Let it ride… down Disraeli Freeway
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/04/2025 (257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
If you think you know the Disraeli Freeway, well… you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Winnipeg-born musician Randy Bachman and Fred Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive were feted Friday afternoon as city officials renamed a stretch of the major thoroughfare in the Winnipeg rock band’s honour.
A public works employee unveiled a street sign with the Disraeli Freeway’s new honorary namesake at the corner with Main Street, as city councillors and the rockers sang in front of television news cameras.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
From left: Couns. Devi Sharma, Vivian Santos and Jason Schreyer, along with Fred Turner, deputy mayor Markus Chambers and Coun. Ross Eadie at Friday’s ceremony marking Honorary Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
The two rockers spoke at the event, organized by Couns. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) and Markus Chambers (St. Norbert—Seine River), as did long-time local rock radio DJ Howard Mandshein. The councillors spearheaded the honorary renaming at city hall.
Bachman founded BTO with his late brothers Robbie and Tim, along with friend Turner in the 1970s, after splitting from the Guess Who.
Turner said he was touched by the renaming and the event.
“It’s a recognition that makes me feel extremely proud and deeply moved,” he said. “It’s not just a reflection of our journey, but it’s also a tribute to our friends.”
Turner, who still lives in Winnipeg, said he looks forward to soon driving over the bridge on the way to Lockport to get a hot dog and maybe do some fishing.
Turner quipped to Eadie, who gave him one of the honorary signs, that he could get a new gig after hearing his pipes at the event.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg city officials renamed a stretch of Disraeli Freeway to Bachman-Turner Overdrive in honour of the Winnipeg rock band.
“This is my city, I love it here,” Turner later told reporters. “It was a great life, and now I’m going to spend my days here doing what I want to do and just enjoying myself with my friends and my family.”
Bachman, who grew up in Eadie’s Mynarski ward, said the chilly weather on Friday was appropriate for the event.
“This is the reason I left Winnipeg,” he said with a laugh.
“Growing up here, rock and roll was great.”
Bachman said he’s planning to attend the Winnipeg Jets first playoff game on Saturday — where the team will skate out to Takin’ Care of Business.
“And they’re going to win, OK?” he said.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Deputy mayor Marcus Chambers (right) hands Randy Bachman a street sign at the ceremony.
BTO is set to play with a reconfigured lineup, including Bachman, at Canada Life Centre on Sunday.
The street signs cost $250, split between the two city councillors’ ward allowances, Chambers said. Labour costs to install the signs were unclear.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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