Bisons of Roblin Boulevard

We've always been pretty good at public art even the abstract and popular kind. In 2005, the Bears of Broadway art installation took place and 62 polar bear statues were put up. Many of those statues exist today in various parts of the city as beloved pieces. 

In 2025, a new popular art installation is taking place and 26 painted bisons have taken residence on Roblin Boulevard. 

The bisons are painted as a fundraising for kids called Bisons on the Boulevard in support of Toba Centre for Children and Youth, an organization is support of kids and family recovering from abuse.

The bisons are painted on both sides so it is worthwhile to observe if you are on foot. From the road, they are a stunning addition from the park entrance, past the zoo. Statues are on both sides of the road.

Signs at the base and posted beside the bisons give the name of the work and the arts as well as the sponsor.

Winnipeggers love art and the bisons are already a beloved part of a visit to the park and the zoo. 

The artists really used a lot of colour in their work.

For those walking know that the ground could be sloped or close to the curb.

The ground could also be wet.

In other words, there is no sidewalk where many of the bison are on the north side.

I had to watch for traffic as many drivers were distracted and I was pretty much on the curb.

Off in the distance the start of the bisons at Assiniboine Park gates.

It is possible to see all 26 bison up close but it may be a longer walk for some kids. And as mentioned is not exactly set up for strollers.

Assiniboine Park has a fair amount of art in it which is good. The Leo Mol sculpture garden is amazing. From time to time there can be controversy. Case in point is Queen Victoria being toppled and decapitated. There may have been a case to remove it but it is never good to vandalize art.

I'm unsure how long the bisons will be out. There are still a few polar bears around from 2005.

I only got to so many bisons this time. I will take pics of more next time.

I expect people will have a few visits for these bisons and I will take more pictures as there are so many to see.

New Charleswood Sign

It went up just before Christmas 2024 but the final plantings in front were done in last month or so. This is the fourth version of the sign and the third to keep the Suburb Beautiful slogan. 

Charleswood has been experiencing some building south near Ridgewood and some more density along some of its major roads. However, the suburb continues to be one of ditches and roads resembling a small town that what might be seen in some other areas of the city.
 

Boardwalk Burgers Fries Shakes Now Open in Charleswood

Charleswood has long stretches where there is not much in the way of commercial development. As such, it is a bit of a drive for grocery, pharmacy and restaurants. The Safeway in the Charleswood Mall and the No Frills in the Westdale area along with some Shopper's Drug Marts are it. Residents have to go further afield for other stores. And so it is for restaurants.

There are just not a lot of spots for any commercial development in all of Charleswood. It is largely a sleeper suburb of Winnipeg. Opportunity arose when No Frills Charleswood had a renovation. It created three spaces for other businesses either side of the entrance to the grocery store. In one of those spaces between the Liquor Mart and No Frills, a 1,690 square foot restaurant went up. That restaurant called Boardwalk Burgers Fries Shakes is totally new to the Winnipeg market.

Boardwalk, started in 1981 in Maryland and had grown to 750 locations worldwide with 22 of them being in Canada.  There are six more locations coming in Canada. Known for their lightly salted fries and a variety of shakes, Boardwalk is consider a mid-priced alternative to the higher priced burgers elsewhere and a step up from the big chains. The Cheema family and around six employees have the franchise in Winnipeg and quietly opened May 25 with an official opening in July.

The 6650 Roblin retail area has slowly transformed into a mix of housing, retail and offices. It hasn't always been easy. Resistance to any change around the area has been fierce. Any multi-unit housing has been painfully slow to come on stream. The Charleswood Condos went up only after a decade of being an empty field. The renovations to No Frills was mostly painless and the result is an insurance outlet and a new restaurant. The third space remains ready to lease.

Long time landlords are realizing they have to spruce up their properties and right size them for the market. Charleswood is no different. Space is needed but hard to come up. And the space offered sometimes is far too big. It was one of the reasons why some spaces in places like Osborne Village were so hard to lease. Landlord refused to subdivide and subsequently, the space went unused until this year where Basil's used to be. Today, two restaurants are being built where one once was.

