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.
