Fort Garry Legion to Close

Two world wars and the Korean War resulted in over a million men and women who had put on a uniform in Canada. The first veteran organizations started in 1917 and by 1925. they had merged into one national organization across Canada in Winnipeg. Branches were created coast to coast with buildings in the heart of many communities. It was in 1960, that Queen Elizabeth bestowed Royal to the Canadian legions and they probably enjoyed their greatest membership in the decades after World War II. Somehow they survived Prohibition, the Depression, additional wars and Covid 19. However, the aging veteran and family supports have taken their toll.

Legion buildings are aging in very much the same way that veterans are. Fundraising has always been tough to keep operations going. Alcohol, VLT and hall rentals have been the fuel that has kept doors open over the years. In recent years though, alcohol sales have faltered and the membership has gotten older and have moved or passed away. Success in the past was a younger working population that came in for memories, a drink and events.

Alcohol is just not an area that young people are drawn to in recent years. Bars and restaurant lounges are struggling because of this massive change. And so it goes with union halls and legions. The Royal Canadian Legion 90 was a Fort Garry gathering spot along Pembina Highway. The Pembina Hotel, the Cambridge Hotel and now the Legion are all gone. There is very little on Pembina that could be classified as a "watering hole" because people don't gather to drink together nearly as much.

The Fort Garry branch began in 1917 as the Great War Veterans Association when Fort Garry was truly a rural municipality. The University of Manitoba was in the middle of farm fields and had it's own police force. In 1947, the Legion was built at Pembina and Windermere. It was a time when veterans such as my grandfather were returning from the war and building in Fort Garry. He built in 1949 in Wildwood Park.

My grandfather never did join a Legion. Not everyone did. But they were important neighbourhood touchstones and meeting places. My grandfather was more a force at Wildwood Community Club. And so it went with the Greatest Generation after WWII. Over 700,000 returning vets spread out across Canada to build the nation we have now.

A drive down Pembina Highway today would probably have my grandfather noting the missing landmarks. In the last five years it has been a remarkable amount of gathering places knocked down. In 2022, The Fort Garry Legion accepted an offer to sell their property and building for an apartment development. The growing repair bills on their old location and the decline in membership had the Legion consider a new building on the other side of the underpass near Stafford and Pembina. The old location was turned into a 6 storey apartment building called The Point.

The new location was in a former Pizza Hut that had originally opened in 1986 but closed around 2019. A renovation made it suitable for the Legion but the aging population, decline in membership and a general move downward on alcohol consumption has had hotels, bars and restaurants struggling. The Legion once at 1500 members but the number has dropped down to 300. Legions no longer require memberships but that message is hard to deliver at all locations.

The merger between South Osborne and Pembina is a practical solution to the issue of how to keep Royal Canadian Legions going. Pembina Highway is a very narrow band of commercial activity from the Jubilee Underpass to the Perimeter Highway. New apartments are going up with retail on ground floors. The one thing missing nearly all the way down are community halls of any kid. Even the churches could be pushed out at this pace. There is some indication that the South Osborne Legion is adapting a little more to changes and on a street that still has a very community feel about it. A fresh injection of members could keep the two groups stronger. As for Pembina Highway, it remains to be seen what it will look like in ten years but it is happening fast.

Cricket Fields Open at LaBarriere Park

 

LaBarriere Park is outside city limits but is a city of Winnipeg park. It is a legacy of Metro Winnipeg acquired park space they deemed important to the history of the region. There was no Unicity at the time. That didn't come until 1972 and the city of Winnipeg simply took ownership of LaBarriere and that continues to this day.

The park was set side to honor Louis Riel who had set up a barrier on the Pembina Trail in 1869 to stop envoy William McDougal from the east entry to the Red River Settlement. The Metis controlled much of the territory and would not roll over to the imminent transfer of Rupert's Land from the Hudson Bay Company to Canada. 

Preventing McDougal from getting to Fort Garry meant the government of Canada had to negotiate with the Metis. The stance meant that Manitoba came into confederation in 1870 as a province of Canada. As old as Riel's struggle in Manitoba is, it is not older than the cricket in the province.

