beautiful elm trees. The two major parks in the city, Assiniboine Park and Kildonan Park, are both located in the suburbs. The major commercial areas are Polo Park (West End and St. James) Kildonan Crossing (Transcona and East Kildonan), South St. Vital, and Garden City (West Kildonan). The main cultural and nightlife areas are the Exchange District, The Forks, Osborne Village and Corydon Village (both in Fort Rouge), Sargent and Ellice Avenues (West End) and Old St. Boniface.

Because of its extremely flat topography and substantial snowfall, Winnipeg is subject to severe flooding. The Red River reached its greatest flood height in 1826, and this event still remains the highest flood stage of the last two hundred years. Another large flood occurred in 1950, which caused millions of dollars in damages and thousands of evacuations. This flood prompted Duff Roblin's government to build the Red River Floodway (sometimes colloquially referred to as Duff's Ditch), a 49-kilometre (30-mile) long diversion channel that protects the city of Winnipeg from flooding. Other related water diversion projects farther away from Winnipeg include the Portage Diversion (also known as the Assiniboine River Floodway) and the Shellmouth Dam. The flood-control system prevented flooding in 1974 and 1979 when water levels neared record levels. However, in the 1997 flood, flooding threatened the city's relatively unprotected southwest corner. Flood control dikes were reinforced and raised using sandbags and the threat was averted. Winnipeg suffered very limited damage compared to cities without flood control structures, such as Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA.

The relatively flat terrain and the poor drainage of the Red River Valley's clay-based soil results in seasonal explosions of insect populations, such as that of the mosquito, which are intensified during especially wet years . Winnipeg has gained a reputation as the mosquito capital of North America, resulting in the limitation of much outdoor activity during the hot and humid summer months. The fear of West Nile Virus has further exacerbated the problem. In the summer of 2005, mosquito trap counts in some parts of the city went into the thousands, causing immediate city-wide fogging with the chemical malathion. The use of chemicals to combat Winnipeg's insect problem is an extremely controversial issue in the city as many feel that the use of chemicals, and particularly malathion, is unnecessarily dangerous to human and animal health.

Climate

Winnipeg lies in the middle of the North American continent on low-lying, flat land. It has an extreme continental climate, in that there are great differences between summer and winter temperatures. As there are no nearby mountain ranges or bodies of water to ameliorate the winter climatic conditions, Winnipeg lies exposed to numerous weather systems including bitterly cold Arctic high pressure systems. This can result in bone-chilling temperatures as early as the end of October, followed by bitter cold temperatures and sometimes dangerous wind chill readings during December, January and February. On average, the maximum daily temperature exceeds 0°C (32°F) on only 10 days out of 90 for these three months and the minimum daily temperature falls below -20°C (-4°F) on 49 out of the 90 days. Cold weather and snow often extend into April, although in general the winter weather begins to moderate in late February or early March. The extremity of its climate in the winter months has caused the (somewhat derisive) nickname of "Winterpeg". The coldest temperature ever recorded at Winnipeg was -47.8°C (-54.0°F), on December 24, 1879. The coldest temperature during the last 25 years was -41.4°C (-42.5°F) on February 2, 1996. The coldest wind chill reading ever recorded was -57.1 °C (-70.8 °F) on February 1, 1996.

Summers are typically warm and often humid, particularly in June and July, with frequent (and sometimes severe) thundershowers. Occasionally, humidex readings exceed 40 °C (104 °F). The average maximum temperature for June, July, and August is 24.7 °C (76.5 °F). On average, the maximum daily temperature exceeds 30°C (86°F) on 11 days out of 92 for these three months and the minimum daily temperature falls to or below 2°C (36°F) on only one out of the 92 days. Depending on the year, warm weather can continue beyond Thanksgiving in October, or come to an abrupt end soon after Labour Day. The city often receives an Indian Summer, when summer weather returns briefly after the first frosts, in mid to late October, or even early November. The highest temperature ever recorded in Winnipeg (since commencement of record-keeping in 1873) was 42.2°C (108.0°F) on July 11, 1936. The hottest temperature recorded in the past 25 years was 38.8°C (101.8°F) on September 2, 1983. The highest humidex reading was 46.1°C (115.0°F) on June 27, 1996.

Spring and fall tend to be rather contracted seasons, each averaging little over six weeks. In general the weather during these seasons is highly variable, and rapidly changing. For example, temperatures in Winnipeg in May have ranged from -11.7 °C (10.9 °F) to 37.8 °C (100.0 °F), and in October from -20.6 °C (-5.1 °F) to 30.5 °C (86.9 °F).

