Drab parking lot planted the idea to remake Graham Ave.

Cathy Campbell was tired of seeing parking lots when she looked out the window from her office in Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Six years ago, when she was rector of the church, located at 256 Smith St., Campbell thought a park, garden or trees would give her a much better view. “I could almost see it in my mind.”

Today, Campbell’s vision is becoming reality, now that the City of Winnipeg has temporarily blocked off parts of nearby Graham Avenue to create a pedestrian corridor. The greening of Graham Avenue is partly due to the foresight of Campbell and Andrew Rampton, a former priest at Holy Trinity.

In 2020, with support from a provincial government grant, the church created the green corridor advisory circle to promote a vision for downtown that would close Graham Avenue to vehicles and create a pedestrian walkway while protecting biodiversity and promoting reconciliation.

“It was a vision of what downtown Winnipeg could be, a human space for us all,” Campbell said.

A year later, members of the advisory council got support from the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone, CentreVenture, the City of Winnipeg planning department and local developers and business owners.

It wasn’t an easy process, Campbell said, and the pandemic didn’t help, but they persevered, held consultations with the community to hear their dreams and concerns.

“We wanted to create a way for people to move pleasantly and comfortably by foot and bike through the downtown,” Campbell said. “We wanted a people-centred vision for the area so the downtown could be vibrant again.”

Through the ups and downs, she remained optimistic.

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“Hope mattered,” Campbell said. “If it was just heavy weightlifting, it would just be slugging it out. But we could see what it could be. That kept us going and kept us excited.”

Faith was also important.

“Tasks are easier if they are rooted in faith with prayer. I kept my eyes on the horizon that God was creating for the downtown. It was easier to deal with the challenges that way.”

Also important was her belief that God desires people to care for creation. “I was deeply rooted in that,” Campbell noted.

Greening the downtown was also a way for Holy Trinity to serve the community.

“It’s not just about getting people in the pews, it’s about being faithful to the things the spirit is giving us to do in the world,” Campbell said.

“We may have created a vision, but sharing it with others was so much fun. Dreaming matters, especially when it connects people.”– Cathy Campbell

Rampton and Campbell both left Holy Trinity in 2023 — Rampton to serve at a new church in Hamilton, while Campbell retired. But she stayed involved in the advisory circle and downtown project, helping wherever she could.

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Karin Kliewer, a senior planner for the City of Winnipeg, is deeply involved in the Graham Avenue project. Holy Trinity Church continues to play a major role in helping to make it happen, she said.

The changes on the street “are definitely inspired by their work and connections,” she said, adding the result is “a welcoming space for everyone. It’s great to see them put their theology in action… churches have a huge role to play downtown,” Kliewer said.

Campbell is quick to point out that many people and other organizations were involved in the project.

“It was a community effort,” she said. “We may have created a vision, but sharing it with others was so much fun. Dreaming matters, especially when it connects people. I hope it is sustainable in the long run.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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John Longhurst
Faith reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

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