The North-West Cricket Club began in 1864 making it one of the oldest organized sports in Canada. It would seem only fitting that cricketers would have cricket fields established in such an historic park. As perhaps the fastest growing sport in the province, the desire to build more sports facilities was paramount. Prior to 2018, the best known pitch to play on was on the south lawn in front of the pavilion at Assiniboine Park. A few other pitches were also in the city nut with ever growing interest, the need for an actual facility grew.

Players from the Carribbean, Indian and other communities were held back by the availability of land and the costs to build. With only nine pitches, most not regulation size, players were left trying to do what they could, where they could. The Manitoba Cricket Association had about 2000 players to figure out how to schedules for and find facilities. To make matters worse, the Assiniboine Park pitch was undergoing upgrading so the need was even greater.

Meanwhile, LaBarriere Park was sitting at the end of Waverley often neglected. The low lying bridge across the LaSalle was under water a lot of the time till finally there was no choice but to replace it. The washrooms were falling apart. They were locked overnight in favour of outhouses. The parking lot was always problematic for break-ins. And if those happened, you had to call the RCMP because the park was outside city limits. The former Park Police and later security were only responsible for locking and unlocking the gates. 

The house outside the park and just in front of the city owned Camp Amisk was the park caretakers house. Yes, indeed, the city rented a house for an onsite park caretaker. The city has upwards of five to six staff assigned to the park 7 days a week from spring to fall and the park caretaker the rest of the years plus regular snow removal. While there are washrooms, for years in winter the pit toilets were in use. Camp Amisk itself was pit toilet and still is to my knowledge.

At just under 350 acres inside the dike but just outside city limits, the park didn't get the same love that Kildonan and Assiniboine did. No conservatory for LaBarriere. No flower gardens. Just natural river bottom forest stretching out along the LaSalle River. A few picnic areas that can be booked as well as a couple of baseball fields. Back in the 1980s, Eaton's and Sears would have their company picnics and softball games on and it attracted thousands. There were real battles between the two defunct department stores as the baseball diamonds were first come, first serve.

As the city began to allocate less and less attention to some parks such as LaBarrier. Other parks were getting donations of theatres, sculptures and programming while the park at the end of the city got torn up by gopher holes and less frequent grass cutting and painting. It was probably one too many flooding of the bridge and boat launch and the loss of so many trees to disease that began to get the attention of some councillors.

Eventually, money was set aside for new washrooms to replace the decrepit, seasonal washrooms in 2019. The previous washrooms had been built when the park was built in 1969. It is unclear if the old washrooms and pit toilets will be demolished. The washrooms cost $500,000 but were needed if there was any hope of expanding programming in the park. Covid brought out many more to outdoor parks and it seemed safer than gyms.

Meanwhile, south Winnipeg has exploded in suburban growth and where the park seemed distant for decades, it was now the closest large park to many people. The Indo-Asian people were looking for more fields for their favourite sport of cricket. In the past, the wide expanse of fields stretching along the fence line of LaBarriere were largely unused. Over the summer it could get quite hot out there as there was no trees at all. The shade was all closer to the river.  

I worked at LaBarriere for my summer job when I was a university student and saw people out in the fields rarely, When I did, it might be flying kites or sometimes using remote aircraft. People don't realize how and unrelenting it is on those open fields. It is why the Manitoba Cricket Association knew that just putting cricket fields near the parking lots and down the fence line was going to require some shade or trees. This may seem strange for people from India that have even higher temperatures in the country as a whole. But the surface temperature at LaBarriere out on those fields could reach around 60 C. This was actual recorded temperatures during the time I was working there. 

The cricket people since 2019 and been slowly building up the playing fields with bits and pieces of financing over the years amounting to $1.5 million. The full season washrooms were essential to expanded programming in the park. However, the rest of the park is need of care too. Over the decades, the trees have been ravaged by disease and bad weather. Gopher holes are a problem all over the city parks. The cricket and disc people will have to fight to make sure other areas of the park are cared for too.

Even Assiniboine Park has received federal funds for trees since so many have been lost over the years. There will be 600 trees planted over the next three years there. Truth is that every park has been devastated over the last few years from disease and in some same cases, trees being cut down for development. It is shocking how long it takes to replace trees as opposed to cutting them down.