Average maximum and minimum temperatures for each month are as follows (shown as average maximum, average minimum)(source Environment Canada):

January -12.7 °C (9.1 °F), -22.8 °C (-9.0 °F) February -8.5 °C (16.7 °F), -18.7 °C (-1.7 °F) March -1.1 °C (30.0 °F), -11.0 °C (12.2°F) April 10.3 °C (50.5 °F), -2.4 °C (27.7 °F) May 19.2 °C (66.6 °F), 4.8 °C (40.6 °F) June 23.3 °C (73.9 °F), 10.7 °C (51.3 °F) July 25.8 °C (78.4 °F), 13.3 °C (55.9°F) August 25.0 °C (77.0 °F), 11.9 °C (53.4 °F) September 18.6 °C (65.5 °F), 6.0 °C (42.8 °F) October 10.8 °C (51.4 °F), -0.3 °C (31.5 °F) November -0.9 °C (30.4 °F), -9.6 °C (14.7 °F) December -9.7°C (14.5 °F), -19.1 °C (-2.4 °F)

Winnipeg is one of Canada's sunniest cities, and the weather in all seasons is characterized by an abundance of sunshine. The city receives an average of 2,372 hours of sunshine per year compared with 1,928 hours at Vancouver and 2,037 hours at Toronto. July is the sunniest month, and November the least sunny. Winnipeg, like Chicago, is also known as a windy city. The average annual wind speed is 16.9 km/h (10.5 mp/h), predominately from the south. The city has experienced wind gusts of up to 129 km/h (80 mph). The windiest weather usually occurs during blizzards or thunderstorms. April is the windiest month, and July the least windy.

The city receives an annual average of about 514 mm (20.6 inches) of precipitation including 111 cm (45 inches) of snow. The wettest month in June and the driest is February. There is measureable precipitation on 123 days throughout the year, including 55 days with snowfall. There is generally snow cover from mid-November to the end of March, though this varies depending on the year—heavy snowfalls in late October and in April are not uncommon. Winnipeg is virtually assured of having a White Christmas as there is only one December 25 on record in the last century where there was no snow on the ground.

Government

Winnipeg City Council
Mayor Sam Katz
River Heights-Fort Garry Donald Benham
Charleswood-Tuxedo Bill Clement
St. Charles Peter De Smedt
St. James-Brooklands Jae Eadie
Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Jenny Gerbasi
North Kildonan Mark Lubosch
St. Boniface Franco Magnifico
Old Kildonan Mike O'Shaughnessy
Point Douglas Mike Pagtakhan
Daniel McIntyre Harvey Smith
St. Vital Gord Steeves
St. Norbert Justin Swandel
Elmwood-East Kildonan Lillian Thomas
Transcona Russ Wyatt

History of city government

The first elections for city government in Winnipeg were held shortly after the city was incorporated in 1873. On January 5, 1874, Francis Evans Cornish, former mayor of London, Ontario defeated Winnipeg Free Press editor and owner William F. Luxton by a margin of 383 votes to 179. There were only 382 eligible voters in the city at the time but property owners were allowed to vote in every civic poll in which they owned property. Up until the year 1955, mayors could only serve one term. City government consisted of 13 aldermen and one mayor. This number of elected officials remained constant until 1920.

The inaugural Council meeting took place on January 19, 1874 on the second floor of Bentley's, a newly constructed building on the northwest corner of Portage and Main

Construction of a new City Hall commenced in 1875. The building proved to be a structural nightmare and eventually had to be held up by props and beams. The building was eventually demolished in favour of building a new City Hall in 1883. A new City Hall building was constructed in 1886. It was a statuesque "Gingerbread" building done in Victorian grandeur and symbolized Winnipeg's coming of age at the end of the nineteenth century. The building stood for fifty years and originally there had been a plan to replace it around World War I but the war itself delayed that process. And so the beloved Gingerbread City Hall stood until it started to fall down. In 1958, falling plaster almost hit visitors to the building. The tower eventually had to be removed and in 1962 the whole building was torn down.

City CouncilCity Council web page embraced the idea of a "Civic Centre" as a replacement for the old city hall. The concept originally called for an administrative building and a council building with a courtyard in between. Eventually, a police headquarters and remand center (The Public Safety Building) and parkade were added to the plans. The four building were completed in 1964 at a cost of $8.2 million. The Civic Centre and the Manitoba Centennial Centre were connected by underground tunnels in 1967.

