Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city 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" due to its location on the Canadian transportation network.^[3][4]

The city is located near the geographic centre of North America,^[5] on a flood plain at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, a point now commonly known as The Forks. The Red River Floodway protects the city from flooding. It is by far Manitoba's largest city with a population of 633,451.^[1] The Winnipeg Metropolitan Area (which includes Winnipeg and surrounding rural municipalities) has a population of 694,668^[2] and is the eighth largest Census Metropolitan Area in Canada.^[6]

Winnipeg offers an abundance of recreational opportunities as it lies in close proximity to hundreds of lakes including Lake Winnipeg, Canada's fifth largest lake and the world's eleventh largest, Lake Manitoba, as well as Lake of the Woods.^[7]

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, numerous parks, and numerous distinctive neighbourhoods. Winnipeg hosted the Pan-American Games in 1967 and 1999, the only city other than Mexico City to have hosted the event twice.

A resident of Winnipeg is known as a Winnipegger.

History

Winnipeg lies at the confluence of the Assiniboine River and Red River, which is also known as The Forks, and was a focal point on canoe river routes traveled by aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. The name Winnipeg is a transcription of a western Cree word meaning "muddy waters".

Trading Posts

In 1738, the Sieur de la Vérendrye built the first trading post on the site, Fort Rouge, which was ultimately abandoned.^[8] Other posts were built in the Red River region. Fort Gibraltar was built by the North West Company in 1809 and Fort Douglas was built by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1812. The two companies fought fiercely over trade in the area with each destroying the other's fort over the course of several battles. In 1821, the Hudson Bay Company and North West Company ended their long rivalry with a merger..

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 for the Hudson Bay Company. Fort Garry was destroyed in an 1826 flood, and rebuilt in 1835. It played a small role in fur trading, but housed the residence of the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company for many years.

Red River Rebellion

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.

Pre-Panama Canal Boom

Winnipeg experienced a boom during the 1890s and the first two decades of the twentieth century, and the city's population grew from 25,000 in 1891 to more than 200,000 in 1921. The Manitoba Provincial Legislature Building reflects the optimism of the boom years. Built of Tyndall Stone in 1920, the highest point has a giant statue commonly named the "Golden Boy". The Manitoba Legislative Building was elaborately designed based on neoclassical art, architecture, and the revival of classical philosophy and ideas.

Winnipeg's growth slowed considerably after the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The canal reduced reliance on Canada's rail system for international trade, and the increase in ship traffic helped Vancouver surpass Winnipeg to become Canada's third-largest city in the 1920s.

Winnipeg General Strike

As a result of appalling labour conditions following World War I, 35,000 Winnipeggers walked off the job in May 1919, in what came to be known as the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. The government defeated the strike through arrests, deportation and violence. The strike ended in June of 1919, with the reading of the Riot Act and the death of two strikers and injuring at least 30 others, and was known as Bloody Saturday. The lasting effect was a polarized population. One of the leaders of the strike, J.S. Woodsworth, went on to found Canada's first socialist party, the CCF, which would later become the New Democratic Party.

The Depression

The Depression 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.

The stock market crash in 1929 only hastened an already steep decline in Winnipeg. The Great Depression resulted in massive unemployment, which was worsened by drought and depressed agricultural prices. By 1937, city officials told a federal commission that they could no longer function without assistance.

Post-WWII and 1950 Flood

The end of World War II brought a new sense of optimism in Winnipeg. Pent-up demand brought a boom in housing development, but the building activity came to a halt in 1950 when city was swamped in the Winnipeg Flood. The largest flood since 1861 held waters above flood stage for 51 days. On May 8, 1950, eight dikes collapsed and four of the city's eleven bridges were destroyed. 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 staffed the relief effort for the duration of the flood. Total damages exceeded $1 billion.

Red River Floodway

To prevent future floods, the Red River Basin Investigation recommended a system of flood control measures, including a multiple diking systems and a floodway to divert the Red River around Winnipeg. The project, which included the Shellmouth Reservoir on the upper Assiniboine River, the Portage Diversion channel and the Fairford River Water Control Structure, cost $99,200,000 CAD. The Red River Floodway alone cost $62,700,000 CAD. Premier Duff Roblin reached a cost-sharing agreement with the federal government, with construction beginning in October 1962 and ending in 1968. For many years, both critics and supporters called the floodway "Duff's Ditch."