The cricket association has been getting incremental assistance from constituency funds from Councillors. They have heard the call for years for more cricket pitches but very little has been added to recreational lands for a very long time. With the seed money given, the cricket association was able to upgrade the a section of the lands near the parking lot in 2019. Two pitches were developed along with the year round washrooms.

The deficiencies of the area were the next thing to try and resolve. The first was that demand had exploded so another pitch was needed. However, the issue of shade became very apparent. I have worked that fence line along the posts cutting grass and after two hours the heat was unbearable. I can't imagine what it is like after an afternoon in the open. It is not surprising that shade trees and shelters are part of the plan for the three pitches.

Cricket and Disc sports at LaBarriere will likely drive demand for more improvements at the park. It is a welcome change for a large and underutilized park.

Pony Corral to Close at Grant Park

Pony Corral Grant Park has had a long run of 28 years but the restaurant that took over the spot of the former Bombay Bicycle Club in 1997 could not get improvements on their leased property to continued on. The classic cars shows that ran on the property will move to their owned and operated location on Nairn. They also have their location on Pembina Highway.

For restaurant starved people of River Heights and Fort Rouge and for those wishing for a bite before or after a movie, for those wanting live music or to enjoy the classic cars on Sunday Cruise Nights, the Pony was the place to go. The Ginakes family have always staked a huge contributing effort into wrestling, classic cars and live music and it has been bestowed a love that comes from people gathering, eating and enjoying each other's company.

When the Pony Coral first moved into the corner restaurant, it shared the lot with Zellers. Then Walmart. Then Zellers again. Then Target. Then Goodlife Fitness and Canadian Tire. It seemed the only consistent thing was the Pony Coral. The Grant Park Mall has gone through a lot of changes.

The last time there was a major renovation of the restaurant was under the Bombay Bicycle Club in 1984 when they added space and re-did the interior and exterior. Before that it was Barnacle Pete's, a seafood restaurant. Even back then, the restaurant needed plumbing and sewer work and apparently still does. Today, it is need of roof repairs.

From 2000 to 2020, Pony Corral operated a restaurant downtown at 444 St. Marys Avenue in a former Keg location. The intention was to build on Donald Street but Covid put a damper on that. Oddly enough, it is The Keg that is building a Donald Street location.

There will be many people sad to see Pony Corral leave the Grant Park area. There will certainly be concern about how Sunday Cruise Night will be affected. Portage Avenue has been the site of cars cruising and while Grant Park is not super closer, it is closer than Pembina or Nairn locations. However, given the issues of cruising on Portage in recent years, perhaps a change will be good.

The restaurant business has always been a tough one but there have been a lot of closings so far. Rent is too high in some cases, restaurants are downsizing and patrons are not going out as late as they did pre-Covid. Even big national chains are still not back to full lunch service as were five years ago.

It is hard to imagine a restaurant that served so much of the community in a variety of ways besides besides serving food. They will be missed for sure. And it will be curious what comes next. It could be that only a national group like Earls or Joeys can afford that corner.

25 Station Street - Jubilee Station Apartment

The shovels in the ground are finally happening and the politician invitees were there to do the honours. The southwest transit corridor took some time to build and opened during the pandemic in 2020. It has seen a number of apartment units go up along especially where the former Fort Rouge Yards CN rail site was. This was the goal all along to create density along a former industrial area from the core to the University of Manitoba. It all started back with phase 1 for the blue line. Like all projects in the city, it took 12 years to complete. This is simply too long and if the Transcona phase takes this long, it will be some time in the 2030s when it gets done. Other routes will likely not get done or even started for decades.

A revolution in travel is not likely to have much patience with Winnipeg's timetable. Regardless of what the city plans, they will have to contend with aging infrastructure and construction inflation. Building six lanes of freeways all over the city in not practical or affordable. We have seen many neighbourhoods reject them. Meanwhile bridges like the Arlington Bridge are closed with no solution in place for its replacement or demolition.