See also: List of mayors of Winnipeg, Manitoba

Unicity

"Unicity" was created on July 27, 1971. The City of Winnipeg Act incorporated the R. M. of Charleswood, R. M. of Fort Garry, R. M. of North Kildonan, R. M. of Old Kildonan, Town of Tuxedo, City of East Kildonan, City of West Kildonan, City of St. Vital, City of Transcona, City of St. Boniface, City of St. James-Assiniboia, City of Winnipeg and The Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg into one city.

The first election for the newly combined city was held on October 6, 1971. The City Council consisted of 50 councillors and one mayor. The councillors were elected on the basis of one councillor per city ward while the mayor was elected by the city-at-large. The term of office was three years. The inaugural meeting of the new council took place on January 4, 1972.

Since 50 councillors proved too unwieldy the city wards were reduced to 29 in 1977. In 1992 the city wards were reduced even further to the present 15 and city councillors became full-time politicians.

Demographics

The City of Winnipeg is home to 619,544 people (2001 Census)Winnipeg Comunity Profile - Statistics Canada. 2002. 2001 Community Profiles. Released June 27, 2002. Last modified: 2005-11-30. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 93F0053XIE., about 54% of the total population of Manitoba. Winnipeg's population grew by about 12,000 residents from 1996 to 2001. Winnipeg's total annual growth rate has been 0.5% since 1971, with the majority of growth coming from immigration from Asia and Africa and in-migration from the surrounding rural areas, and aboriginal communities.

Edmonton and Calgary, however, formerly smaller cousins, have grown 3.0% and 4.5% per year, over the same period, so that each now has a metropolitan population of over 1.0 million. Winnipeg was once Canada's third-largest city (until the 1930s), but, beginning in the 1970s, as the economy evolved away from rural farm-based industry, and Canada's pattern of trade changed from east-west to north-south, Winnipeg stalled in growth and dropped to sixth by 2004. The Winnipeg Metropolitan Area ranks 9th in population in Canada, just behind Quebec City, Quebec, and Hamilton, Ontario. Winnipeg's growth rate has increased in recent years and Metropolitan Winnipeg may again overtake Quebec City and Hamilton in the near future.

As of the 2001 census:

  • 25.7% of the population were 19 or under
  • 29.4% were between 20 and 39
  • 31.6% were between 40 and 64
  • 13.3% were 65 or older

Visible minorities

Statistics Canada asks census respondents whether they are aboriginal and whether they belong to a visible minority. Published figures for 2001:

  • Total visible minority: 13.4%, as follows:
  • Filipino: 4.9%
  • South Asian: 2.0%
  • Black: 1.8%
  • Chinese: 1.8%
  • Southeast Asian: 0.8%
  • Latin American: 0.7%
  • Japanese: 0.3%
  • Korean: 0.2%
  • Arab: 0.2%
  • West Asian: 0.1%
  • Other minority or multiple minories: 0.6%.
  • Aboriginal: 8.6% (census respondents claiming Aboriginal identity)
  • Not aboriginal or visible minority: 78.0%

Religious affiliation

Religious affiliations with less than 0.5% are not listed here. Units are in percent of population. 1.4% of the population did not respond.

Source: Statistics Canada (Census 2001).

Languages spoken

The most common languages spoken by Winnipeggers are: English (99.0%), French (11.1%), German (4.1%), Tagalog (3.8%), Ukrainian (3.1%), Spanish (1.7%), Chinese (1.7%), Polish (1.7%), Portuguese (1.3%), Italian (1.1%), Punjabi (1.0%), Vietnamese (0.6%), Ojibway (0.6%), Hindi (0.5%), Russian (0.5%), Cree (0.5%), Dutch (0.4%), Non verbal languages (0.3%), Arabic (0.3%), Croatian (0.3%), Greek (0.3%), Hungarian (0.3%), Japanese (0.2%), Creoles (0.1%), Danish (0.1%), Gaelic languages (0.0%), Inuktitut (0.0%), Micmac (0.0%).

In terms of Canada's official languages as used by Winnipeggers: 88.0% spoke English only, 11.0% both English and French, 0.9% neither English nor French, and 0.1% French only.

Source: Statistics Canada (Census 2001)
Source: Winnipeg 2001 census summaryWinnipeg 2001 census summary at the City of Winnipeg (PDF file)

Education

Education is a provincial government responsibility in Canada.

In Manitoba, education is governed principally by The Public Schools Act and The Education Administration Act as well as regulations made under both Acts. Rights and responsibilities of the Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth and the rights and responsibilities of school boards, principals, teachers, parents and students are set out in the legislation.

