Wheelchair Accessible in Winnipeg

Construction in Winnipeg has often meant inaccessible for those with any type of wheel assistance. These platforms have been all all over town this year, notably at every bus stop along Portage for re-surfacing. This one is outside the Bluenote Park Cafe. We often complain the about the City but in this case...well done.

The New Fort Garry Patio

The Fort Garry Hotel Sunset Terrace and Bar was opened on the new day before Canada Day. Tree planters create a little bit of space of the western side of the hotel and face out to Broadway. At 96 seats, it is the right size to create a bit of life on one of the most people friendly streets in town.

Like a lot of businesses, it is doing a slow roll out. Part of the is the restrictions in place as the province moves to double vaccinations. The other part is that many businesses are re-staffing and it requires patience to get teams back together, And in this case, it is a new business operation so first impressions are important.

In the next two weeks expect a seven day operation split between breakfast and afternoon/early evening shifts. There will not be festivals or concerts of any size till fall and most offices are no where near capacity. 

The convention, trade and festival season is going to boom when it is safe to do but the desire to be outside is not likely to go away. 

Given how many restaurants that have gone under, a re-thinking on pick-up windows, delivery and patios is inevitable. For hotels and convention centres, you wonder if they are not thinking about it as well. Several patios have opened lately in places that seemed unlikely. 

And this is a good thing.

Tuxedo

 Frederick Heuback Park was donated land from the first mayor of the Town of Tuxedo in 1964. It was dedicated in 1970 and part of Metro Winnipeg. In 1972, with the advent of Unicity, it was incorporated into the overall Parks and Recreation of the City of Winnipeg.

For a number of years the area of the park north of Grant Avenue had a soccer pitch on it. It was one of the fields used by Sir John Franklin Community club among others. The spot that became the soccer pitch at Renfrew and Grosvenor had a steam plant that was demolished as houses connected to natural gas in the 1960s in River Heights. 

The field had turf put over it but oil leaked up to the surface and probably was toxic. Kids were ordered not to play soccer on the pitch and played in early 1970s on soccer fields at Lipsett Hall and Frederick Heuback Park and Joe Malone Park. 

Park Boulevard residents were up in arms about the soccer pitch and it was removed in the 1970s. Any attempt to do anything with the land along Park Boulevard has been rejected over the years. Eventually pressure grew from Tuxedo residents about soccer pitches behind Lipsett Hall and they too were removed.

As apartments went up at Kenaston, there was growing pressure to remove Joe Malone Park as well. This faced  pushback on as Sir John's Franklin established the park and it was a regulation field as opposed to SJF. Eventually only access from Taylor was possible and the field continues to exist today.

Today Frederich Heuback Park is literally a green belt that is devoid of even basic park amenities for people.

You have to go a few blocks south to Assinboine Park or north to Edward Shindleman Park. There is a lake bordering West Taylor, Dumbarton and Kerslake. The lake space is not recreation space and lacks sidewalks or anything that would invite people to what is more or less a private kale. 

Large houses surrounding lakes are not neighbourhood recreation.

There are lakeside houses...or rather retention pond housing in various nice neighbourhoods.

The Edward Shindleman Park is one of the few places with an actual playground on it south of Grant. In the background you can see the fence where the CN line runs and the condos and apartments on the other side are Seasons and Seasons of Tuxedo.

Shindleman Park is a pleasant park at the southern most point of Tuxedo. It has some trails and a play structure and was fairly quiet on the day of this visit.

One of the things that is important in the future of cities is connectivity of places. For example, Shindleman Park is so close to thousands of people south of the rail tracks. You can see it from the pictures. But you have to go all the way around to get to it.

There are many parts of the city that don't even have sidewalks which defies logic on major roads where you can't exit the street to take safety from traffic if your car is in a collision or breaks down. 

Vital neighbourhoods are including more and more of what you need to be able to walk out the door and find recreation, groceries and services.

It would appear though that for people of Seasons, they will only be able to view a nice park from a distance with no easy access to it.

Serratus Movement Centre

In November of 2019, I moved from my long time place of employment and business at Goodlife Fitness Kenaston. A corporate decision in Ontario was made that there would be no more therapists in Canada as they wished to focus on core aspects of the fitness industry.

My clinic John Dobbin Massage Therapy has been successful at Goodlife. I was a bit worried but I also knew that Kenaston was supposed to close as well and that change was inevitable. Goodlife was planning three new locations and closing two old locations. After nearly 10 years, I wasn't sure how it was going to affect me.