Charleswood residents now have a place to go that is local to them and will likely see a few people come from farther away just to try out Boardwalk.

The Seniors Residences of Oakdale

In 2021 many residents of Charleswood protested this 55+ housing development. While all agreed housing was needed for the area, the residents just didn't want it near them. The housing now approved against many of those wishes can be seeing al the William R. Clement Parkway, the road running from river to Grant and ending at the dogpark.

As seen in the above illustration, there are three apartment building being built. The tallest at 7 storeys is closest to the road. with two more apartments in a U shape beside it. One of them closer to the road and the other less so. The parking lot is in the middle. There will be 270 units altogether.

At the corner of Oakdale and Grant there are already four multi-unit apartments, one facing right out to Grant. There were objections to those as well. However, Oakdale Drive remains largely a quiet Charleswood street with very large houses and sprawling properties. 

The William R. Clement Parkway connects Grant to Roblin and extends to the Charleswood Bridge. The roadway runs through the old city owned Charleswood Golf Course which has extensive forested areas, especially on the west side. Despite how many cars are taking the parkway, it is has mature as well as newly planted trees, pedestrian crossings and walk and bike paths everywhere. The streets running parallel to the parkway are decidedly low density.

Charleswood has very low rise apartments along some of its busier roads. Across from the Charleswood Mall are several apartments that are actually taller than three floors. Most of the places built are more than 30 and even 40 years old. Newer places for seniors with mobility issues or wanting other amenities are nowhere to be found. A three floor walk up is just not what a senior with bad knees needs to wants.

A property held by a religious group with a large parking lot became available. There are some who wanted it divided into four or five large house lots with enormous back yards. This would have been wholly a poor use for the size of the property. Even a very active church would have had detractors on the street. It seemed inevitable that the land would be looked at for multi-unit housing.

Generally, there is resistance to any change in a neighbourhood. Even changing colour of a house can be disruptive. If it wasn't in the neighbourhood initially, a lot of people don't want it. It is why places like Bridgwater have multi-unit housing right from the start. No one complains because they were there when the detached houses were built.

The Charlewood Active Living Centre which was in need of a new home will be locating within the facility. They will occupy 4000 square feet in Building B which will serve between 500-600 members. The residents of Oakdale will have access to the facility. Presumably, there will be parking for those going to the Centre. The 55+ residents of Oakdale will also have common rooms and a gym.

There will be quite a buffer of trees between Oakdale and the apartments s well as north and south of the property. Understandably, the 7 storey building is higher the tree-line perimeter but the building is it set far enough toward the road. It is clearly visible from the parkway. This does have to be a problem. There are some lovely neighbourhoods where the second or third floors can see into surrounding yards. River Heights comes to mind. Most of the city is like that. Even Charleswood with deep lots doesn't necessarily have wide lots except maybe on Oakdale.

If you were to have a choice on types of housing that would nearby a 55+ apartment would be top of the list. Having retired or near retirement people living nearby means they don't keep the same work hours as the 9 to 5 crowd. No school bus coming to pick up kids at the apartment. The McDonald's at the mall is likely to have seniors there drinking coffee early morning. The traffic on Oakdale is probably going to less geared to rush hour.

As for Charleswood residents, a 55+ apartment gives them a choice when a they reach an age where the detached house is just too big and too much. Presently, people in the area don't have a lot of choices or none at all. They often have to move way out of the the neighbourhood to places like Tuxedo. It is only then that some realize just how hard it is to stay in the area you might have lived for 30 or more years.

It is likely not going to take very long for the importance of this housing will be in the neighbourhood. Oakdale itself will remain a very desirable street to live on and it not likely the majority will notice any real traffic problems. The fears that the street would be ruined by loss of the golf course were assuaged by the handiness of using the parkway and having traffic stop using the other side streets. Likewise, getting the Charleswood Bridge made the neighbourhood more convenient rather than less convenient.

