Somehow, Winnipeg arose in our conversation. There were three of us at first, shooting the breeze at last week’s Medicine Beach bread pick-up.
By the time others joined us, we learned that everyone had grown up in the Peg or spent large swaths of time there — except me.
In the late 1960s, my family stopped there on the way home from the Maritimes, where we often visited our eastern relatives in the summer. I remember the humidity and the black flies. The weather was overcast, but the air was heavy. We sat around the swimming pool, which was so warm it offered no relief from the heat.
Unbearable cold
Another time, I was in Winnipeg in the unbearable cold. My hotel was near the mythical windiest corner in Canada, Portage and Main. I was attending a conference but was so sick that I couldn’t venture outside, even if I wanted to, for posterity’s sake.
I haven’t seen the good side of Winnipeg yet. Nor am I likely to very soon. I have no friends there, and my ignorance of the city dispels my curiosity about seeing it. I’m missing something. Here was my opportunity to learn more.
I was as sincere as possible when I asked: “What is the attraction to Winnipeg? Why do so many people live there?”
There must be something there
Blank looks all around. One fellow looked lost for words as if searching his vast experience for something to say.
“Seven hundred and fifty thousand people,” someone said. “It used to be Canada’s fourth largest city after Vancouver. There must be something there.”
“Winnipeg is a Cree word that means ‘muddy water,’” said another fellow.
“There must be a lot more people who used to live there than live there now. Does that mean anything?”
We’re talking about Winnipeg
I was still waiting for someone to answer my question, but the Winnipeg discussion continued. Occasionally, I had to tune out as customers arrived for their bread. I’d dig into the baskets, find their loaves, and exchange pleasantries.
When the customers had their bread, I’d say, “We’re talking about Winnipeg. Do you know anything about Winnipeg?”
Most laughed. “Nope!”
As the afternoon wore on, I heard many fond reminiscences from the edges of my hearing. I heard names like St. Boniface, Winnipegosis, Tuxedo, The Pas, the Assiniboine and Red Rivers. Lives had been lived; there were no real scars apart from memories of the cold weather. But their words about the city were mixed with a fondness for the place.
As if saying, “This, we survived. And now we’re living here on Pender. What’s not to like?”
Cherry blossom envy
They were right! Bread Day last Friday was a glorious Spring day. You could find cherry blossoms in bloom, buds poking out of the dormant Garry Oaks and Nootka Rose bushes. It was cool, but there was a spring in everyone’s step.
And it was a Happy Monk Bread Day.
“David, have you ever had Winnipeg Rye Bread?” someone asked me. “Ooh! Now that’s good bread!”
I was once asked to make several loaves of Winnipeg Rye for a Pender party, but I couldn’t follow through on the request. I promised to let people know when I could.
It will be weeks before Winnipeg emerges from the cold and snow, and then we’ll be halfway to summer. But I gleaned that despite making fun of Winnipeg, there was some genuine affection for the place.
The Peg ranks Number Three!
In fact, in a recent survey of Canada’s most liveable cities, The Globe & Mail ranked Winnipeg Third overall! 1 The G&M article “Canada’s Most Livable Cities” was published last November, and The Peg appeared well above all the heavyweights, including Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Data, including housing prices, employment, access to healthcare, culture, and safety, drove the survey.
Winnipeg was rated the top city to raise a family, one of the best for young professionals and entrepreneurs, and one of the most affordable cities in Canada. The average price of a home was $348,932, compared to Vancouver’s ungainly $1,625,702.
Vancouver was the 11th most livable city in the country.
Warmth for the cold city
Last Friday, the Winnipeggers at Medicine Beach seemed to enjoy laughing about the city and its frigid climate, though the tone and specifics of their recollections were warm. I would say that’s true of every Winnipegger I’ve met.
They’ve drifted away from the city and its harsh climate, found a gentler place weather-wise and settled down. And you can start your car in the morning. No need for block heaters!
But that doesn’t mean they’re glad to be rid of the city. Despite the cold, they still have a warm place for it in their hearts.
That day, the stories kept coming, and the conversation grew more and more uproarious! People around the parking lot were watching us. Anyone who walked or drove by our group was asked if they were from Winnipeg, and we’d laugh at their puzzled faces.
One fellow had the correct answer. He took one look at the bunch of us and said:
“What’s in those paper bags?”
The Number One ranked city according to the G&M survey? Victoria, B.C.↩
Do you remember who we visited in Winnipeg? I have photos of us, or at least me, by that pool. I later visited when I worked for Via rail. Waitressing from Vancouver to Winnipeg, getting into the Peg early in the morning and leaving back to BC later that evening. It was a great summer job but I mostly slept in my hotel and didn’t explore much of Winnipeg.