My colleague and I tried to figure a place to go to. We had been working together for years in a single clinic room. She was an athletic therapist so had an office but sometimes you need a gym associated with your clinic. I just preferred to work in a gym after so many years. There were a number of offers and previously from a variety of clinics but I wanted to continue work with a fitness center.

My colleague Sue had previously worked with Serratus Movement Centre when they were on Corydon opposite Mona Lisa. In the subsequent years they had moved to Henlow Bay off  of Scurfield in a larger site and prospered in the niche areas of training, classes and youth programming. It turned out to be a perfect site as it was close to my old location and close to other clients working, living and at fitness centers elsewhere.

Serratus had clinic rooms in offices at the front of their building. It seemed a perfect fit. So in November of 2019, I moved to Serratus. Goodlife had me take everything that wasn't nailed down from massage chairs to filing cabinets. Although I moved November 1, I had to return every day for nearly three weeks to shred files older than a certain time. I was able to keep other files but there was a lot of sorting. Moreover, I was able to remove any remaining things at other Goodlifes. It was a lot of work while trying to get clients to move with me.

In addition to massage I work in entertainment so at the same time I was renting equipment and working events such as Commerce Social and various conferences, galas, etc. I had worked on a few movies as well. By December, I was finished with Kenaston and everything was moved and sorted as I was working at my location in Serratus while gearing up for a big 2020.

Little did we know 2020 and up to now in 2021 would be so awful. I was just gearing up for a big year when early January I was hit in the eye and a week or so later the sickest I've been with the flu. It laid me out for days and I had to go hospital where they worried about Covid. Keep in mind this was before there was even a case in North America. I did recover after a very long time but in February 2020, my parents seniors home was hit by a virus that made people violently sick. My mom and dad got it and in my assistance to them, I got it. Once again I was so sick. Sicker than my parents, in fact.

Meanwhile, business was slowing as Covid 19 fears grew. Still, as I recovered, I felt we should be okay but as cases hit North America, I felt like everyone should expect updates on how to avoid what we saw in China, Europe and in parts of North America. Still, I was optimistic about my new clinic and entertainment business prospects for the new year.

By mid March everything was shut down for everyone as the first wave hit. My entertainment business completely collapsed and has been that way since March. It is only now that prospects are returning with the movie business. As for massage, I've been allowed to work since May but by the fitness center has varying capacity or has been totally closed three times. It can not be more awful for them.

Still, limited as I have been, I can work. Had I still been at Goodlife, the doors would have been locked and not opened for any business therein.

And for a while in summer, it seemed like we might have beaten the worst of it although there was no entertainment opened which hurt my busy summer schedule.

I don't think anyone imagined it could get worse. And worse even still. I spent a great deal of summer emptying and prepping my parent's place for sale. That was every day really at the same time I worked. But I appreciated even limited work at my clinic at Serratus but with no vaccines yet, it was nerve-wracking. So many people just didn't go out or were under restrictions.

Then the second wave hit in October and for my parent's it was awful as they went to hospital with Covid 19 and I was in isolation as well. They ended up being in various hospitals from Victoria to Grace to St. Boniface Hospital. As their house sold at same time they were in terrible shape, I had to empty their seniors home as it was apparent that any recovery would be in a personal care home.

It was a scary and emotional time and I suffered in health even as I worked to get my parent's safely out of hospital. My parents are in a personal care home. Covid still has a impact there. A man died last week. People with vaccines are still vulnerable but single doses are not enough and double doses in seniors still mean you can get quite sick and lose the battle.

I thank goodness for my clinic at Serratus. I have not been idle the last year. Been working on projects while helping parents. paying the bills, seeing clients and isolating to keep myself and everyone safe.

As we get back to more normal, I can't wait to see my colleagues at work again. 

Red River Co-Op Nears Completion at Seasons in Tuxedo

For the last ten years construction has continued unabated at Seasons of Tuxedo. IKEA opened up in 2012.

In 2017 Outlet Collection mall opened up. And ever since then it has been building every year. Ten years ago there was no housing here at all but now there are a few thousand units. In the background you can see a 55 Plus apartment under construction.

What has been missing to this point in a grocery and pharmacy. That all changes soon as Red River Co-Op Grocery nears completion.

This is a day before the Red River sign went up in between rains.

There are a number of grocery stores very close to homes and apartments but we have never seen a mall ensure housing was on the same property as we have seen with Seasons of Tuxedo. The Outlet Collection has housing directly across the street and the numbers of people living within walking distance of the doors increases every month.

