Winnipeg’s Winning Ways

THOMAS E. KING takes in the sights at a rich multicultural oasis set on the scenic prairies of western Canada

For some 6000 years, aboriginal people living on the western plains of a vast expanse now known as Canada tracked great herds of buffalo. Periodically, members of these nomadic tribes would gather to undertake trade and commerce on a prime parcel of land overlooking the place where the Red and Assibinboine rivers converge.

The practice continued until the late 19th century when Canada’s country-spanning rail line was completed. In 1886, Winnipeg, the provincial capital of Manitoba, was finally linked with a single ‘ribbon of steel’ that joined Vancouver, British Colombia to the west and Montreal, Quebec to the east. The world’s second largest country could, at last, be crossed in style and comfort.
The strategic peninsula where native campfires once burned was turned into a rail yard in the 1890s but for much of the 20th century the area now called The Forks was a derelict dump. That situation changed in the mid 1980s when the 22 ha. site was entrusted to the city, and transformation began that turned it from a neglected eye ore to sparkling attention getter.

On a sunshine sprinkled summer’s day I stood in what’s become a sophisticated riverside park, commercial centre and recreation area, looking at the spot where the two muddy waterways intertwine, while listening to the beat of an up tempo jazz band nearby. The Forks National Historic Site as it’s officially called today – one of the most visited attractions in the population 700,000 plus city – is a relaxing place for summer strolling and winter ice skating.

As well, it’s also a hub of quality shopping and gourmet dining throughout the year. Reminders of those exciting rail days now contain retail outlets dedicated to these two fine pursuits. For instance, an old red Canadian Pacific Railway carriage is now a cosy restaurant while the rock-solid Fork’s Market, a former stable, now houses stalls where some 300 talented artisans sell a variety of unique arts and crafts, all original local products. As well, there’s an eclectic collection of eateries. One evening after a day-long excursion through the city, I returned to the busy market for a meal of Ukrainian specialities; another evening it was tandoori treats.

The Forks features shopping, stages for cultural events and interesting dining options.

While the historic buildings at The Forks have been restored, Fort Garry is a reconstruction. Winnipeg was founded as a fur trading post by the French Canadian explorer La Vérendrye in 1738 with the first fort constructed by the Montreal-based North West Company over 80 years later. I walked through the large gates built to replicate the entrance to the stronghold and into the protected compound where a colourful cast of characters was on hand to add authenticity to this tiny time capsule.

Throughout the sensational summer months, daily life from the 1815s is re-enacted at the replicated Fort Garry by historical interpreters. Dressed in a beaded buckskin costume, a First Nations woman showed how pemmican was made. The seemingly unpalatable concoction of 60 per cent dried buffalo meat and 40 per cent oil was loaded with calories needed by energy-craving voyageurs (boatmen) who would often paddle their cargo-laden canoes for up to 18 hours a day. Furs had to be sent to waiting ships in Hudson Bay in the north and supplies brought in to this remote settlement via a series of inland waterways before the onslaught of winter.

In the replicated general store, a stocky salesman with a stovepipe hat told me that beaver fur – the currency of the day – was used to make stylish top hats for European gentlemen. Four beaver skins brought in by First Nations people who often did the actual trapping, was worth one genuine Hudson Bay blanket, he said, pointing to a colourful assortment of striped blankets filling a crude shelf on the bare timbered wall. His in-character explanation, period costume and 19th century mannerisms added greatly to the experience.

I ‘travelled’ from the early 19th century at the fort to the early 20th century in only a few blocks when I visited the Exchange District in the heart of the city. This defined area which consists of 20 city blocks was the city’s financial hub for several decades before and after the turn of the 20th century. The railway had brought great prosperity and the city’s population nearly tripled from 40,000 in 1900 to 115,000 in 1907. Around 150 brick warehouses and commercial buildings still stand in this fascinating area which was given a heritage listing in 1997.

The old commercial constructions remain intact with old advertisements plastered on their sides, still spruiking cure-alls for all types of 19th century maladies. The scene is so evocative of days long gone that film makers have used “the best collection of turn-of-the-century architecture in North America” as convincing backdrops in Hollywood creations such as the circa 2006 The Assassination of Jesse James with Brad Pitt.

