Corydon Avenue Construction 2021

It was scheduled for spring of 2020 but put over to this year. Why? Not sure. With the pandemic and everything closed and I mean everything, it seemed construction was the only thing running. But not in this case. Nothing happened till this year.

Corydon has always been an oddball. You have two autobody shops next to posh coffee places and barber shops. It has apartments on one side a lot of the time and commercial on the other side.

Sidewalk cafe at Cocoabeans might be a little dusty and noisy.

Corydon remains a street where you have to slow down even when construction isn't happening. Unlike some streets like Jubilee that banned parking, stopping, loading, Corydon by its nature can't be a speedway.

I didn't enquire about the boarded windows at Corydon Cycle but I have seen it a bit all over the city. Thom Bargen Coffee windows smashed for a bike inside, CPR Cellphone window smashed across from St. Vital Shopping Centre. So tough for small businesses.

We have had some arsons. Twice in one abandoned house recently.  Drug addiction, grinding poverty, lack of housing and the pandemic. And crime rising. We need to do better.

If we can see shop windows smashed on major commercial streets it suggests a desperation, a brazenness. It doesn't go away running to the suburbs. Or exurbs. Or cottage. It follows you around.

The end of the pandemic will help populate the outside. But will it stop the desperation? And sending people to prison here results in deaths that even U.S. prisons would find hard to match.

Corydon remains attractive for a lot of reasons that Osborne Village struggles with on the main strip. It has people living in higher densities right on the street. Now, the Village could make up for it with people of Stradbrook and River but there have been empty spaces for years as result of land hoarding.

And while it might seem like a lot of restaurants on Corydon, there are grocery stores, convenience stores and hardware stores on the street. Never underestimate what 7 Eleven is in a neighbourhood. It is a place to buy a paper, get a lottery ticket, Slurpee.

There are a few street killers that are more effective than front facing parking. No offence to these businesses. They do try with patios and have parking for their customers but is a big open area when you walk past. 

The service window for restaurants is something that should continue for pick-up and delivery for yeas to come even without a pandemic. Bar Italia here has one.

Another example of how front parking kind of kills the street vibe. It always will.

The King George Courts built in 1913 is the type of building now fought in neighbourhoods all over as not in characters with the area. It is gorgeous but resisted by many. However, it is what is needed for higher densities and for people starting out, downsizing and the like.

Character homes so close to Corydon at Jessie and Cockburn.

At Jessie/Cockburn with Corydon in background. This was a 1/ 1/2 size lot. Not sure what house condition was but as you can see already sold as it nears completion.

Not sure how it will look when complete. As houses age past 100 years, some will fall to wrecking ball.

Winnipeg Jets Beat the Curse

The last time we played Edmonton in a final in 1990 we were ahead 3-1 and looking like we would beat the curse that had dogged us since 1983 losing five times in play-offs runs to the Oilers.

I was in my last year of high school when the curse began and was graduated from university and watching highlights in Japan in spring of 1990. You could have heard my howls across the Pacific at losing the series 4-3.

 1983: Oilers win Division Semi-Finals 3-0

1984: Oilers win Division Semi-Finals 3-0

1985: Oilers win Division Finals 4-0

1987: Oilers win Division Finals 4-0

1988: Oilers win Division Semi-Finals 4-1

1990: Oilers win Division Semi-Finals 4-3

In 2021 the curse ended. And we beat a team with a player in Connor McDavid that some say is greater than Wayne Gretzky. It took two overtimes and one triple overtime to do but Winnipeg has swept the series.

We have finished so early that we have no idea who we play next: Toronto or Montreal.

While Edmonton Oilers had such a dynasty in the 1980s, it seemed to emphasize just how everything and anything about Winnipeg was in decline. The start of the decade saw such massive closures of businesses such Canada Packers, Swift and the Tribune. North Portage was either burning down or shutting down. And Winnipeg Jets could have a great team that makes the play-offs only to collapse in four straight in the first round...every time.