Recently the 1997 Red River Flood resulted in water levels that took the existing floodway to the limits of its design. Soon after, various levels of government commissioned engineering studies for a major increase in flood protection for the City of Winnipeg. Work began in late 2005 under a provincial collective bargaining agreement and is slated to include modifications to rail and road crossings as well as transmission line spans, upgrades to inlet control structures and fire protection, increased elevation of existing dikes, and the widening of the entire floodway channel itself. Completion of the Red River Floodway Expansion is slated for late 2010 at a final cost of more than $665,000,000 CAD.

Winter recreational activities are popular in and around the Red River Floodway. Skiing at the Spring Hill Winter Sports Park, located on the northern section of the floodway, as well as cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are among the most popular activities.

Amalgamation as Unicity

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 less than 100,000.

Slow Growth

Winnipeg's total annual growth rate has been 0.5% since 1971, while Calgary and Edmonton, formerly smaller cousins, have grown 4.5% and 3.0% per year, over the same period, so that each now has a metropolitan population of over 1.0 million. Winnipeg was briefly Canada's third-largest city (from 1910 until the 1930s), but, beginning in the 1970s, Winnipeg slowed in growth and by 2005 was only Canada's sixth largest city and ninth largest Census Metropolitan Area.

Geography and climate

Main article: Winnipeg Geography and Climate

Winnipeg is situated just west of the longitudinal centre of Canada (also near the geographical centre of North America), and approximately 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of the border with the United States. It is near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies, and about 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Lake Winnipeg. It is situated in the floodplain of the Red River and is surrounded by rich agricultural land. Winnipeg is very isolated from other large population centres. Only one urban area with over 500,000 people (the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) is located within 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of Winnipeg.

Due to its location in the centre of a large land mass and its distance from both mountains and oceans, Winnipeg has an extreme continental climate. The city’s northerly location is also influential, though Winnipeg is located farther south than London or Amsterdam. The city is famous for its long cold and snowy winters, and is often referred to as “Winterpeg”. According to Environment Canada, Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world with a population of over 600,000.^[9]

In sharp contrast summers are warm to hot and often quite humid with frequent thunderstorms. The summers in Winnipeg are similar to those experienced in cities in the Midwestern United States. Spring and autumn are short and highly variable seasons. In a typical year temperatures range from –35° C (-31° F) to 35° C (95° F), though lower and higher readings are occasionally observed. The weather is characterized by an abundance of sunshine throughout the year.

Demographics

The City of Winnipeg is home to 633,451 residents, representing 55.16% of the total population of Manitoba.^[10]

As of the 2001 census:^[11]

• 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 and older

Government

Main article: Winnipeg Government

History

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 "Gingerbread" building built in Victorian grandeur and symbolized Winnipeg's coming of age at the end of the nineteenth century. The building stood for nearly 80 years. There was a plan to replace it around the World War I era, during the time that the Manitoba Legislature was under construction, but the war delayed that process. In 1958, falling plaster almost hit visitors to the City Hall building. The tower eventually had to be removed and in 1962 the whole building was torn down.

Winnipeg City Council 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 buildings were completed in 1964 in the brutalist style, 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

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.

There are two major universities, a community college, a private Mennonite college and a French college in St. Boniface

The University of Manitoba is the largest university of the province of Manitoba, most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university.

The University of Winnipeg received its charter in 1967 but its roots date back more than 130 years. The founding colleges were Manitoba College 1871, and Wesley College 1888, which merged to form United College in 1938.

See also: List of schools of Winnipeg, Manitoba

Economy

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

Winnipeg is an important regional centre of commerce, industry, culture, finance, and government.

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. Approximately 54,000 people or 14% of the work force are employed in the public sector.

There are several large private sector employers, as well: Manitoba Telecom Services, CanWest Global Communications, Palliser Furniture, Great-West Life Assurance, Motor Coach Industries, Convergys, New Flyer Industries, Boeing Canada Technology, Bristol Aerospace, Nygård International, Canad Inns and Investors Group.