In addition, hotels are right on the property such as Hyatt Place seen across from Red River Co-Op Grocery.

A great deal of work has been done to put trees and landscaping in, In the near ten years of work that has been done, you can really see the difference, Having just seen Unicity, the contrast is stark on what nearly no trees looks like.

The Rec Room is right across from the Red River Co-Op Grocery as well. Like a lot of places, it has been in near shut down since it opened. It almost needs a re-opening to capture those early days.

I will keep my eyes on the grocery as it gets ready for opening day. The surge if grocery stores being built, renovated and all the hiring has been a bright spot in the economy,

Unicity Smart Complex in St. James

In 1975 Unicity Fashion Square opened at the end of the city. St. James was still building homes at this time and there were few enclosed malls in the city such as Garden City, Polo Park and Grant Park. Success seemed very likely. With Woolco and The Bay, they had some solid anchors. On opening, they drew good crowds and thereafter but always had a stubborn wing of the mall that had stores come and go. 

Within five years Unicity faced competition from all corners of the city as several malls opened up such as St. Vital Centre, Kildonan and Eaton Place and Winnipeg Square among others.

In 1994 Woolco was taken over by Walmart but this did not help Unicity as the mall was nearly half empty by this point. At the risk of losing Walmart altogether, Unicity Fashion Square was bulldozed in favour of a Smart Centre of big boxes anchored by Walmart. 

Of the original stores in Unicity, the only ones from 1975 remaining at the location are Shopper's Drug Mart, Reitman's and McDonald's. 

The lineup up those first stores is listed above.

Pictures from the Winnipeg Tribune Archives 1975, University of Manitoba.

The old anchors for Unicity were Woolco, The Bay and Dominion. The new anchors are Walmart, Canadian Tire, Sobey's and a solid lineup of Winners, Mark's, Dollar Tree, Valu Village, Staples, Sport Chek and others.

Unicity isn't a particularly attractive. The rules on greening their lot were fairly weak in 2000. As far as successful goes, it is generally fully leased compared to old Unicity Fashion Square.

I have been in a few Dollar Trees but find Dollarama to be better.

Winnipeg has a lot of thrift stores but Valu Village are fairly big.

Most of Unicity is wide parking lots and very little landscape.

I expect at some point Unicity, like a lot of malls, will be approach the city for zoning for housing. They should be forced to green up their property when that happens.

The retail landscape is changing everywhere and big parking spots like this are spots for future mixed development.

Hugo Boss to Open at Outlet Collection

Hugo Boss is a German luxury designer of menswear. In Winnipeg, they have sold through other retailers such as HBC. Polo Park has a full time salesperson just for Hugo Boss in the Bay store. It has generally been considered a harder market to sell women and men's fashions in Manitoba because such power suits often are seen in places with larger corporate worlds related to trading that employ thousands.

Winnipeg has a handful of independent menswear companies and tailors. Harry Rosen's has been a longtime store in Polo Park and Tip Top and Moore's have handled much of the city's general business, sports jacket and suit needs for those required jacket and tie business and occasion needs.

Hugo Boss in the post-war period went from making uniforms to men's suits and in the last decades has been associated with luxury.

Outlet Collection still has a few holes to fill but clearly is in a battle royale for stores that would in the past have landed at Polo Park. Many, many apartments are soon to be completed by Outlet Collection so I expect when the pandemic is over, the mall will have a population that can walk right over for anything.

Also opening is a nail shop. You are seeing more open in malls when in the past they were limited to strip malls. Shopping outlets need a variety of things that bring people in. It can't all be high fashion stores as much the developers would love that. There just enough of those around to fill every space nor give people a reason to come to the area often enough.

Both Outlet Collection Mall and Polo park have new stores comes. Expect competition to be tight and for other malls in the city to try to follow suit with some innovative steps.

Vimy Ridge Park Area at Portage Avenue

Right across from Vimy Ridge Park the Commissionaires have moved into their new office on Portage Avenue where Klinic was for years. Klinic has moved from their former locations here and on Broadway to Sherbrook to a building that recently housed a software company.

Both moves are good for both organizations.

Klinic gets a larger building along one of the most dynamic streets on Sherbrook and the Commissionaires get a larger headquarter fronting on the city's busiest street of Portage Avenue with enough parking for their fleet of vehicles.

The Commissionaires continue to retired military and police in their service and therefore play a major role in returning veterans to civilian service for good working years.

Over the last 60 years many office buildings along Portage Avenue have hosted provincial or federal government or non-governmental organizations in them. 

