Investing in our neighbourhoods

Parks and community centres play an important role in bringing neighbourhoods together. They are places we can gather, they’re convenient places for your children to play, they are spots for keeping active and they offer greenspace within a sea of concrete.

I know the pride you take in these community hubs throughout River Heights-Fort Garry. Maintaining and improving these spaces requires sustained and consistent financial commitments from City Hall.

As your city councillor, I am proud to ensure that we continue investing in our beloved parks and centres. Looking at this year, I’m especially excited to share what we have accomplished so far.

In Marshall Crescent Park, you may already be enjoying over $180,000 worth of investment in a new play structure for children aged two to five, a new sandbox and seating areas with a bench and picnic table. We’ve also added an asphalt pathway and bike racks. All these improvements were installed on top of improved drainage features, in addition to new sod and soil.

Make your yard a pit stop for birds

Every year, millions of individual birds migrate through Manitoba. These birds rely on pit stops – safe places where they can rest and feed before the next leg of their long journeys. Large pit stops, such as Fort Whyte Alive and Oak Hammock Marsh are well known. They provide excellent migration-viewing opportunities and contribute to the conservation of many bird species. Smaller pit stops are also valuable to the survival of migrant and resident birds. Here are two easy ways to turn your yard into a pit stop for birds in the fall and winter.

• Create a migration fuelling station – During the fall migration, I put out high-quality birdseed for the northern sparrows. I buy a “wild finch mix” that contains mostly red millet, white millet, canary seed, and thistle (niger). I sprinkle seed on the deck and add it to several “roofless” ground feeders. This attracts juncos, white-throated and white-crowned sparrows, Harris’s sparrows, and fox sparrows – all of which prefer to feed on open ground. Harris’s sparrow is listed as vulnerable in Manitoba and of special concern in Canada. Its population has declined almost two per cent per year since 1970. Although birdseed is not cheap, it is worth the price if my migration pitstop contributes to the survival of this and other declining species.

• Plant a mountain ash – A cheaper way to fuel birds year-round is to plant trees, shrubs, or perennial plants which produce fruit, berries, seeds, sap, or nectar. One of the best trees to plant is a mountain ash – also known as rowan or goddess tree in Celtic and Norse mythology. It is not a true ash. It is a member of the rose family.

Best described as tall shrubs or bushy trees, mountain ashes work well in small yards. Showy and American mountain ash are native to eastern Canada but are rare in Manitoba. European mountain ash has been widely planted and is now naturalized across Canada. Mountain ashes are both photogenic and attractive to birds in all seasons.

Family isn’t just important – it’s everything

I have recently discovered that I am a sexagenarian. Settle down now – we’re not talking about my religious beliefs or my home life - that simply means I am aged 60-69.

As I begin to navigate my silver years, my appreciation for family near and far has amplified.

I recently paid a visit to my family in New Jersey. This was my first time visiting there, and first time meeting my cousins. The last time I saw my uncle was here in Winnipeg in 2007 when my mother, his sister, passed away.

Despite his health issues, my uncle is a wealth of knowledge. He shared the family history of growing up in Nova Scotia and Ontario, and his life in New York and New Jersey. I learned more during my week-long visit than over a lifetime.

A wonderful summer connecting with you

As the leaves turn and the Llegislature resumes its fall session, I want to take the opportunity to reflect on what made this summer meaningful. For me, the season is special because it offers the chance to step away from the formalities of governing and to spend time where it matters most — in Point Douglas connecting with you.

Over the past few months, my team and I have been out every day, knocking on doors across our community. If you live in Point Douglas, there’s a good chance you saw us on your street, asking about the issues that matter most to you and your loved ones. These conversations guide my work, and listening to your concerns and priorities is the foundation of everything I do as your representative.

Beyond door-knocking, we hosted coffee houses and barbecues at several 55-plus residences and had the privilege of sitting down with our elders to listen and learn. These gatherings provided meaningful opportunities to hear stories of wisdom earned through decades of experience and important perspectives on creating a Point Douglas that is accessible and safe for everyone. Thank you to the residents and staff who welcomed us and to all the elders who shared their thoughts, experience, and vision for a stronger, more connected community.

This summer was filled with celebrations and milestones. I attended numerous graduations – from elementary and middle schools to high schools and adult learning centres – where I had the great honour of presenting the Claudette Osborne-Tyo Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers award to students in Point Douglas. This award is deeply personal to me, as it honours the memory of my sister Claudette, who went missing from Point Douglas 17 years ago. It recognizes students who show leadership and resilience in overcoming barriers. Seeing these young people succeed is truly inspiring.

Upgrading St. Vital Cemetery

One of the more obscure lines of work of the City of Winnipeg is that of the cemeteries branch, which oversees three city cemeteries – Brookside, Transcona and St. Vital.

In recent years, the city and federal governments have combined to make major investments at Brookside relating to military graves, and Transcona has incorporated Muslim burial facilities. I have pushed for some investment at St. Vital, as well, and am pleased to report that in 2024 and 2025 the city invested more than $200,000 in upgrades.