A number of large privately held family owned companies operate out of Winnipeg. The most famous of these is James Richardson & Sons. The Richardson building at Portage and Main was the first skyscraper to grace that corner. Other private companies are Ben Moss Jewellers, Frantic Films and Paterson Grain.

Winnipeg is the site of Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg and the headquarters of 1 Canadian Air Division, as well as home to several reserve units. See #Military in this article.

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.

Military

Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Co-located at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, is home to many flight operations support divisions, as well as several training schools. It is also the headquarters of 1 Canadian Air Division (1CdnAirDiv, formerly Air Command Headquarters) and the Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters. The base is supported by over 3,000 military personnel and civilian employees.

17 Wing of the Canadian Forces is based at CFB Winnipeg. The Wing comprises three squadrons and six schools. It also provides support to the Central Flying School. Excluding the three levels of government, 17 Wing is the fourth largest employer in the city.

The Wing also supports 113 units stretching from Thunder Bay, to the Saskatchewan/Alberta border and from the 49th Parallel to the high Arctic. 17 Wing also acts as a deployed operating base for CF-18 Hornet fighter-bombers assigned to the Canadian NORAD Region.

Two squadrons based in the city are:

• 402 “City of Winnipeg” Squadron. This squadron flies the Canadian-designed and -produced de Havilland CT-142 Dash 8 navigation trainer in support of the Canadian Forces Air Navigation School’s Air Navigators and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator training programs.

• 435 “Chinthe” Transport and Rescue Squadron. This squadron flies the powerful Lockheed CC-130 Hercules tanker/transport in the airlift search and rescue roles. In addition, 435 Squadron is the only Air Force squadron equipped and trained to conduct air-to-air refueling of fighter aircraft in support of operational and training activities at home and abroad. The CC-130 Hercules tanker is a key asset for the Canadian NORAD Region in its mission to defend Canada and the United States against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace.

Winnipeg is home to a number of reserve units: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada infantry, 735 Communications Regiment, 17 Service Battalion, and 17 (Winnipeg) Field Ambulance at Minto Armoury, the Fort Garry Horse armoured reconnaissance regiment at McGregor Armoury, and HMCS Chippewa naval reserve.

For many years, Winnipeg was the home of The Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, or 2 PPCLI. Initially, the battalion was based at the Fort Osborne Barracks near present day Osborne Village. They eventually moved to the Kapyong Barracks located in the River Heights/Tuxedo part of Winnipeg. Since 2004, the 550 men and women of the battalion have operated out of Canadian Forces Base Shilo near Brandon.

Transportation

Main article: Winnipeg Transport

The transportation system for thousands used by Aboriginals was the various networks of rivers across the province of Manitoba. The Forks became an early meeting place for the purpose of trade. Situated at the confluence of the Red and the Assiniboine, it would prove to be the most important location for European and First Nations trade.

Travel on water was easier than by land. Aboriginals used birch bark canoes while European traders would use York boats.

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.

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. A modern four-lane highway called the Perimeter Highway was built in 1969. It serves as an expressway around the city (also known as a ring road) with interchanges and at-grade intersections that bypass the city entirely. It allows travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway to avoid the city and continue east or west uninterrupted.

The city is directly connected to the U.S. via Highway 75 (a northern continuation of I-29 and US 75). The highway runs 107 kilometers to Emerson, Manitoba, the 8th busiest border crossing.^[13] Much of the commercial traffic that crosses in Emerson either originates from or is destined to Winnipeg. Inside the city, the highway is locally known as Pembina Highway.

Winnipeg's airport, recently renamed as Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, is currently under redevelopment. A new terminal building is scheduled for completion by 2009. The field was Canada's first international airport when it opened in 1928 as Stevenson Aerodrome.

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 500,000.^[14] The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary and more than double the rate for Toronto.

