What Makes Winnipeg Great?

A lot of focus has been on the negative aspects of Winnipeg both in mainstream media and social media. Sometimes that results in very public announcements of people leaving or commenting about how happy they are since they left. Every now and again, there is someone who says just how much they love about this city or how glad they moved here.

Geographically, Winnipeg at the center of the country has been an important aspect of its attractiveness for business, cultural gatherings and shelter. The rivers were the key aspect of that growth but it was when the railways came that the city's development took off. It sometimes comes as a shock when people learn that Winnipeg was once the third largest city in Canada until the Panama Canal was built in 1913.

Ports by the sea or with access to the sea have always been attractive places for commerce as well as places to live. Steamboats travelled all the way from Winnipeg to St. Paul Minnesota and back again. However, the rivers were shallow, winding and frozen part of the year. After 50 years, railways changed all that. And all rails led to and ran from Winnipeg.

The dynamic of trade changed as well from north to south. The Canadian Pacific meant east to west travel exploded and those railways lines continued to help the city prosper although cargo, rather than passengers were the big economic driver. Air and road service became the other important developments. The first international flight in North America was from Minneapolis to Winnipeg.

Early boosterism in Winnipeg and Manitoba in general was about land. The flat plains of the Red River Valley and the rivers that met at The Forks were ideal for commerce and travel. It is what made the city great. The trails that grew from settlements that expanded from the forts became the next great thing for the city's growth. While the first fort was built near the Red and Assiniboine, the first business independent of the Hudson Bay Company decided to open at the corner of the Portage and Main oxcart paths in 1862. The province had not even been formed yet.

Nothing really except for the land and the resources gave indication of how great Winnipeg would be. It was a harsh climate at any time of the year. Literally everything had to be brought in by boat or trail because the land was was not providing in abundance for a rapidly increasing population. And even the indigenous population was one that followed game north to sound across the seasons.

The permanent settlements were one of hardship due to extreme temperatures, flooding, insects and disease. The fifty years of transport by water or trail was slow going in terms of development. Funnily enough, the first locomotive arrived in Winnipeg via steamboat. It began the longest era of greatness with explosive growth from 1879 through to 1913. Thereafter, growth was still propelled by railway but not as the boom levels once seen. The building of the Panama Canal meant that traffic could bypass the railway and arrive by ship in Vancouver. Everything didn't have to pass through Winnipeg anymore.

Given the traffic back and forth to Pembina, North Dakota and beyond via steamboat and then rail, it is only the the coming of the Canadian Pacific Rail that re-arranged the dynamic of east to west than south to north. This took place in 1881 when the railway and bridge over the Red River brought huge amounts of people to the city. At least Winnipeg was incorporated by 1874 and had street planning and a nascent business community ready to go. Still, the growth was beyond crazy. Literally thousands of people poured into the city and then out to the country and to the new territories to the west.

All this made Winnipeg great because the economy and fortunes were on an upward trajectory. Still, the Panama Canal in 1913 and World War I a year later in 1914 cut Winnipeg off from capital and immigration as the war ground on year after year. Add to this the Spanish Influenza and the Great Depression and you had a few generations dead to disease and war. And to cap it off World War II took another generation of young people in terms of death and injury.

One effect of the war was a level of industrialization and new population growth that lasted from 1945 to 1970. Many of the largest present-day companies like Manitoba Hydro, Canada Life (Great-West Life) and New Flyer and others grew out of this post-war industrialization. Many family run businesses grew and prospered. Even through the 1970s, Winnipeg was larger than Calgary and Edmonton but oil would soon change that.

Oil crashes in 1973 and 1979 along with inflation and a stagnant economy slowed growth, By 1980, Winnipeg was going through massive layoffs.  Even during this painful time economically, Winnipeg benefitted from a diverse workforce, tree-lined streets, good schools and a cultural vitality. Even during tough times new festivals were created, new school programs were introduced, new professional leagues of sports started and so on. This is an important thing to point out to those who might think that nothing was going on in the city. 

The diversity of the Winnipeg economy and stability of  it made it a fairly good place to raise a family. It was too easy to take for granted our universities and colleges that churned out graduates that became leading Canadian citizens in a multitude of fields. And many of the family businesses grew each decade to become national and international players. 

Winnipeg is still a leading destination for immigration. The province with its provincial nominee program has gone out and found people to come here and has jobs for them. Each decade has added to the depth of the population as well as the rich tapestry of shops, restaurants and businesses.

Winnipeg has had a long time reputation has been a tough city. Crime has long been listed as a problem. Still, anyone who knows the city is aware it isn't the entire city rife with violence. Crime has been coming down the last two years according to reports but it probably doesn't feel like it for those watching crimes take place in stores, buses and the like.

What makes the city great has been the citizen driven initiatives to help on addictions, housing and poverty. There have been shelters built, rehab centres, lower income housing and foundational support for programming and education. It has pushed governments to act as well. United Way Winnipeg punches above its weight in fundraising. The Winnipeg Foundation and other endowments donate as much as the United Way. But it has been a hard year for many charities that still have not recovered from the pandemic just as demand as increased so much.

Still, the thing that makes Winnipeg great is that the city continues to adapt and grow. It has had good times and bad times but not end times. There communities all over Canada with declining populations as people move elsewhere. Winnipeg is not one of them although the fastest growing areas in the suburbs and metropolitan area. This spreading of population is not sustainable economically. It is why attempts to do infill such as Seasons of Tuxedo are transforming former industrial land.

It is great to see parts of Winnipeg have a second coming. The East Yards, Fort Rouge Yards and Tuxedo Yards have all been converted to commercial and residential uses. The density in the city as well as most of the country has dropped as suburban and exurban residential growth has exploded. The fact industrial and parking space is being repurposed is very good. True North Square was built atop a parking lot. Portage Place is being converted to Pan Am Clinic and residential units.

The year 2026 is to be determined but a lot of projects started earlier will be completed or near completion in the new year. A lot of initiatives on addiction, housing and poverty will also be well underway. The trick this time is not to take breaks as we have in the past because things like homelessness and rising rent is in part a capacity and programming failure. Winnipeg went years without adding any rental units or put roadblocks so long that it took years to get anything built. 

Winnipeg in a fit of urban pride once had a campaign called One Great City which its own citizens mocked in song and commentary. However, on a all too frequent basis we do things that are great and make the city great. We can't rest on our laurels though but it is important to see the greatness from time to time.