We watched as so many of our friends and neighbours moved to Alberta and checked their Jets and Bomber uniforms. Winnipeg dropped in population rankings to both Calgary then Edmonton, then Ottawa and it looked like we would drop below Hamilton and Quebec City. 

The Weakerthans song I hate Winnipeg harkened on the fact that "the Jets were lousy anyway" to emphasize how downtrodden we were. The same defeatist mood pervaded the population. In the 1990s the exit of so many and the rise in arson, car theft and murder showed how precariously close we were to losing it all. And when Jets left in 1996, it felt like the last person would have to turn the lights off in the city. It took a while to convince fan that Manitoba Moose was fun and embracing it would lead back to getting a team in 2011.

Somehow we picked up the pieces. Businesses that had run for years kept working, people who looked to change things in government continued to do so, people in neighbourhoods still looked after them. And for hockey, we had people go back to basics with a downtown arena and a team not named the Jets.

It wasn't easy but the city with some strong building blocks climbed out of the hole and with a progressive immigration policy, diverse business community in various areas of economy, strong education push from areas ranging from Red River College to universities to private business schools training people for the job market, we have done it.

We did the other things like build the best local arts and sports scenes you can find nationally. Festivals and concerts here packed them in. World curling, junior hockey, women's soccer and and Pan Am Games showed we could organize events and make them shine.

When Winnipeg Jets returned to Winnipeg from a city we did not expect to send us one, it took some polishing and a close run in 2018 that had the city peacefully and joyously celebrating in the streets. I was happily part of that renting equipment and working all day every other day to put it on.

And now after Covid continues to put us on our knees, the Winnipeg Jets come to sweep us away in four games.

We can't see them in person. We can't celebrate in great numbers on the streets but we feel joy.

We don't know how much longer we have in these odd play-offs but we'll enjoy the ride as long as we can.

Covid 19 is hurting us. And it isn't just the infections but businesses closed and suffering, employees hobbled and worried and so many people bereaved with loss from those who have not made it, those who are waiting treatment for others things and losing the battle.

We are seeing amazing achievement and terrible indifference but the Jets are filling us with cheer. 

For a long time Edmonton has had our number. This odd Canadian division in the NHL gave us a chance to say: Not this time. No more, no further. Not one win. For all those times before, 40 years of making us hate Winnipeg, believing in the curse.

And not just for hockey. For Winnipeg. Few things unite us. This is more sweet relief than bravado. Hope everyone can enjoy the moment and in weeks, it would be sure nice to celebrate some more.

INAC-Indigenous Nation Apparel Company Coming to Polo Park

INAC-Indigenous Nation Apparel Company looks to have a soft opening in June. It is the exact thing that Polo Park might want to have to distinguish it from other malls. If the mall wants to be different, it has to have stores no one else has. Or attractions no one else has.

Polo Park always has St. Vital Centre or Kildonan nipping at its heels. It has mostly maintained its edge but has let others close in on it. The loss of Sears and the space it occupied was an existential threat. When Zellers closed, it was an opportunity and the mall welcomed stores that were waiting for such space. Those days are long gone.

The new Sears will have a furniture store in it which will be a first for the mall. It remains to seen what sort of access through the mall to the old Sears there will be.

The old second floor entrance now looks like this,

INAC should be fully ready by July and I suspect much of the mall will start looking in shape for the first time in 18 months.

Changes Around Polo Park and Surrounding Area

 Even in a pandemic, the former HBC Home has been converted to other uses. Originally built as Linens and Things, the Bay changed it to Home Outfitters. In recent years they are closed and the ones in Winnipeg have been converted to other uses.

First Oomomo opened. It has not fully operated yet because of restrictions but specialized in sales of Japanese goods. Now next door they have finished painting the red sign of Petland. 

The old Sears building is getting closer to looking complete in the exterior changes.