The city desperately needs more apartment and especially in areas like Charleswood where the population is nearing or is at retirement. The developer paved the road from the entrance of the apartment out to Grant and did other improvements totalling $2.5 million to persuade council to approve. They added a new sidewalk and made sewer improvements. In all, council got the developer to do what was needed to not have the city on the hook later. 

It takes far too long for developments to get built. Some have delays as long as ten years that seem confounding. It is not difficult to see that this new 55+ apartment will have a line-up of new residents wanting to move in. It was also open up detached housing for those unwilling to move until they had this option available. They get to remain in their beloved, safe and green neighbourhood.

Pizza Express and Submarine Returns to Winnipeg

After 20 years Brandon-based Pizza Express and Submarine has returned to Winnipeg and had taken up residence in old Charleswood at the site of the former Carbone Coal Fired Pizza along Roblin Boulevard.

As posted earlier just down Roblin Charleswood Pizza Depot just opened in the former Little Caesar's. It is a tough business but people are looking for something different and while Pizza Depot has a taste of southeast Asia, Pizza Express and Submarines has both pizza and subs.

Pizza Express and Submarine got its start in Brandon with Vasilarakis family. Working in pizza restaurants till they owned their own in 1982, they turned Pizza Express and Submarine into a western Manitoba fave,

In 1990 in the first incarnation of Pizza Express came to Winnipeg. The Portage location won over customers with Greek pizza fare and submarines. This led to another location on St. Mary's Road. However, by 1998 it was all over and an offer to purchase and a desire to be back with family and their original store and it was back to Brandon. And for years no more Pizza Express in Winnipeg till now.

The family has now grown up and the opportunity to operate in Winnipeg once more was a siren call. It is likely Charleswood is a good place to recapture the west part of the city again.

The pandemic and inflation has been a tough market to survive in but the job market remains resilient and the entrepreneurial spirit of people appears strong. Only a few vacancies exist in Charleswood which should attest to the business and restaurants needed in the area.

Charleswood Pizza Depot

After many years as an outpost of Little Caesar's in Charleswood, a change to the strip mall across from Laxdal came mid January of 2023. It was the only location in the Charleswood/Tuxedo location. The chain is in no danger of going out of business in Winnipeg with under two dozen locations spread across the city.

In it's place a Canadian chain is going up founded by Ranjit Mahil, an immigrant from India with a degree in chemistry. In 1992, when he found it hard to get a job in his field, he delivered pizza and eventually got a franchise himself. By 2017, Mahil knew the ins and out of the industry but felt that to be distinct, he would add flavours of India and southeast Asia. Adding store franchises each year in Ontario and Alberta, the concept arrived in Winnipeg with location on Molson, Mandalay and Main Street. Roblin Blvd in Charleswood will be the fourth location.

The opening was attended by Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal MP and covered by the Indian Canadian media.

Charleswood has shown a penchant for different dining experiences in recent years with Japanese, Chinese and fine dining mixed in with well known franchises for fast and casual dining restaurants. But Indian is now starting to expand into suburbs offering well known North American fare with a south Asian twist.

With so many pizza restaurants in Winnipeg, the ability to stand out is a compelling one. And butter chicken pizza could become a favourite for those in Charleswood.

Civic Election Debate 2022 - Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood/St. James Debate

 

Kudos to Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce and to the Holiday Inn Airport West for sponsoring and hosting the candidate debates for for two city council wards at the same time.

Video of the whole event is here:

https://www.facebook.com/AssiniboiaChamberMB/

Each ward had 5 candidates for the open seats left by Scott Gillingham in St. James and Kevin Klein in Charleswood. However, only four candidates each came. Word was Covid kept someone away although that was not conveyed in any announcement

A big hall was needed for those in attendance. Thanks to Holiday Inn Airport West. People were truly needing a final look at before deciding who to vote for. Certainly, I was in that category.