In recent days, media has been focusing on the desperate need for housing across Canada and what has led to the shortages and meteoric rise in prices. Extremely low interest rates did nothing for curbing prices. If anything, it led to people buying larger houses, farther away and commuting everywhere. Neighbourhoods were set up to have only detached housing with no retail, commercial offices, duplexes, apartments or anything other than a house with garage facing out to the street. For some this is idyllic until they look to downsize and then they have no choice but to move out of the area they may have lived in for decades. It is possible some people dreamed of moving to a warm retreat and some do. For many though, it might be that they haven't planned for anything other than the house they are in. And that can be a problem as people age.

The reconstruction of the underpass at Jubilee and road work on Pembina and along Jubilee has been painfully long. More than two years of slow work. Even as that was going on the southwest transit corridor was being phased in. By 2020, it was all starting to shape up but the pandemic meant a lot of the housing plans slowed down due to shut downs, supply chin issues, rising interest rates and and slow zoning approval added years to getting anything built.

The Jubilee Station has had open land ready to go for some time so this week, all the politicians came to shovels ceremony for a project by Carrington Real Estate. It is a 16 storey apartment with a 3 storey townhouse right across from the bus terminal. The apartment will have 156 units and the townhouse will have 10.  The federal accelerator program is assisting housing along corridors the city and the Feds wish to see have more housing. The three year program has $122 million to be used for this type of housing. Portage Avenue is also considered for this funding.

Winnipeg really didn't see a boom on Graham when they made it into Winnipeg Transit corridor. There was some nice commercial areas along it but no  support for housing by any level of government and zero interest from the private sector. It took the True North people a multi-year effort to have housing built both north and south of Portage. Only then came some assistance but there are still huge empty gaps of surface parking.

The new apartment building will be the tallest and most significant project in that area along the Fort Rouge CN rail line. It hasn't been without it's critics. Many of those living in the area complain there is too much traffic. They have a point but there have also people who complained that it is obstructed their clear view looking west. That isn't a legitimate complaint about what was industrial land.

It was the right move to build a transit corridor along the rail line. It took far too long and the dogleg through the Parker lands has taken ten years to sort out. The apartments that were planned for it were obstructed and it took a court to tell the city they were wrong. It appears things are back on track and if construction can happen this year, it will go a significant way to reducing the chronic shortage of housing in Winnipeg.

Tomorrow's affordable housing is what goes up now and every year from now. It is about 20 years that brings stable pricing. The country can't take huge breaks in building sustainability. Zoning issues that take ten years are a scourge all over the city. Bylaws on size of house, setbacks, how many parking spaces, how many stairwell often have nothing to do with safety or aesthetics except in the most not in my yard type of view. It can be tough seeing houses being torn down for tall, for or three floor houses. However, we are seeing more and more houses reach 100 years of age. Not all in great shape. Nor are they likely to be built exactly like what was there before.

The new apartments will cost about $1300+ which isn't exactly cheap but does include utilities and WiFi. Geo-Thermal heat and cooling is part of the design. This isn't an insignificant add on. And if the residents don't have a car or only make do with a car co-op, they could see substantial savings. A lot of renters could save a lot of money if they did not have to drive everywhere. But that would mean more work and places to live along safe and active transit routes.

The Station Street development by Carrington is one of a few projects they anticipate doing around stations over the next five years. We surely could use it. They have talked about speed in getting things done as did some of the politicians present. Think there is acknowledgement that development companies specializing in multi-unit places can't be sidelined for year after year. Many companies that built the apartments of Osborne or along Henderson Highway or Portage were cooling their heels for decades because the city seemed only interested in detached housing suburbs. Many of them had not a single multi-unit place even next to them. Contrast that with Seasons of Tuxedo or Bridgwater which have that type of housing built right along with the development.

In 2025 quite a lot of housing will come on stream and more in 2026. It can be difficult because a lot of people believe in housing until it is a suburb going up near them, or an apartment or someone's granny house out back. The city has to be sympathetic to design, traffic and infrastructure needs but when it can't even get anything built on empty land, it is simply a total failure of governance. Let's hope the Station Street apartments are the first of many built to help create capacity, make rent stop its meteoric rise and to create corridors of transportation that have the population to make them convenient and safe.