Hakim Optical across from Polo Park closed. However, they are inside the mall now and down the street at Leon's Centre. Hakim has taken up the type of dominance that Winnipeg-based Shopper's Optical once had. King Optical on St. James once had 200 people producing glasses for all over Canada. It closed in 2014 and few years after all the Stewart N. King/Shopper's Optical stores numbering 74 locations were sold to Luxxotica for $67 million.

Winnipeg used to be a glasses powerhouse.

Sears Polo Park started at Simpsons-Sears in 1959 and was the anchor to around 40 stores arranged in two open air strip malls. It was the second enclosed mall in 1963 and expanded with the inclusion of Eaton's as its northern anchors in 1968. It was in this year that it became entrenched my memory as we became new residents of River Heights. I was probably there earlier but I remember visiting my grandparents on nearby Ashburn and going to the mall and seeing a very new Eaton's.

The Simpson-Sears always seemed to have a busy auto centre and garden centre. I even remember boats being sold. 

The St. James apartments were built in 1969. For years, there was no way to get down Ness to Polo Park because there was no road crossing the rail. This opened the street opposite to Polo Park to things such as the St. James apartments but also for a McDonald's further down the street.

This became the primary way for people south of the Assiniboine to access Polo Park.

Sears has been converted to a mix of offices and retail. It  likely managers never conceived they would ever not have stores leaping at the chance to locate at Polo Park.

EQ3 will be moving into the Sear renovation. This will leave the corner at St. James and Portage empty for the first time in decades. Pier 1 Imports closed years ago and EQ3 has a pop up in there. The re-located store will be larger than what they have now. Even in the pandemic Winnipeg-based EQ3 has done well and this will be a flagship store for them.

Cadillac Fairview wants to put apartments on that corner once EQ3 is gone. Winnipeg Airport will try to stop them. In the next year or so we should see how that turns out.

It is hard to imagine normal after the pandemic. Sometimes we are so busy that it seems like people are back to routine but then it important to point out some businesses have been shut since last March.

And some businesses have been struggling since before the pandemic. The question of what happens to The Bay is an open one. Will HBC survive? I thought no but the store probably needs more revenue streams that it does now. Whatever happened to its restaurants?

Many malls seem to be reeling from filling holes from large retailers collapsing. Some are doing okay. Some are having to do a re-think.

Meanwhile, along St. James some of the stores that have closed in last few years are finding tenants like here where HBC Home has given way to Oomomo and Petland. The sign says fully leased.

Lucky Brand Jeans to Open at Polo Park Soon

Lucky Brand returns to the Canadian market with a store in Polo Park's second floor. It is in the same wing as the area where Disney is closing but there is some evidence that a number of retailers are looking to establish themselves for the summer presumably when the pandemic sees lifted restrictions.

Millions of dollars of work is being done at Polo Park right now mostly in the old Sears wing but throughout the mall. One suspects if the mall owner gets the go ahead, there will be a lot of work still yet to come, especially in terms of housing.

The Winnipeg Airport has kicked up a fuss but it seems self interested when they have massive developments on their own land that includes three hotels. 

It used to be that Polo Park had a long waiting list. Those days are gone. While stores like Lucky Brand are good, they need exclusive stores like Apple that no one else has to drive traffic.

If Lucky Brand is only available at Polo Park then they should be okay. But it isn't just other shopping centres to worry about. Some people have gone online and they won't come back unless the shopping experience in store offers pick-ups, special sales and other things to attract people.

A resident population, a fitness centre, a grocery store will all drive daily traffic.

And for stores like Lucky Brand will make sure many people find reason to be in store a number of times a month. Malls can and will not look the same as they once were. The success of all of its stores depends on it.

Disney Store Polo Park to Close

It only opened at Polo Park in 2014 and in 2021 it closing.

All the Disney stores in Canada being shuttered.

A Disney store that had operated at St. Vital Centre closed in 2010.

The pandemic seems to have little to do with the closures as this was predicted would happen prior. However, it likely hastened the cost savings to shut them all. now. Disney lost a ton.