I voted the last next day after the debate based on what I heard and saw. Election day is Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

The format let each candidate have a few minutes before and after to make statements about who they were and why they were running. After a moderator, covered a host of topics from crime, to taxes. I will let people judge from their own viewing of the event if they are undecided.

Brad Gross was absent from the Charleswood side. Shawn Dobson was absent from the St. James side. It has not been easy finding details on candidates and I have tried. I have received flyers, I have checked out the community papers and I have searched online. I have not seen a lot on policy and this is what the debate tried to inform the public on.

Candidates who have been slow to release policy, donor info or were late getting to people at the door will find that thousands of people have already voted. And it might not be for them. Those running come from varied backgrounds but there have been several community activists and volunteers, a number of those who followed the Freedom slate of ideas, former candidates, business people. And as far as council, sadly, no women.

Like a lot of people at the debate, I wanted to hear policy. Moreover, there was a hunger to hear workable policies. Beyond the introduction, some candidates did get into policies and stated where they stood on tax. Some had innovative ideas but there were some focused on narrow areas. Experience campaigner were able to get their points across more clearly. Those that stood got more attention than those that sat.

There was a criticism in the St. James side about a candidate who works for IKEA. The association of of the person to the corporation's store location and sprawl was an unexpected spark of criticism. Candidates did interject on policy statements but that was an attack based on where a person works. 

On the point of IKEA, their land development was a brownfield redevelopment, The land was industrial. They paid for the intersection changes at Sterling Lyon and Kenaston. They built sidewalks when the city built none. The Outlet Collections Mall included a bus loop and residential development was included in the overall plan and non-stop housing has been built the last 10 years. IKEA itself has the most advanced geo-thermal plant. More housing has gone up at a former railyard and value added to the tax base inside city limits than almost any place else in the city. They are a $100 million business here and prior to arriving, people from the province ordered from the catalogue and had it shipped. There are 400 full and part-time workers employed.

 

IKEA doesn't owe any apologies to anyone in Winnipeg. And no one working there does either. If only every mall built the last 50 years included that much housing. The mall could easily be in Headingley.

There was some talk on infill which has been an issue in the city. IKEA above could be considered retail and residential infill. Certainly Kapyong will be infill of a military base. One candidate said there should be a three floor limit on Charleswood multi-unit development. Sadly, that likely won't be enough for those aging in the community to remain there. Is it is wonder they are moving to Seasons of Tuxedo?

On the issue of crime, there was a lot of talk of prevention, addiction and poverty. With two candidates from Justice and police, there was some interesting talk on reform and budget in that area.

Audience questions were written in and we were told that an email would come back with candidate responses. In my case, it will be too late. Based on the information I did have, I voted already.

Here is how I came to my decision on my vote:

What was the driving force that led them to running?

What connection did the candidate have to the ward?

What was their grasp of the issues?

Did they seem to be able to articulate a vision?

Did they seem to have the temperament to be in office?

Every election there are candidates for mayor, council and trustee who fall into categories unfit for office. One of those is the candidate that is there to get publicity for their brand. Prime example of that is Donald Trump who even his admirers know was there as much for his business brand and to make money. We had a mayor like that in Winnipeg.

Without guardrails, such a person in office will always run afoul of where their interests lay and where the public's lay.

Another type of candidate is the one that doesn't start in the mail room but believes they are are suited for the CEO's office.  Now, not everyone needs to work their way up from trustee to premier. But there ought to be an indication of life and work experience that might suggest a higher position. For example, Brian Bowman had no Council experience when he ran. But the feeling was that his job as a lawyer and life experience along with his platform was suitable for mayor. Even still, his lack of experience led him into political traps that any Council experience would have informed him on. Case in point: Portage and Main.

Another type of candidate is the one where Council seat is her first step to being Prime Minister. We have seen short term people move right on up including former mayor Glenn Murray.

Lastly, there is the firebrand candidate. We have a few Freedom Convoy types running, we have a few pro-Labour or pro-Commerce types, we have some special interest types running. We seem to have a few people running who would like to get into culture warfare. Invariably, this seems to be a recipe for fighting all the time. 