The Original Pancake House Closes on Pembina Highway in Winnipeg

In 1958 the Original Pancake House opened along Pembina Highway in Winnipeg and operated for 63 years until 2021. The sign is one of the first things you see heading south into Fort Garry. There are three remaining Pancake Houses in Winnipeg at The Clarion next to Polo Park, The Forks and the newest at McGillivary at Kenaston across from Costco. The staff have all found homes in the remaining locations.

Like many restaurants, the pandemic has been hard on Pancake House. The lockdowns, reduced capacity and slow return of staff resulted in reduced hours at all locations. 

However, the Pembina location likely would have remained open had it not been an offer they couldn't refuse. The adult children of Wally and Monty Guberman entertained an offer from Vic's Market owner Scott Schriemer for the land where the Original Pancake House stands.

Amazingly Vic Schreimer and Wally Guberman started their businesses in the same year of 1958. The companies remain family owned. Scott Schreimer is son of Vic.

It is no secret that Vic's was feeling cramped and the land surrounding the Pancake House is substantial. The completion of the underpass at Pembina has had many owners look at their long time businesses and consider what comes next. 

Vic's itself has had many locations over the decades along Pembina Highway. They only moved to the 5000 square foot location across from Pancake House in 1986. They occupied only a small portion of it but over the years took over the whole building.

Vic's shares a parking lot with the Cambridge Hotel so expansion was not an easy proposition on its present lot. Looking across at the lot empty lot of the Pancake House during the pandemic must have been the impetus of crossing the street and knocking on the door.

The iconic sign for Pancake House will be sorely missed. You truly don't see the like anymore.

After nearly four years of non-stop construction on the Jubilee Underpass, Covid came along. As you can see the combined sidewalk and bike path are pretty inviting as you enter Fort Garry.

The impending demolition of the Pancake House is not the only thing happening on the west side of Pembina Highway. The Pembina Hotel, built in 1953 for Carling O'Keefe and taken over by the Druxman family in 1958 when the beer companies were forced to sell their hotels.  Sabino Tummilo and family took over in 2015.

There is presently a proposal for a 22 floor apartment building with 226 suites and 7000 square feet of retail space on the first floor. 

There have been quite a few former university residents who are crying about the loss of the Pemby. A re-fresh of some sort seemed inevitable.

Resident of Fort Garry are now probably wondering if they will lose their competing waterhole across the way The Cambridge. It was once owned by Labatt's.

Density is probably preferred along Pembina Highway. The active transportation by the overpass is a fine piece of infrastructure despite the dogear it does as it proceed past Parker Avenue. A 20 story building is likely to find residents.

It is the end of an era for sure but it doesn't have to bad change. Winnipeg sometimes doesn't seem to change for decades but we have seen some major change in the last several years.

Still, a long time grocer like Vic's beside a 20 floor apartment seems to make a lot sense, doesn't it? And while the loss of a vendor and beverage room hurts, it is possible that we will see new innovative places places for restaurants and lounges.

Our family went to many a birthday and family gathering at The Pancake House. My dad was a Fort Garry resident just before it was built. He and my mom went in search of it in 2018 and construction made them go past it all the way to St. Norbert. They never did make it to to that location but enjoyed Polo Park until just before they moved to assisted living. 

I will miss it. 

King's Food Host Pembina Highway

King's Food Host on Pembina Highway was the only location for a mid-western chain of restaurants in Winnipeg. It stood on east side pretty much where Shopper's Drug Mart stands south of Point Road. The restaurant stood from approximately 1970 to 1974 and was famous for Cheese Frenchee Sandwiches.

The chain was started in Lincoln Nebraska in 1951 by James King and Larry Price, it would later be Price to continue the King's name in 1970 when his partner left the business. A franchise would open a year later in 1961 and a franchise system would be in place by 1968. In two years the restaurant group grew to over 100 locations in 17 states and one province. That one province was Manitoba.

The red booths and larger curved ones for family groups were perfect family fare. And the food they served was priced in the same category.

The menu was decidedly burger joint and their Cheese Frenchee Sandwiches.

What appealed to kids was that you put your order in by table-side phone. You would call it in just as you might from a drive-inn. Parent's would often hand the phone to kids to call the order in.