School DivisionsSchool Divisions in Winnipeg: Seven Oaks School Division, Louis Riel School Division

There are six school divisions in Winnipeg:

  • Winnipeg School Division
  • St James-Assiniboia School Division
  • Pembina Trails School Division
  • Seven Oaks School Division
  • River East Transcona School Division
  • Louis Riel School Division

Higher education

There are four universities and one major college in Winnipeg:

Private schoolsPrivate schools in Winnipeg: Balmoral Hall School, Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, St. Mary's Academy

Workforce and industry

Approximately 375,000 people are employed in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Winnipeg's largest employers are either government or government-funded institutions: the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, the Casinos of Winnipeg, and Manitoba Hydro. There are several large private sector employers, as well: Manitoba Telecom Services, Palliser Furniture, Great-West Life Assurance, Motor Coach Industries, Convergys, Faneuil, New Flyer Industries, Boeing Canada Technology, Bristol Aerospace, Nygård International, Canad Inns and Investors Group. Approximately 54,000 people or 14% of the work force are employed in the public sector.

Winnipeg is the site of Canadian Air Division (1CAD)1 Canadian Air Division (1CAD), the headquarters of the Canadian Forces "Air Command" (Canada's Air Force). This is also the command structure responsible for strategic coordination and control of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) operations over Canada (tactical control is in North Bay, Ontario, in a bunker similar to Cheyenne Mountain in the United States).

The Royal Canadian Mint located in eastern Winnipeg is where all circulating coinage in Canada is produced. The plant, established in 1975, also produces coins for many other countries in the world.

Winnipeg is also home to the National Microbiology Laboratory, Canada's front line in its response to SARS and one of only 15 Biosafety level 4 microbiology laboratories in the world.

See also: Corporations based in Winnipeg
See also: List of hospitals in Winnipeg

Transportation

Winnipeg has had a public transit system since the 1880s, starting with horse-drawn streetcars. It had electric streetcars from 1891 until 1955, and electric trolley buses from 1938 until 1970. Winnipeg Transit now operates entirely with diesel buses. For decades, the city has explored the idea of a rapid transit link, either bus or rail, from downtown to the University of Manitoba's suburban campus. The most recent proposalTransit plans calls for several enhanced bus routes, which would extend across the city. These routes would use bus-only lanes for most of their length, with separate busways being built around congested sections. In 2004 Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz effectively shelved these plans and the rail-based option is now seen as more viable (and more desirable). Winnipeg is home to many large transit bus manufacturers, including New Flyer Industries and Motor Coach Industries. New Flyer Industries supplies transit buses for many major North American cities including New York City and Vancouver.

Winnipeg is unique among North American cities its size in that it does not have freeways within the urban area. Beginning in 1958, the primarily suburban Metropolitan council proposed a system of freeways, including one that would have bisected the downtown area. The plan culminated in the monumental Winnipeg Area Transportation Study (WATS)Winnipeg Streets and Transit Division, Winnipeg area transportation study, 1968. The Council of the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba. of 1968. The extensive freeway plan faced stiff community opposition and was deemed over-ambitious. It was not implemented as a concerted undertaking, but construction of major traffic corridors follows the study to this day, including expressways such as Winnipeg City Route 165/Bishop Grandin Blvd., although most are in the form of urban arterial roads, and no freeways are likely to be constructed within the urban area anytime soon. However, a one mile stretch of freeway was built in the late 1950s, and that freeway is called the Disraeli Freeway (part of the Disraeli Bridge project), part of it being a freeway, which is part of Winnipeg City Route 42.

A modern four-lane highway (the Perimeter Highway, which is mostly an expressway around the city (also known as a ring road) with interchanges and at-grade intersections) bypasses the city entirely, allowing travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway to avoid the city and continue east or west uninterrupted.

Many Manitoba provincial highways enter Winnipeg, but the majority lose their highway designation and become Winnipeg City Routes once they reach the Perimeter Highway. At present, only two provincial highways pass entirely through the Winnipeg area:

Several highways also converge on Winnipeg without passing entirely through the city. These include:

  • Highway 2, which meets with Highway 3 at the southwest Perimeter,
  • Highway 3, which becomes McGillivray Boulevard in Winnipeg,
  • Highway 6, which is the main highway to northern Manitoba,
  • Highway 7, which becomes Route 90 (known through various street names) in Winnipeg,
  • Highway 8, which becomes Route 180 (known as McPhillips Street) in Winnipeg,
  • Highway 9, which becomes Route 52 (known as Main Street) in Winnipeg, and
  • Highway 15, which becomes Dugald Road in Winnipeg, and
  • Highway 75 (a northern continuation of I-29 and US 75), which becomes Route 42 (known as Pembina Highway) in Winnipeg. (This road is an exception to the rule that only two provincial highways penetrate the Perimeter Highway, as Highway 75 actually continues until the intersection with Bison Drive (which leads to the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba.