In 2005, Statistics Canada shows Manitoba had the highest decline of overall crime in Canada at nearly 8%. Winnipeg dropped from having the highest rate of murder per capita in the country. That distinction now belongs to Edmonton. Manitoba did continue to lead all other provinces in auto thefts, almost all of it centred in Winnipeg.^[15]

To combat auto theft Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) brought in the Immobilizer. The Immobilizer is a system installed on vehicles that disables several vehicle systems thus making the vehicle almost unusable to potential thieves. Numerous problems have been found with the Immobilizer, including preventing the owner from starting their vehicle.

Sports

Hockey

In 1972, the Winnipeg Jets were one of the original teams of the World Hockey Association and won three Avco World Trophy league titles in eight years. 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 and Phil Housley. In 1996, the team was sold to an ownership group based in Phoenix, Arizona, and moved there to become the Phoenix Coyotes.

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.

The old Winnipeg Arena (1955-2006) was originally home to the Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) of the Western Hockey League (minor pro) from 1955 to 1961. The Warriors were World's Minor Professional Champions in 1955-56, winning the Edinburgh Cup. The Arena was also home to the Winnipeg Warriors of the WHL from 1980 through 1984, and the Winnipeg Monarchs of the same league in the 1960s and 70s.

The Manitoba Moose currently play out of the MTS Centre.

Old-Time Hockey

Winnipeg produced Hall of Fame hockey players Andy Bathgate, Bill Mosienko, Art Coulter, Ching Johnson, Frank Fredrickson, Jack Ruttan and Terry Sawchuk.

The Stanley Cup was won three times by the Winnipeg Victorias in 1896, 1901 and 1902. The Winnipeg Falcons won the gold medal in the 1920 Winter Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.

Football

Winnipeg has a team in the Canadian Football League, the Blue Bombers, who have won 10 Grey Cups, the league's championship trophy. The Winnipeg 'Pegs won the Grey Cup in 1935.

Baseball

Minor-league baseball has a long history in Winnipeg.

1902-1942: Winnipeg Maroons of the original Northern League

1953-1964: Winnipeg Goldeyes, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Class C Northern League

1970-1971: Winnipeg Whips, AAA affiliate of the Montreal Expos

In 1994, the Rochester Aces of the independent Northern League re-located to Winnipeg, and the team was renamed the Goldeyes.

Initially, the team played at multi-purpose Winnipeg Stadium. In 1999, the team moved to the downtown CanWest Global Park, a baseball-only stadium. The Goldeyes are owned by current mayor Sam Katz.

Horseracing

The first track horse race in Winnipeg took place in 1922. Whittier Park and Polo Park were used as racetracks in the past. Today, Assiniboia Downs is a six and one half furlong oval located on the western edge of the city. It is operated as a non-profit organization by the Manitoba Jockey Club. Live thoroughbred horseracing takes place in the summer.

Amateur sports

Winnipeg hosted the 1967 Pan American Games and 1999 Pan American Games. Other notable sports figures include six time Olympic speedskating medalist and most decorated Canadian Olympian Cindy Klassen, Olympic Taekwondo athlete and bronze-medalist Dominique Bosshart and Summer and Winter Olympic medal winner Clara Hughes. Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Gold Medalist Jennifer Botterill also calls Winnipeg home. Daniel Yanofsky, the first chess Grandmaster developed in the British Commonwealth, lived in Winnipeg from infancy, and he organized and played in Canada's first Supergrandmaster chess tournament in Winnipeg 1967.

University sports

The University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba have active and successful programs in sports, especially volleyball and basketball. The University of Winnipeg's women's basketball team won 88 consecutive games during the 1990s, tying a college sports record. The University of Manitoba Bisons football team has won two Vanier Cup trophies and has won the Hardy Trophy nine times. Volleyball is particularly strong, with consistently high-caliber play, dating back to the standing (in 2007) record of four consecutive national university championships held by the University of Winnipeg Wesmen since the early 1970s.

Curling

Winnipeg is also home to many of the world's best curling teams and has hosted the World Curling Championships in 1978, 1991 and 2003. Several World Curling Championships winners have called Winnipeg home including Don Duguid, Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Stoughton and Georgina Wheatcroft.

Notable Current Sports Figures

Colorado Avalanche forward Tyler Arnason, former World Wrestling Entertainment and (WWE) Superstar Chris Jericho.

Current professional franchises