Winnipeg, will you be my Valentine?

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This article was published 13/02/2022 (1345 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg is not always easy to love.

The winters are cold, dark, and brutal — especially this one, that’s been a one-two punch of frigid temperatures and tons of snow. The summers bring a parade of pests — cankerworms, spanworms, mosquitoes and wasps.

It’s possible you’ve hit one of our many giant potholes and bent your tire rim. It’s probable you’ve had your bike stolen.

Winnipeg does not have some of the creature comforts or attractions of larger, tonier cities, but it’s ours, dang it, and there are reasons to love it. We complain, we talk about moving away, but it’s telling that when an out-of-towner disses our Prairie burg, we leap to defend it like an older sibling, in a “nobody-picks-on-them-but-me” sort of way.

In honour of Valentine’s Day Monday, I decided to move this focus away from the vapid Hallmark aspect of the holiday and simply ask Winnipeggers — current and former — what they love about the city and why: no pretext, no coaching, just their unfiltered declarations.

To start, Winnipeggers who reached out in person or via social media spoke about their love for the city’s multiculturalism and its melange of big-city and small town sensibilities.

They said there are far fewer than six degrees of separation — the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other.

There’s only “two degrees of separation,” said Janet Forbes. “Talk to someone long enough and you will discover that you have a mutual friend or acquaintance.”

Dorothy Todd Neufeld, who now lives in Florida, appreciates the multiculturalism as well. “We have some diversity of culture (in Florida) but not the same as Winnipeg,” she said. “I love to listen to different languages spoken as people go about their day.”

“We are in population, not a small city, but somehow small enough that when you meet a new person, they end up knowing someone who knows someone who knows you or your loved ones,” Carol Anne Barker said.

“The fact we have something such as Folklorama shows how culturally diverse we are and (that) we celebrate that fact,” she continued.

“(Folklorama) is a way to celebrate anyone, from anywhere in the world,” Are Leung agreed. “We love it so much. Especially at the Belgian Club and Belgian bowling.”

If you want to know, Belgian bowling is also known as Rolle Bolle, (pronounced roh-lee boh-lee) and uses a wheel-shaped “bolle,” with the objective being to get the bolle closest to a stake, akin to bocce.

Meanwhile, Steve Snyder said he loves Winnipeg because it’s “the best city in the world.”

Snyder was born in Winnipeg, but moved to Brisbane, Australia, in 2016 with his wife and two kids to work a contract job with the Queensland government. He moved back to Winnipeg in October 2020, citing the better “pace of life” as appealing.

He returned because “it’s great to raise kids and afford things,” he said. “We have world-class amenities, an awesome winter lifestyle with things like Festival (du Voyageur) and the river skating trail, and during our summers we have nice beaches a short drive away. Also, we have a killer zoo all year long.

“I only moved away because there were better opportunities to learn and grow in my profession,” said the dad of now three, who works with children in Child and Family Services. “I could find better jobs elsewhere, but the work/life balance in other cities is different, especially the bigger the city gets.”

In Brisbane, he would leave at 6 a.m. and not get home until 6 p.m. “It left no time for the kids,” he said. “It was dinner and bed.”

Another thing Snyder, an avid ten-pin bowler, loves about Winnipeg is his favourite alley, Bowl Below. It’s a six-lane spot tucked away beneath a seniors’ apartment block on Mountain Ave.; it’s history was the topic of a Free Press feature in 2019.

Shiu-Yik Au, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business, said he loves Winnipeg’s “relaxed atmosphere.”

“I was always angry when I lived in Toronto because of traffic and crowds,” he said.

He and his wife were enchanted by the atmosphere on the frozen river.

“My wife and I fell in love with Winnipeg after walking through The Forks and the frozen river trail back in 2018,” he said. “It was such a romantic experience… the walk on the trail was just us exploring but turned out to be a magical wintry date.”

Alex Wiebe said he enjoys the “bragging rights” that come from embracing the weather extremes, from plus-40 to minus-40.

“Even if you hate the weather, admit it — you will instantly brag about surviving a sunny minus-30 day to your Toronto or Vancouver cousins who are ‘enduring’ an extreme cold warning at barely below freezing,” he said.

He embraces the cold so much that he built a quinzhee in his backyard this winter and slept in it on the night of Jan. 8, when the temperature dropped to -26 C by morning.

Wiebe also loves that Winnipeg allows him an active commute from his home in Charleswood. Before he began working from home due to COVID-19, he frequently cycled to work, even during the winters.

“I can live in the ‘burbs and bike to work downtown in about 45 minutes,” he said. “How many folks in other large cities spend hours commuting?”