Winnipeg International Airport

Winnipeg is currently served by Winnipeg International Airport (YWG)Winnipeg International Airport. It is the only international airport between Toronto and Calgary capable of handling large freighter aircraft. From 1937 to 1949, the airport was the headquarters and site of the national maintenance base of Air Canada. It is one of only a few 24 hour airports in Canada and serves nearly three million passengers (2004). The city is slated to receive a new airport terminal in early 2008 that will replace the existing terminal which was constructed in the early 1960s.

Railways

Winnipeg is served by VIA Rail, Canadian National Railways (CN), Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Manitoba. It is the only city between Vancouver and Thunder Bay, Ontario with direct U.S. connections.

CN and CP operate large railyards, customer service operations and intermodal facilties inside Winnipeg.

There are approximately 5,000 people employed in Winnipeg in the rail transportation industry.

VIA Rail operates out of Union Station, a grand neoclassical structure near The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. The station was built by the Canadian Northern Railway & National Transcontinental/Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and was designed by the same architects responsible for Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

In addition to the major commercial railways, the City of Winnipeg owns and operates the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway, which runs parallel to the city aqueduct to Shoal Lake.

Bus terminal

The Winnipeg Bus Terminal is located in downtown Winnipeg across from the University of Winnipeg. The companies operating out of the terminal are:

Winnipeg Transit

The public transit needs of Winnipeg are primarily met through Winnipeg Transit's regularly scheduled bus serviceWinnipeg Transit Homepage. Primary bus routes run from 5:30 a.m. until just before 2:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and until just after midnight on Sunday.

There are currently 68 fixed routes throughout the city. There are three types of routes:

  • Main line routes provide service from suburban neighbourhoods to downtown, observing all bus stops, and normally operate seven days a week. Some routes operate as crosstown routes, which means buses operate from one suburban area to another, in most cases passing through the downtown area.
  • Express routes operate mainly during rush hour from suburban neighbourhoods, observing a limited number of bus stops to downtown.
  • Suburban feeders generally provide service in suburban areas where ridership demand is lower.

SplashDash Water Services

The SplashDash water taxi service was created a few years after The Forks opened, as a shuttle service between various downtown areas. In the early 2000s Hugo Dock was added.

The water taxi has had a difficult go at it since opening, due to the problem of high water during most years. It will take several weeks, sometimes till late June or early July for the waters of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers to recede enough to allow docking.

The current fare is $3.00. A round-trip tour costs $7.00

Crime

In 2004, Winnipeg had the fourth highest overall crime rate among Canadian Census Metropolitan Area cities listed with 10,879 Criminal Code of Canada offences per 100,000 population. Only Regina, Saskatoon, and Abbotsford had higher crime rates. Winnipeg had the highest rate among centres with populations greater than 500,000Winnipeg Crime rate - Statistics Canada. The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary and more than double the rate for Toronto.

Winnipeg crime is associated with the distribution of factors related to the population and land-uses of the city. In particular, crime in Winnipeg is concentrated in the City Centre and parts of the North End, West End, and Elmwood, representing a relatively small proportion of the total geographic area of the city. High-crime neighbourhoods were characterized by reduced access to socio-economic resources, decreased residential stability, increased population density and land-use patterns that may increase opportunity for crime. The level of socio-economic disadvantage of the residential population in a neighbourhood was most strongly associated with the highest neighbourhood rates of both violent and property crime.

Source: Statistics CanadaNeighbourhood Characteristics and the Distribution of Crime in Winnipeg - Statistics Canada, Extracted November 29, 2005

Politics

Starting in 1900, in both provincial and federal elections, central Winnipeg elected politicians from the Labour Party. Winnipeg was the site of a general strike from May 15 to June 28, 1919. There were violent protests during this strikes, several deaths at the hands of the Royal North-West Mounted Police, and the arrest of many of Winnipeg's future politicians. Though it was not chartered until 1932, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was born not only out of the depression but also out of the labour unrest of 1919. Its successor, the New Democratic Party, has enjoyed much support in Winnipeg since the early 1960s. Winnipeg's longest-serving Members of Parliament include J.S. Woodsworth (21 years), Stanley Knowles (38 years), David Orlikow (25 years), Bill Blaikie (almost 27 years and re-elected in the 2006 federal election), and Lloyd Axworthy (21 years).