It seems just as likely stores open again unless Disney thinks young shoppers only need online resources to decide on their favourite stuffed animals. 

We are still in pandemic times but a lot of stores are gearing up to open at Polo Park and the new wing is almost complete in the Sears building. The loss of Disney is sad but the mall with survive.

And who knows? Disney might change their mind all over again. Like they have done in the past.

Sandman Hotel Addition

It seems like more than a year has gone for the Sandman Hotel addition on Sargent has been under construction. I'm not sure if there were delays but it is starting to look like something now. The site used to be a works yard as well as CDC Computers and for a while a a heating a cooling place.

It attests to the fact that so much of the airport area was industrial. Warehouses, manufacturing and other industry. It used to be that there really was only one hotel by the airport: The International Inn (Victoria Inn now).

Hotels started being built down Wellington. On the corner by Route 90 a Hilton Hotel went. At Sargent and Route 90 a Journey's End (Comfort Inn). Eventually other hotels were built in quick succession the last 20 years. Greenwood Inn (Best Western Plus) and a rapid success of hotels at airport and up and down Route 90: Hampton Inn by Hilton Winnipeg, Days Inn and Suites by Wyndam Winnipeg and Mainstay Suites. Almost all these hotels were built on former industrial land.

Three hotels were also built right on airport grounds. The Courtyard by Marriot, The Lakeview Signature Collection and The Grand Hotel.

For years Winnipeg was out of step with a lot of cities with so few hotels by the airport. Now there are many including the only 5 star hotel in The Grand at the airport.

The Sandman Hotel was built in 2007 and brought with it the return of Denny's which has been in the city but had failed in the past. The Chop Steakhouse and Bar was also added to the hotel. 

The Sandman is a Canadian chain starting to also build in the states. Their expansion will see the hotel occupy a full city block.

Across it is Don Vito who did a massive expansion on the collision center on Route 90 in recent years.

Winnipeggers often don't think of our city as a tourist place but people all over Manitoba and northwest Ontario come to the city for shopping and services. In recent years pre-pandemic, the city had a pretty good occupancy rate for hotels.

The Sandman looks like it is months away from completion. The timing might be perfect for a return to more normal in the fall and a Christmas rush.

Look for completion sometime late in the year.

Health Sciences Area

I deleted my Twitter account after 10 years. I apologized for saying the eastern end of Health Sciences Centre was like a war zone. I have worked downtown at different times for years. Like a lot of Manitobans have spent lots of time in places like HSC for myself and for family. And this past January 2020 I was assaulted right out on the street in front of the hospital. It is around the fourth time I've been assaulted, three in downtown, one in North End.

I tried to not let it affect me but in the aftermath, I was having a hard time walking in a grocery aisle without feeling someone was going to strike out at me. It is irrational of course. But it was also irritational to not think something might happen if I was not situationally aware. And it is always better to cross the street than risk a chancy encounter. Trust me...two black eyes later, my head is on a swivel.

The last time though and with Covid shutdown, I had to do something to reclaim my fear. I have always walked but I was determined to walk everywhere and take pictures in part to know that I did it. And I commented to re-learn the city I lived in but was not always seeing from my car. If I saw a boarded up house or burned out place, I didn't shy away. If I saw a new business, a development, I was sure to talk about.

Twitter probably is not the right format me. It lacks context and nuance. I'm trying to be a better person so I will stick to blogging and my personal non public Facebook.

I will assume that if anyone has read this far, they want to read and see pictures. I screen comments to avoid ad mail and have no problem with debate but I've left Twitter behind.

Above is the Tecumseh parkade of Health Sciences Centre. It was built to accompany the similarly sized Emily Street parkade next door which had a waiting list of staff for years. For visitors, it is still possible during the week to not find a space in any local parkade. And for those who do and spend the day, it is sticker shock.

The parkade cost about $40 million plus and the first one around same cost. That is $80 million or cost in infrastructure. People would like free parking but then it is likely there would be no spaces at all. It is such a tough thing for people to have the costs. But there is no way to provide the space without there being some sort of charge due to all day parking by staff, residents and businesses and homeowners in the area.