While folks such as Wiebe are winter enthusiasts, many mentioned loving Winnipeg’s parks and lush tree canopy in warmer months.

“I love all the green spaces that our city has to offer,” Sheri Kwasnik said. “Awesome parks like Assiniboine, Kildonan Park, St. Vital, among other green spaces like The Forks, around the (Manitoba) Legislative Building and along our many rivers and creeks. We have so much to enjoy outdoors.”

Winnie Jones concurs with Kwasnik, mentioning Harbourview Park and Bunn’s Creek as two lovely spaces in the northeast corner of the city.

I love how full of trees Winnipeg is,” Victoria Free said. “I see a lot of pictures from other places that look very grey and covered in cement. I live in a high rise downtown but can still look out my window and see so many trees.”

“Winnipeg isn’t just a place. It’s a feeling,” Shawn Cote said. “Stepping out onto the sidewalk on a summer night and smelling fresh-cut lawns, the canopy of trees along little side streets. Neighbours talking between yards.”

Many mention they love that Winnipeg rivals much larger cities when it comes to great restaurants of every conceivable cuisine.

“We have such a diverse population, you can eat any type of food you want any day of the week,” Lisa Schneider said.

“Winnipeg has one of the best food scenes anywhere in the world,” agreed Rod Marquardt, who now lives in Florida. “Talk about an almost unlimited variety. “I miss that and thoroughly enjoy when I return to see my family.”

On social media, some of the restaurants shouted out include Fusion Grill, Cibo Waterfront Cafe, and James Avenue Pumphouse. Also mentioned were T.H. Dang Restaurant, Mrs. Mike’s, Red Top Drive Inn, Mitzi’s — eating chicken fingers and honey dill are a ’Peg city rite of passage — Pho Hoang, Bahn Mi King, Preservation Hall, VJ’s, and Yujiro Japanese Restaurant.

David Carr loves Winnipeg’s musical talents. The city has “produced and continues to produce an amazing and diverse music community that has excelled both here and around the world,” he said. Carr describes himself as “old school” cited Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Crash Test Dummies, The Guess Who, The Mongrels, and The Pumps/Orphan as just a few of his favourites.

“The music scene in Winnipeg is incredible and diverse,” Terry Ferguson agreed. “Artists like Begonia, The Bros. Landreth, anyone you see at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club, our Indigenous music scene, our Francophone scene, the WSO… amazing artists and lots of places to hear them play live. There are not many cities that rival Winnipeg for live music venues.”

“The isolation from being a big city and the harsh winter climate allowed for creativity and flourishing of the arts,” Harvey Minuk said.

Winnipeggers’ fundamental friendliness came up time and time again. Winnipeg is a hardy town, and acts of genuine kindness and decency from people who don’t put on airs can make life easier.

“Winnipeggers are a unique breed who make friends easily,” said Alex Diane, who moved back to the city after spending four years teaching in Akita Prefecture in Northern Japan. “We welcome strangers into our circles and become close fast. We flirtatiously razz each other as a form of affection and get along quickly. We talk to strangers, and then strangers become chums. This is something that made me miss Winnipeg.”

“I love the neighbourly and community feeling that was evident growing up in Winnipeg,” Minuk said.

“By far,” what makes Winnipeg what it is “is the people,” Pamela McDonald said. “The most genuine anywhere. You often do not realize this until you live elsewhere. How Winnipeggers treat Winnipeggers in other places — it feels like a conduit of warmth.”

“I was born in the St. Boniface Hospital and haven’t strayed very far from this area in the last 50 years,” Charmaine Mousseau said. “The people and the feel of this area keeps me here. Although it has changed somewhat, the essence of what this community represents is still present. People taking care of each other and helping out when needed. I couldn’t imagine living in any other area.”

Winnipeg, some attested, possesses a rare honesty and realness. Like the people, it doesn’t put on airs or try to be anything it isn’t — for better or for worse, it’s home, and home is worth loving.

“This city is unapologetically authentic. When you are in Winnipeg there is no filter; the grittiness is right in your face,” Ray Grewal said. “Compare this to Toronto or Vancouver where those glass boxes just scream sterility and pretentiousness — it makes me want to throw up. The city has a character to it that’s not seen in many places.”

“We are a gritty people; we’re resilient, we persevere, and we come out shining,” Gisèle Bédard said.

“I have always felt Winnipeggers were like the Avis commercials,” Minuk said. “We aren’t No. 1 but we try harder. Winnipeg punches over its weight.”

declan.schroeder@winnipegfreepress.com