Like the Exchange District, St. Boniface is easily walkable and as I discovered, it’s a leafy tree-lined delight in summer. Home to the largest French speaking community in western Canada, Winnipeg’s French quarter began in 1818 with the establishment of the first Roman Catholic mission in the west. The landmark of the area is the towering façade of the circa 1908 Romanesque St Boniface Cathedral. The cathedral burned in the late 1960s and a large hole can be seen in the wall where a massive stained glass window once existed. Visitors scurry around this oddity trying to find the best angle to photograph it and then often wait for an escorted walk in the footsteps of history.

I joined the unusually named Theatre in the Cemetery for a very entertaining yet highly informative narrative which is regularly conducted by costumed guides. For an hour I was enthralled by stories about the life and times of so many people who have all significantly contributed to Winnipeg, a rich multicultural oasis set on the scenic prairies of western Canada.

Winnipeg Travel Notebook

Flights: Air Canada operates the daily CA34 flight from Sydney to Vancouver. The 14 hour non-stop flight is in a Boeing 777-200LR equipped with a personal touch screen TV at every seat and in-seat power for laptops. See your travel agent or contact Air Canada Australia-wide on 1300 655 767 for details of flights and fares. See www.aircanada.com Interstate passengers can easily connect with CA34 as it departs Sydney at 1330.

Travel: Winnipeg is three air hours east of Vancouver. Air Canada has multiple flights every day connecting the two provincial capitals. In addition, you can travel by coach (Greyhound Canada) or car making stops at Calgary, Alberta after a scenic trip through the Rockies and Regina, Saskatchewan before continuing on the Trans Canadian Highway to Winnipeg. ViaRail’s Canadian offers a thrice weekly eastbound service. See www.viarail.ca and www.canadabyrail.ca

Accommodation: A former railway hotel, The Fort Garry is a historic 246 room property oozing with style and substance. See www.fortgarryhotel.com Located within the Forks precinct, boutique The Inn at the Forks offers 116 contemporary rooms near the produce and arts market. See www.innforks.com

Events: Indians living in Australia will be able to meet with Indians residing in multicultural Winnipeg during Folklorama. Set over August 1 -14, this cultural celebration features some 30 pavilions located in halls and community centres throughout the city. See www.folklorama.ca
If you are headed to the city next month, then the Winnipeg Folk Festival is the event to attend. Numerous musical genres compete for audiences during this 5-day outdoor musical extravaganza scheduled from July 7 – 11. See www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca/wp

Travel Extra: Churchill, Manitoba’s most northern town, is the base for polar bear viewing in winter and beluga whale watching in summer. Best seen from mid June to mid August, beluga whales are not true whales but water-breathing fish closely related to the sailfish and marlin. With up to 3000 belugas spending the summer in the Churchill River, the chance of seeing these normally docile sea creatures during a snorkelling or kayaking adventure is exceptionally high.
Polar bears, by contrast, are best seen in and around Churchill from October to December when temperatures average a temperate -10°C. Yes, temperate because during January and February the temperature dips to a numbing – 40°C! Excursions are made in a Tundra Buggy equipped with propane heaters and washrooms.
Travel between Winnipeg and Churchill takes 36 hours by rail or it’s a mere 1½ hour flight with Calm Air. Frontiers North Adventures is a specialist tour operator able to make all arrangements for any adventure in Manitoba. The long established Canadian company planned our comprehensive itinerary of Winnipeg and Churchill entirely by e-mail! Contact info@frontiersnorth.com, tel. (204) 949 2050. See www.frontiersnorth.com

Information: For advice on planning your holiday in Canada visit www.canada.travel or call the Canadian Tourism Commission on 1300 300 576. Also see www.destinationwinnipeg.ca and www.travelmanitoba.com Available from leading book outlets, Lonely Planet’s Canada has substantial information about Winnipeg, Churchill and other places of interest in Manitoba and all other parts of Canada.