Surrounding HSC are a lot of surface lots and we are only likely to see more as 8000 staff work in the area and probably a few thousand one in related fields of laboratory, clinics and blood services. Add to the 850 beds of hospital and thousands of out patient services, it is one of the larger hospitals in the country.

On the approach to the Tecumseh parkade is The Manitoba Buddhist Temple. While it seems incongruous, there are a lot of faith places nearby.

A lot of road construction has been on active transportation and bike paths run down Bannatyne and as seen here in the picture, McDermot. While it is possible to ride your park, it is altogether a different things to safely lock up your bike. It is one of the most frequent things stolen and this is with good locks.

It can happen anywhere in the city but for those who might want to ride to work and park outside at HSC, it is a risk that even with a double lock and one wheel taken off, you still might lose your bike. We need security parking areas and garages.

It is one of the reasons I don't like having my bike out of my site.

The McDermot Avenue Baptist Church is just across the street from hospital. It is a lovely well maintained church and cared for houses on the street.

Still amazed at a temple in front of a large parkade.

Along Notre Dame west of the hospital has been an illegal parking lot for near 15 years. How do we know it is illegal? Well, the city planning department itself describes it as such. 

There were buildings here and at some point they were knocked down. It became a gravel lot and charged $65 a month for parking. No landscaping save for a fence and and light. A violation of zoning and it existed year after year because that is what the city does. It lets it happen. 

Well finally, the owner of the land has come up with a plan. It is before zoning now and has a three or four floor mixed use building with commercial on the first floor consisting of two medical clinics and a planned convenience store. Above that will be apartments.

It sounds like a good project but it is another example of the city allowing land hoarding and parking for decades with no site improvements while owners plead that they do have a plan. This has been an illegal parking lot for years. It is depressing.

The only way for neighbourhoods to be reclaimed is to stop illegal use of property. It hurts everyone when rules are broken. I can only imagine property owner here has been seeing less revenue as the pandemic hit and now they act.

The city should ensure that zoning approval here makes this property full utilized.

Notre Dame as a street has some residential, commercial and some industrial uses all side by side. It has a number of ethnic groups who have clubs and cultural centers on it. And it has had some restaurant firsts on it.

Little Nana's Italian restaurant is in the historic Beverley Block. It is interesting to see how the street will evolve. One and two floor buildings predominate but as with the parking lot mentioned above turning into mixed use, one wonders what change could be coming in next ten years.

The squat building in front of the parkade is an administrative building alongside a surface parking lot. A surface parking lot across the street exists to serve Health Sciences Centre as well. And so it goes. Buildings come down and lots go up and street life suffers and the lots run illegally or with minimal standards.

Off in the distance the new Manitoba Clinic takes over the old Shell gas station. There are some amazing views from the windows. The clinic investment is an indication how important the doctors thought keeping their position near the Health Sciences Centre was.

Old bank buildings converted to union offices. A nurse's local is further down. With a population bigger than a small town, the needs of the hospital and the university campus that is part of it are great. And after all these years, they are still figuring things out.

I was posting pictures and comments about the city while blogging years before I did so on Twitter. Most blogs have discontinued because long form writing is tough and not always permissible with jobs or life. Most migrated to Twitter and some on closed limited sites on Facebook. I think Twitter's immediacy is it's strength but it lacks context as no one gets the background from two paragraphs. Effort has to be made before understanding can happen. 

Worse, it is so easy to be manipulated or to manipulate with misinformation. I probably kept on with it during the pandemic longer because I was suffering. And to that end, some good people were met. But it is probably not the best format for me going forward.

To those that I didn't thank or say good bye too, you have my gratitude and my compliments. Hope you all do well and have the best life.

As for my blog, it is my thoughts and not the final word on anything. But it is a conversation not a place for abuse. I won't engage in that.