Winnipeg is represented in the Canadian House of Commons by eight Members of Parliament. As of 2006, three are from the Conservative Party of Canada, three are from the New Democratic Party, and two are from the Liberal Party of Canada.

On June 22, 2004, businessman Sam Katz was elected mayor of Winnipeg, receiving 42.51% of the vote.

Aside from being the provincial capital of Manitoba, Winnipeg has served as the capital for two other Canadian territories: the Northwest Territories from 1870 to 1876 and the District of Keewatin from 1876 to 1905.

See also: List of mayors of Winnipeg, Manitoba

Sports

Winnipeg is and has historically been home to numerous professional sports franchises, some of which survive today. The Winnipeg Jets were one of the original teams of the World Hockey Association and won three league titles. The Jets entered the National Hockey League in 1979 and played in Winnipeg until 1996. The Jets featured such Hall of Famers as WHA coach Rudy Pilous and players Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk, and (briefly) Serge Savard, as well as potential Hall of Famers Teemu Selänne, Phil Housley, Keith Tkachuk, and Nikolai Khabibulin. In 1996, the team was sold to an ownership group based in Phoenix, Arizona, and it was moved there to become the Phoenix Coyotes. There is considerable optimism that the city may once again host an NHL franchise. The city has been mentioned as a possible future home for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Support for the minor league AHL Manitoba Moose has been good (among the top 5 AHL teams in average attendance) and the city has often been proclaimed as the flagship franchise of the AHL.

Since 1996, Winnipeg has been home to the minor-league Manitoba Moose, currently a member of the American Hockey League. The Moose are the farm team to the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. Winnipeg has produced Hall of Fame hockey players Andy Bathgate, Bill Mosienko, Art Coulter, Ching Johnson, Frank Fredrickson, Jack Ruttan and Terry Sawchuk.

Winnipeg also has a team in the Canadian Football League, the Blue Bombers, who have won 10 Grey Cups, the league's championship trophy. Winnipeg has a long history of minor-league baseball, including the Winnipeg Maroons of the Northern League, which existed from 1902-1942; the Class A Winnipeg Goldeyes, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1953-1964; the AAA Whips, the Montreal Expos farm team in 1970-1971; and, since 1994, the Goldeyes, a franchise in the independent Class AA-quality Northern League. Winnipeg hosted the 1967 Pan American Games and 1999 Pan American Games. In addition, the University of Winnipeg's women's basketball team won 88 consecutive games during the 1990s, tying a college sports record. Winnipeg is also home to many of the world's best curling teams and hosted the 2003 World Championships.

Other notable sports figures include six time Olympic speedskating medalist and most decorated Canadian Olympian Cindy Klassen and Olympic Taekwondo athlete and bronze-medalist Dominique Bosshart, Milwaukee Brewers third-baseman Corey Koskie, Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Gold Medalist Jennifer Botterill, Philadelphia 76ers centre Todd MacCulloch, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar Chris Jericho. It also hosts some great up in-comers in the basketball world. Such as Stu Moffat, Adam Reese, Josh Czech, Jordan Berger and Kyle Armstrong. It is also the birthplace of Cam Barker and Jonathan Toews, two young up-in-coming hockey players who are expected to do very well in the NHL.

Current professional franchises

Club League Venue Established Championships

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Canadian Football League Canad Inns Stadium 1930 10

Manitoba Moose American Hockey League MTS Centre 1996 0

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Northern League CanWest Global Park 1994 1

Winnipeg will be hosting the 94th Grey Cup in November 2006.

Arts and culture

See also: List of Winnipeg Musicians
See also: List of TV and Films shot in Winnipeg Winnipeg is well known for its arts and culture. Among the popular cultural institutions in the city are: the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), the Manitoba Opera, the Manitoba Museum (formerly the Museum of Man and Nature), the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Prairie Theatre Exchange, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The city is home to several large festivals. The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is North America's second largest Fringe Festival, held every July. Other festivals include Folklorama, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Music Festival, the Red River Exhibition, and Le Festival du Voyageur.

Winnipeg also has a thriving film community, producing local independent films, such as those by Guy Maddin. It has also supported a number of Hollywood productions, including Shall We Dance (2004), the Oscar nominated film Capote (2005), and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006). Several locally-produced and national television dramas have also been shot in Winnipeg. The National Film Board of Canada and the Winnipeg Film Group have produced numerous award-winning films.

There are several TV and Film production companies in Winnipeg. Some of the prominent ones are Frantic Films, Buffalo Gal Pictures, Les Productions Rivard and Eagle Vision.