Alas, by 1974 King's started to have financial problems in the States. McDonald's and others were increasingly expanding and winning the family market. In that year King's quietly closed and a number of other restaurants called the location home in years after before Shopper's arrived.

New Peavy Mart for Fort Richmond Plaza

One would think with space on Pembina Highway at one time being so highly sought out that Fort Richmond Plaza and the big empty space beside a two year super Sobey's Extra would be attractive. And yet the former Zellers sat and sat some more. Perhaps it was the developer just waiting no matter how long it took to get the right tenant. Hard to say.

The transformation of Pembina Highway and the south Fort Garry, Fort Richmond area continues. It is the new Chinatown in and around the University of Manitoba. Travel down the street and it is possibly to bus seating with no English at all written. Many of the businesses are very focused on the Asian market that lives, works and goes to school in the area. Still, according to the census the area is still diverse and with St. Norbert and Richmond West nearby opportunities presented themselves.

Fort Richmond is a mature neighbourhood seeing many homes being used for university housing. The Fort Richmond Plaza had been somewhat dated for 25 years or more. After a while, there was no denying that the mall was in a free fall.

The large modern Sobey's was one of the first good news story in a long while in that end of town. And now another store will take over part of the space next door in a completely re-worked former Zellers.

Peavy Mart will open their second city location using 33,000 of the 42,000 square feet space. It will be smaller than the first location on Nairn but still sizeable for the chain. The store will carry agricultural goods, greenhouse and garden supplies, housewares, sporting goods and a list of supplies unique to the store.

Peavy's location on south Pembina is attractive to people just outside city limits coming into town for supplies. Deeper into the city is probably not a good a match for their customer base and for what they sell. In the end, the main commercial route into the city from the States runs down Pembina. It should always be possible for retailers to take advantage of that despite whatever local changes are taking place in the neighbourhood.

Having said that, can it be long before we see a Chinese mall in the area if space comes available. I think it is inevitable.

Sobey's Extra to Open January 29

It took an incredibly long time to replace the Safeway that closed in 2014 in Fort Richmond Plaza. Speculation was rampant and people looked on despair as the ramshackle and outdated shopping center rotted with no plans being put forward.

This comes to an end January 29 when Sobey's Extra opens up. At 58,000 square feet, it will be bigger than a lot of grocery stores out there. It will be much more than what was available previously on the site. That is to be expected with not only Fort Garry but St. Norbert and nearby Bridgwater seeing more people move in.

The Extra in the Sobey's is more staff dedicated to customer service such as in-store chef. There are also specialists called ambassadors who will on hand in various food sections. Cooking classes, sushi bar and noodle bar will mark the location as different from other stores.

The store opens 9 AM Friday and offers $10 gift cards to the first 500 people in the door. There will be also a selection of exotic foods to taste.

The store will employ 100 people which in today's market is welcome news. The refreshing of this particular shopping enclave is likely to attract other merchants after being empty or under-utilized so long. 2016 will be a fairly good year for new grocery stores to open after a number of years of closures.

Old Broadway Campus University of Manitoba

Right, University of Manitoba Broadway Campus 1932

A story in this week's Free Press talks about connecting university campuses to downtown and core areas of the city. Up until 1950, the University of Manitoba had a large campus across from the Manitoba Legislature consisting of science and arts buildings. The site is what we now know as Memorial Park.

Land was set aside in 1899 along Broadway in 1900 and a science building went up for classes. At the time, the Manitoba Legislative Building was not even in the planning stages.

1901 Science Building

The provincial legislators called the Old Parliament Building on Kennedy Street home.

Old Parliament Building on Kennedy Street

There were fewer than half the elected officials of today so for some time smaller quarters for the government assembly were appropriate.

The Old Parliament Building on Kennedy was a handsome building and from the start, trees were planted and grew to make the site prettier.

The Old Parliament Building literally built on bald prairie

In essence, the science building by the University of Manitoba along Broadway was the first move by any institution to push downtown's boundaries westward. There was no Legislative Building and no Hudson Bay building. Those came 20 years and more later.

Starkly bare grounds of new Legislative building

Provincial leaders dreamed of a Legislative campus along Broadway but the truth was that University of Manitoba builders had beaten them there years earlier.