If one thing was clear, the Charleswood and St. James wards seem to want someone to commit to longer than 4 years, who knows the ward well, who is engaged in policy, can work well with others and is approachable.

I can't really vote for candidates I haven't seen or heard much from. In St. James, former Councillor Shawn Dobson seems to have the lead in signs. But I don't know his policies except he has talked about potholes a lot. For those in Charleswood, Brad Gross probably needed to do more to make people aware of him and what made him the best candidate.

I voted in St. James ward. There were four trustee candidates. One of them was caught on a Ring camera and was going through the mailbox. Not good and not easily explained. The other three were either incumbents or new and seemed intent to do the job of trustee. I voted for them. 

For council, I saw a few people running in St. James who were earnest, educated and community minded. Given that I think that crime is a leading issue, I considered police and changes in policing to be critical. For that reason and because of much experience in the Winnipeg Police, I voted for Tim Diack. He talked police reform and I think his knowledge there is unmatched.

For mayor, I looked at a number issues. Three of the present candidates, I have voted for in a number of elections in the past. However, I look at a host of things that had me evaluate this election if I could vote for them again. With inflation as big an issue this year as it is, with a number of collective bargaining agreements about to be decided and with infrastructure such as water and sewer and roads needing to be fixed, I looked at any tax freeze as possibly a double digit cut in city spending. Even committing to a 2% rise with inflation means an 8% cut.

Some candidates for mayor were not being candid about what cuts they were about to make. Or realistic they could cut wages or benefits and run afoul of the law. Again. And making proposals that depend of the province making your dreams come true is unrealistic. And while there will be federal money every year, it won't pay for all city functions.

I like Shaun Loney quite a bit but feel he is going to run smack right into fights because of other Councillors. Being able to work with Council is not overrated. It is an imperative. I am not completely happy with my pick and not even sure if he will win but I voted for Scott Gillingham. But I did think his proposal on taxes was most realistic even if I think there is no predicting on tri-level government support of his idea of Peguis and Kenaston expansion. Let's just say that is a while lot of negotiation still to happen.

Lastly, I can't vote in Charleswood but lived there many years and after attending the debate, I can say Evan Duncan is exactly the person that you like to see in office. His Justice experience, his long time community involvement and disposition overall should make him a valued member of City Council.

So to review, I voted for:

Mayor: Scott Gillingham

Councillor: Tim Diack

Trustees: Rachelle Wood, Craig Glennie, Michael Cabral

I'm just one voter. If you are more progressive, more conservative or want radical change or no change, you might choose someone different.

Whoever wins, I wish them well. And those not successful this time, remember that many candidates who did not succeed in being elected at some point often were elected some other time.

Renovations of Grocery Stores all Over Winnipeg- Charleswood

Even as the pandemic continues, it seem every grocer has been renovating. The need for pick up and collect, delivery and other service needs is undeniable. Walmarts took over their auto sections to make way for this service and almost every other grocer/merchandiser is doing the same. Safeway/Sobeys and Real Canadians Superstore/Extra Foods had too much redundancy in the market and too much corporate exposure to newcomers Red River Co-Op Grocery and Save on Foods. Hence, the conversions all over the city to Fresco for some Safeway/Sobey's locations and some No Frills for Extra Foods locations. 

Charleswood Safeway in the picture is getting a makeover inside and out. Most Safeways have had alterations inside for their produce areas as well as deli but many have not had the full exterior and interior work we have seen going on nearly everywhere. Tuxedo Safeway is also going through it.

Red River Co-Op Grocery has new buildings going up at Seasons of Tuxedo and St. Norbert. There probably won't be a grocer that hasn't had a makeover by spring. And at that time, we might be out of the pandemic but will we have created new habits of click and collect or delivery.

Food prices have spiked and it has been bad but hopefully, a lot of of competition into the new year will see Winnipeg benefit in having better prices. A vaccine can't come soon enough.