Winnipeg has a community college, Red River College. Winnipeg's four universities are the University of Manitoba (undergraduate, graduate school, and medical school), Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface affiliated with University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg (undergraduate and select graduate programs) and Canadian Mennonite University (private). Winnipeg is also home to several prestigious private schools, including St. John's Ravenscourt School, St. Paul's High School, St. Mary's Academy, Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute and Balmoral Hall.

Winnipeg is also known for its various music acts. Among the most notable are Neil Young, The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive Chantal Kreviazuk, Bif Naked, The Waking Eyes, the New Meanies, Propagandhi, The Weakerthans, Crash Test Dummies, and many more.

Winnipeg has also achieved some acclaim for being the "Slurpee capital of the world", as its residents have a year-round penchant for the icy slush served in convenience stores.

Museums

Festivals

Other music groups include The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, GroundSwell (a new music group), the Camarata Nova Choir specializing in Renaissance music,and the Winnipeg Singers, one of Canada's finest semi-professional choirs.

Theatre companies

Architecture

See also List of Winnipeg's 10 tallest buildings

The Exchange District Historical site is the original site of commerce in Winnipeg. After the railroads came to Winnipeg, this area was developed with many fine warehouses, offices and banks. Many of these buildings are still standing and are unrivalled in Canada.

On September 27, 1997, the original core of the city of Winnipeg, the Exchange District, was declared a National Historic Site by the federal Minister of Canadian Heritage. The Historic Sites and Monuments board recommended that Winnipeg's Exchange District be designated an historic district of national significance because it illustrates the city's key role as a centre of grain and wholesale trade, finance and manufacturing in two historically important periods in western development: between 1880 and 1900 when Winnipeg became the gateway to Canada's West; and between 1900 and 1913, when the city's growth made it the region's metropolis.

Winnipeg’s famous North End has spawned a variety of talented writers, artists and entertainers ranging from Let’s Make A Deal’s Monty Hall to The Guess Who’s Burton Cummings. The commercial main street of this neighbourhood, Selkirk Avenue, first saw development in the 1870s and its importance grew with a wave of immigration from Eastern Europe. The old country flavour of the neighbourhood still exists with a variety of boutiques, bakeries and butcher shops. This vibrant area also boasts 49 painted murals, each depicting a different multicultural and historical scene.

See also: Archiseek: WinnipegArchiseek: Winnipeg

Local media

''See also List of media outlets in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Print

Daily newspapers

Ethnic media

Weekly newspapers

  • Uptown - found at various downtown locations

Magazines

  • Canadian Dimension
  • Winnipeg Women
  • Winnipeg Men
  • Ciao! Magazine
  • WHERE Winnipeg
See also: Magazines of WinnipegMagazines of Winnipeg: Canadian Dimension, Winnipeg Women, Winnipeg Men, Ciao! Magazine, WHERE Winnipeg

Websites

Television stations

There are six English speaking stations and one French speaking station based in Winnipeg that supply free programming to the city. Most homes subscribe to cable through Shaw Communications, or digital television through MTS digital. There are also two satellite services available through StarChoice and Bell ExpressVu. Some homes use grey market satellite dishes to bring in signals from American satellite services.

Additionally, American network affiliates broadcasting from North Dakota are available over-the-air in many parts of Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba. Until the mid-1980s, KXJB and KVLY (then known as KTHI) were available on Winnipeg's cable service. These channels were replaced by WDIV and WJBK from Detroit, later replaced by WTOL from Toledo, and then by WCCO and KARE from Minneapolis.

Channel Cable Channel Call Sign Network
3 10 CBWFT SRC
6 2 CBWT CBC
7 5 CKY CTV
9 12 CKND Global
13 8 CHMI Citytv
35 11 CIIT OMNI Television

Locally based national cable television channels

All of these stations are owned by Global, except for APTN.

Radio stations

Winnipeg is home to 25 AM and FM radio stations. The most popular station for many years has been CJOB, a talk oriented station famous for its coverage of major storms and floods. After an absence of many years, Winnipeg is now home to two English and one French campus radio stations. NCI is devoted to Aboriginal programming and CKJS is to ethnic programming. CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two broadcast local and national programming. There are several rock and pop oriented stations, one tourist information station and one country station. Two CBC stations broadcast French programming.