Even before the pandemic there was some indications that the city was about to take off. Doesn't mean it is without a problems. This stretch of retail across from The Commissionaires offices has had a few empty spots for some time. Still do. I generally believe at some point landlord either won't lower their leases or have let their place deteriorate so much that it lacks appeal.

Just past Commissionaires office are union offices. You can find several offices along Portage Avenue. This one also houses the Manitoba NDP headquarters which shows how close unions and NDP are.

Food Fare on Portage Avenue ensure this end of Wolseley and the West End are not a food desert. The foot traffic generated to the store means this bus station is also busy and a good draw for the bank. In short, they feed off each other's success.

A look east down Portage Avenue to downtown.

Vimy Ridge Memorial Park just off Portage Avenue was originally St. James Park from 1894 to 1926 when it was re-dedicated and the World War I memorial was added. Just goes to show name changes can happen in Winnipeg and do.

The park has received a lot of love recently after many years of neglect. Memorials have been upgraded, trails as well, garden beds and recreation. Parks and recreation as well as forestry always seems to take the brunt of cutbacks.

The street borders of Vimy Ridge are Portage Avenue and running down east side in Canora Street and on west side is Home Street. The south side if backed by Preston Avenue. It is mostly a park in the Wolseley residential area but the proximity to downtown and West End as well as the memorial nature of the park attracts and wider use.

Looking down Home Street.

Cherry blossom season seemed to last a long time this year whereas poof, you missed it last year.

First Presbyterian Church is a gorgeous stone church that overlooks Vimy Ridge Park. As with many churches nowadays, the congregations come from all over the city rather than just local residents.

Older homes along Picardy opposite the church so signs of families and restorations.

There is evidence of a lot of green thumbs as gardens proliferate.

In the 1990s the chance that Wolseley could be lost to creeping neglect migrating in from absent landlords, rooming houses and a decline in prices not seen since the Depression. Suffice to say that the area has had a 20 year sustained comeback. It is helping Sherbrook and Maryland transform every year.

As Broadway begins at Portage and curves its way east, it passed by the Gordon's Bell's newer field. It is worth noting that politicians only moved when the post office indicated they were going to build a sorting station there. Just an indication of the lack of foresight about the needs the high school had for a very long time with a concrete playground.

Local politicians were asleep at the wheel earlier when the care dealership across the street moved and made no attempt to grab the large site for a space that did not have to be pigeon-holed. Nevertheless, the new field attracts young people all the time. Even in a pandemic (as you can see here) during a no gathering mandate.

Don't want to point fingers at all. Experts are saying that young people are more resilient and suffering terribly from remote learning. But we also have 350 to 500 people a day getting infected, What a time. 

In non-pandemic times this field is filled all the time. And will be again. One wonders if there will ever be a school division fieldhouse and rink to support several school programs in the future. The money is not there now. But what if it could be? The University of Winnipeg could not imagine the fieldhouse it has now. Today it is top notch.

At Picardy and Broadway there are a series of small multi-unit apartments. This is the evolution of the area. On major bus routes, we will see density increase and this helps the vitality of the area using existing infrastructure.

Trees were planted on the property as it should be. I will explore this area a bit more in the future. There is a lot happening.

Across from Gordon Bell High is one of the numerous regional health offices. Provincial government offices are all over the place.

If I have complaint about government offices is that almost never have retail or other offices on the first floor. They can take up an entire block or more and nary a convenience store or coffee shop. Heck, some of them could go further and have apartments above them and retail on the first floor. Instead we always get non-descript, zero street presence anonymous government offices.

The pictures kind of speak for themselves. Gray or concrete. No life on them on evenings or weekends. Barely a name on them most of the time. Street killers.

The former Italian restaurant Paradise didn't remain empty for long. Garden House, East Indian restaurant took over even in a pandemic. The building beside it show classic mixed use. A longtime dental office with apartments above it. Street life. Just not enough of it with dead provincial government offices next door.

And yet another empty provincial government office with nary a sign on it. And their empty parking lot. I think this one at least has a daycare in it. Why do the bunkers get built?

When provincial government offices get too old they hand them to child and family services.

The East Portage Entrance of Vimy Ridge Memorial Park. Still awaiting their flowers. Notice the tree stump. Many never get replaced.

The memorials are worth stopping and looking. The sacrifices from this province's men and women have been painful.

Overall a beautiful park and residential area and worth looking at.

And if government wants to be helpful, more mixed development and less bunkers on Portage Avenue.