This includes the following improvements:

• Expanding the Garden of Remembrance (adding several new columbaria, pathways, etc.);

5 novembre • Coup de cœur francophone

Laura Niquay • Patio 340

5 novembre • Atelier de cuisine

France avec Annie Henry • CCFM

6 novembre • Atelier de cuisine

Sénégal avec Fatima Thiam • CCFM

6 novembre • Conférence : Des voix d’ailleurs, enracinées ici • En ligne

Camping in the great outdoors

You’ve worked hard all week, it’s a long weekend, the weather is great, and you’ve been stuck in the city for so long. After the daily half-hour commute each way to work in rush-hour traffic, wouldn’t it be great to just pack up a tent and go camping just to get back to nature in the wilderness, perhaps?

For some people, having a job is a luxury; renting a home, apartment or room is a luxury. Just having a tent is a luxury. Some people don’t have any of that and must resort to sleeping under a bridge or, if they’re lucky, in a tent or shelter.

Enter the modern-day campground… wherever in the city you can find an empty lot or perhaps a lush riverbank on which you can pitch your tent. Tent cities are popping up everywhere in the world. For a brief time in the late ’90s in Vancouver I was homeless after an accident at work which led to depression and an inability to work or function properly. Some of the homeless people I encountered were pretty amazing. Most, like me, had always thought that it “can’t happen to (them).” I wasn’t as bad off as some and learned that others, even if they didn’t have much, would have given me the shirt off of their backs.

Since that experience, I’ve looked at life differently, tying not to judge others less fortunate than myself, while trying to put myself in their shoes. I’ve quoted Jesse Jackson many times in the past: “never look down on someone unless you’re helping them up.”

Men’s Shed connects retirees in Lord Roberts

Men’s Sheds Canada – a registered charity that supports the creation of social hubs for older men – now has a presence in Lord Roberts.

Held at Lord Roberts Community Centre every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the local shed facilitates activities such as playing card games, woodcarving, or working on maintenance projects that benefit the community. Membership costs $20 a year.

Founded in Australia in the 1990s, the Men’s Sheds movement went global and first gained momentum in Canada in the early 2000s. In 2022, Men’s Sheds Canada became a registered charity with a mandate to support existing sheds and establish new sheds across Canada. In the age of the loneliness epidemic, the organization has earned a reputation for addressing men’s health issues and social isolation.

Vic Thiessen, a longtime member of the Men’s Shed in Woodhaven, volunteered to help establish a shed in Lord Roberts. Led by Ian Mowat and Keith Taylor, the LRCC shed has attracted more than half a dozen members. The goal is to double membership by 2026.

English billiards – a game of angles

Winnipeg is known for many things, but did you know it is home to what could be the largest English billiards league in the Western Hemisphere?

The Winnipeg Veterans’ English Billiards League is 104 years old and, while it is very popular, league president Jon Miller and member Kevin Augusta said there is always room for more members.

The Winnipeg Veterans’ English Billiards League plays on Wednesday and Thursday nights at ANAF 283 (3584 Portage Ave.) and at four Royal Canadian Legions – the St. James, South Osborne, Norwood and Elmwood-Kildonan locations.

Miller and Augusta said the league has a unique history, preserved through detailed record-keeping. Soldiers returning to Canada following the First World War brought back this interesting game, which they had learned from British service members. Other Empire veterans brought it back to Australia, India and other locations.

Northwood C.C. unveils new court, playground

Earlier this summer, the Burrows Central neighbourhood gathered to celebrate the grand opening of a renewed playground and brand-new basketball court at Northwood Community Centre. The long-anticipated project fulfilled a campaign promise made in 2018 and reflects years of planning and collaboration between governments, community partners and residents.

The redevelopment includes upgraded play equipment, a new asphalt pathway, new benches and picnic tables, and a modernized basketball court designed to create safe, vibrant, and inclusive spaces for families, youth, and residents of all ages. Support for the project came from all three levels of government, as well as private company donors for a total $689,000. This was all parties working together to invest in neighbourhood renewal.

A special highlight of the upgrades is the not-for-profit organization Buckets and Borders mural project, which transformed the basketball court into a vibrant work of public art.

The initiative was sparked by Point Douglas ward liaison Chasity Martinuk, who envisioned Northwood Community Centre as the ideal location for a mural that could unite art, sport, and community.

Want not, waste not

Being a human to a husky comes with obligations, one of which is multiple daily walks. That means I cover a lot of ground in the Wildwood area. Our walks are varied, but at least once a day we walk through Wildwood Park proper. This summer, I noticed something I see every year, but seemed worse than previously. The sheer number of apple trees whose fruit was allowed to fall to the ground and decay.

What a waste, I thought. Apple pies that weren’t baked. Jams, jellies and sauces that weren’t canned. Hungry people going unfed.

I am an apple thief. When you are not looking, I will snatch a few apples off your tree, feeling an appropriate amount of guilt. I have never resorted to grand theft apple, but I have asked neighbours if I could harvest their unwanted apples. No one has ever said no. They seem to think I am doing them a favour.

One day, I passed multiple trees laden with ripe, perfect apples, just begging to be picked. Soon after, I saw them on the ground, rotting.

Musing on art, nature and community

Photo by Sandy Nemeth

A carved wooden owl, eagle and pelican (above) are delightful works of public art along the Bois-des-Esprit trail.

Sandy Nemeth