FM radio

FM radio stations
FrequencyCall signNameFormatOwner
89.9 FMCKSB--Espace musiqueSociété Radio-Canada
91.1 FMCKXL--campus radioCollège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
92.1 FMCITI92 Citi FMclassic rockRogers Communications
92.9 FMCKICKick FMmodern rockRed River College
94.3 FMCHIQQ94 FMcontemporary hit radioCHUM Limited
95.1 FMCHVN--Christian musicGolden West Broadcasting
95.9 FMCKUW--campus radioUniversity of Winnipeg
97.5 FMCJKRPower 97active rockCorus Entertainment
98.3 FMCBWCBC Radio 2musicCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
99.1 FMCJZZCool FMJazzCanwest Global
99.9 FMCFWMBob FMadult hitsCHUM Limited
100.7 FMCKFE--oldiesNewcap Broadcasting
101.5 FMCJUMUMFMcampus radioUniversity of Manitoba
102.3 FMCKYClear FMadult contemporaryRogers Communications
103.1 FMCKMMHot 103CHR/Top 40Standard Radio
104.1 FMCFQXQX 104CountryStandard Radio
105.5 FMCICYNCICountryNCI
106.3 FMCKVN--tourist information--
107.1 FMCFEQFreq 107modern rockKesitah Inc.
107.9 FMCJWVFlava 107.9hip-hop/urbanEddie Blake

AM Radio

AM radio stations
FrequencyCall signNameFormatOwner
680 AMCJOBThe SuperstationNews/TalkCorus Entertainment
810 AMCKJS--ethnic radioNewfoundland Capital Corporation
990 AMCBWCBC Radio OnePublic RadioCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
1050 AMCKSBLa Première ChaînePublic RadioCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
1290 AMCFRWCFRWoldiesCHUM Limited

Famous Winnipeggers

Born in Winnipeg

Raised but not born in Winnipeg

Achieved fame while living in Winnipeg

Winnie-the-Pooh

  • Winnipeg Bear, the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh, was not actually born in Winnipeg. Instead, Winnipeg Bear was purchased in White River, Ontario, by an officer (Lieutenant Harry Colebourn) of the Fort Garry Horse cavalry regiment en route to his embarkation point for the front lines of World War I. He named the bear after the regiment's home town of Winnipeg. In 1924, on an excursion to the London Zoo with neighbour children, Christopher Robin Milne, son of author A. A. Milne, was introduced to Winnie for the first time.
  • An E.H. Shepard painting of "Winnie the Pooh" is the only known oil painting of Winnipeg’s famous bear cub. It was purchased at an auction for $285,000 in London, England late in 2000. The painting is displayed in the Pavilion Gallery in Assiniboine Park. The painting is a focal point a $6-million Poohseum in Assiniboine Park that will include a Hundred Acre Wood playground.

Twinnings

This is a list of Winnipeg's sister cities and the date the agreement with each location was signed. Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan (October 5, 1970) Reykjavík, Iceland (September 7, 1971) Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (January 31, 1973) Lviv, Ukraine (November 26, 1973) Manila, Philippines (December 31, 1979) Taichung, Taiwan (April 2, 1982) Kuopio, Finland (June 11, 1982) Beer-Sheva, Israel (May 15, 1984) Chengdu, China (February 24, 1988) Chinju, South Korea (April 1, 1992) San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico (July 23, 1999)

Neighbouring communities

 

^
North
Rosser | West St. Paul | East St. Paul | Selkirk

 

< West
Headingley

WINNIPEG

East >
Rural Municipality of Springfield  

 

  MacDonald | Ritchot | Steinbach
South
v

 

See also

References

  • J. M. Bumsted, The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919: An Illustrated History 1994, 140 pp. heavily illus;ISBN 0-920486-40-1.
  • Ramsay Cook; The Politics of John W. Dafoe and the Free Press (1963)
  • Grayson, J. P., and L. M. Grayson, "The Social Base of Interwar Political Unrest in Urban Alberta". Canadian Journal of Political Science, 7: 289-313 (1974)
  • Kenneth McNaught; A Prophet in Politics: A Biography of J. S. Woodsworth. (1959)
  • Norman Penner, ed., Winnipeg 1919: The Strikers' Own History of the Winnipeg General Strike (Toronto: 1973)
  • K. W. Taylor; "Voting in Winnipeg During the Depression" Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology v 19 #2 1982. pp 222+
  • Taylor, K. W., and Nelson Wiseman, "Class and Ethnic Voting in Winnipeg: The Case of 1941". Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 14: 174-87 1977
  • Wiseman, Nelson and K. W. Taylor, "Ethnic vs Class Voting: the Case of Winnipeg, 1945". Canadian Journal of Political Science 7: 314-28 1974
  • Wiseman, Nelson and K. W. Taylor, "Class and Ethnic Voting in Winnipeg During the Cold War". Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 16: 60-76 1979

External links

Cities in Manitoba | District of Keewatin | Winnipeg | Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Winnipeg, Manitoba".

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