University of Winnipeg - The Early Days

The above picture is from 1926 and shows the present University of Winnipeg Collegiate and behind it Sparling Hall. In the time of the photo, it the building fronting Portage Avenue was Wesley College. The building was built in 1894-95 and is one of the Canada's historic buildings and remains an integral part of the University of Winnipeg campus. The building behind is Sparling Hall but at time of construction was called the Annex. It took the name of J.W. Sparling, the founding principal of Wesley College. He would die the year Sparling Hall was built.

Portage Avenue was not very busy with cars in 1926. The stretch of retail on the north side consisted book stores, pharmacists, hardware stores and the like. Angle parking was the norm on the street. Streetcar lines are in the middle of the road.

Wesley College's founding was 1888 and several students were taught in Grace Church till money was raised and construction began on property that was acquired on Portage Avenue. Manitoba College, Wesley College's some time competitor/sometime partner was founded in 1871 and in 1882, built on Ellice Street, kitty corner to what would be Wesley College 12 years later. Manitoba College would eventually be sold to St. Paul's College when Manitoba finally joined Wesley College. The site presently is home to under utilized research laboratories of the National Research Council built in 1985 with a second lab built later 2006.

The former Manitoba College in 1932 which St. Paul's High school beside. The buildings would gall to the wrecking ball in 1964 after St. Paul's College went to the Fort Garry Campus of the University of Manitoba and St. Paul High School would go to Charleswood. The land thereafter law fallow for decades.

The picture above shows the United College (Manitoba and Wesley Colleges) in 1948 right in the middle along Portage Avenue. The Hudson Bay Company store built in 1926 in seen on the right side. Immediately above on the top of the picture are the grounds of St. Paul's College and St. Paul's High School (formerly Manitoba College).

United College shows an enormous field behind it that was used for a variety of sports such a soccer and football. It also had a baseball diamond.

Here is the field looking northward from Wesley College in the 1920s. Quite the baseball game going going on.

Cork and Flame Coming to St. James

It has been a while since the Nook and Cranny restaurant shut down in St. James. It was a second location for The Nook on Sherbrook with some added features such as a lounge. Around 2011 The Nook St. James opened but in the ever tough hospitality industry closed quietly last year. St. James is littered with some closed restaurant locations. Robin's, Mandarin and Gasthaus Gutenberg have all shuttered and remain closed.

The Nook and Cranny itself took over for the long running Schmeckers which had two locations and was the master of late nights for many years. The Big Schmeck would take a good long time to eat even for the ravenous. As for The Cranny, it seemed to be busy but running a restaurant is a seven days a week, at least two meals operation. And if you have a lounge, it means longer hours. It is backbreaking.

A sign along Portage Avenue says that Cork and Flame is coming soon. It has been up for a number of weeks now and contractor work vehicles have been outside all the time. The big trend lately for Winnipeg restaurants is a grill and it has seen some places in Charleswood transformed.

No word yet but will look to see the 350+ restaurant putting in the signage and opening soon.

Master's of London and Control Escape Close in Charleswood

Master's of London has ads up in the news and in their windows that the store is closing. It was the store that took over the Charleswood Department Store's site after the owner passed away after decades in business. The owners of Master's were not new to retail either. They had owned stores in other locations such as Tuxedo and Grant Park for years before moving onto Roblin Boulevard in Old Charleswood.

It is not certain why the business is closing but suffice to say that retail is tough and the right location in one place might not be the right location elsewhere. The sale continues but suspect the actual door closing could be soon.

Another Charleswood business to close is Control Escape, one of the city ubiquitous escape rooms.

If anyone was thinking that the city might be hitting maximum amount of escape rooms this was probably an indication. It did not even make a year in their location right beside the Co-Op gas.

Old Charleswood had nearly come to fully leased in the past year but now their gaps. Lowey Insurance recently took the opportunity to expand into the retail store beside it. And one chiropractor business closed only to be replaced by another.

It will be interesting to see what goes up where Master's of London is. It is awkwardly placed and may not be the best spot for a large retail or restaurant business. The time might have come to subdivide it.