Dream of a Legislative Campus

Instead what happened was that the University of Manitoba continued buildings its downtown campus even as the Legislative buildings and HBC was going up north and south of it years later.

Look at all those cars!

And the building went on and on for 50 years.

Adding to the Science and Arts for U of M

More building

Winnipeg Auditorium newly constructed by U of M

Ready for class downtown

The University starting making use of other buildings downtown including the old courthouse.

part of the old court house used by U of M

Following World War II, enrollment at the University of Manitoba had exploded. The dream of having all colleges and departments together on lands fitting for a university campus proliferated. In truth, many of the buildings on Broadway were nearing the end of their useful lifespan without major work.

There were other factors as well. Wesley College and Manitoba College merged together in 1938 and together became United College (later University of Winnipeg). It was on Portage Avenue where the future lay for a downtown university campus as well as Bannatyne Avenue where the University of Manitoba had the medical school close to what was to become Health Sciences Centre.

Financially insecure colleges really had no choice but join and become part of a larger grouping. It was also too hard to splits arts and sciences students between downtown and Fort Garry.

By 1950, the Broadway campus was abandoned and students moved to the expansive Fort Garry site of the University of Manitoba.

The provincial government occupied the former science and arts buildings until the 1960s when they started moving into other buildings that were being constructed along Broadway. By 1962, the government razed the building and twinned Memorial and built a park that has served for protest and celebration alike over the years.

For many people it is hard to imagine that large university buildings ever existed on Broadway. One wonders what it would have been like to have seen the University of Manitoba stay on Broadway and be the main campus. How fascinating would that have been?

Walmart and Grant Park Pavilions

New Walmart on Taylor Avenue

Work has already begun an the Walmart Supercentre in the Grant Park Pavilions site along Taylor behind the Grant Park Shopping Mall.  It is familiar territory for Walmart since they once occupied the spot presently held by Target in the mall back in 1994. At that time, the 9 Woolco stores across the province were taken over and re-made as Walmarts.

Grant Park Pavillions

Shindico is the developer of Grant Park Pavillions and they have been shepherding a variety of projects along Taylor Avenue for decades. The site near the Manitoba Hydro building has probably been on a wish list for future development for years but it has been held back by the fact that major hydro lines cross crossed the land.

The hydro lines that had to be buried

A perfect storm of events conspired to make the land near Hydro ever more valuable. First, the land around Grant Park has a higher density than many areas due to many apartment blocks nearby. The proximity to River Heights and Fort Rogue has ensured that a number of stores in the area do well. This is turn has led to a decades long expansion of retail along Taylor Avenue. Sports, health and recreation including Reh-Fit and racquet sports clubs was the street's reputation in the past.

24 hectare, 60 acre site

Pembina Highway is very close by and for people looking to pick up something before heading home to For Garry and St. Norbert, a diversion midway to their neighbourhoods along Taylor is workable.

900 townhouses on park right behind mall

The dogear of the rapid transit goes right past the site of the new development and towards the new Park lands development still in the inception phase.

Even more traffic problems on Pembina?

All in all...so much promises to be perfect in terms of location of this development. Big concern though has to be the traffic flows on to Taylor off Pembina Highway. Is the city ready for this? My guess is no.

So much new housing going up nearby

There appears to be a race for several shopping sites across the city. Most seem to be incorporating some form of multi-unit housing in their site plans and Grant Park Pavillions is no different.

Housing on site

 Some critics might think that no one will want to live on a site with so much shopping. They should perhaps look to the Superstore on Bison Drive to realize those mutli-unit homes are rapidly selling.

At some point this massive retail build is going to have to slow down. I am not sure when or how but I suspect a development past, present or future will founder.

It is interesting to note that Fairweather, the development of Seasons of Tuxedo has passed on the work of bringing the next phase of the Sterling Lyon retail project to others. They won't be putting together the factory outlet mall. Did they just think it was a good time to cash out?

The south side of Sterling Lyon continues to fill in but no new big box has been announced and built since last May with Cabela's.

One thing is certain that Winnipeg will see more multi-unit housing go up in many retail developments. A captive audience for those stores is the possible reason. Perhaps one day, we may see residential towers built atop of existing malls like Polo Park.