Husky’s flag a local landmark

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This article was published 01/05/2017 (3325 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drivers on the Trans-Canada Highway know they’re in Headingley when they see the huge Canada flag waving.

Headingley Husky Travel Centre and Husky House Restaurant (5141 Portage Ave.) has flown the flag, which is about 40 feet in length, and hung from a tower on the centre’s back parking lot for many years. However when interviewed on April 24, centre manager Paul Marciniw said the landmark flag is being repaired by a Calgary company.

“Too many high winds,” explained Marciniw. A brand-new flag costs $500.

He said customers have commented on the flag’s absence. “Everybody uses it as a sign.”

It’s the kind of sign that people might look for in one of the seasonal blizzards that result in the Trans-Canada being closed between Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie. Once RCMP close the gates across the highway lanes heading west, truck drivers and others often seek shelter at the Husky Travel Centre.

Marciniw said the two closures over the past winter saw about 75 semis parked on the Husky’s lot while the drivers waited for word that the highway was reopened.

He said that he and he staff are usually prepared for a blizzard as truckers heading east from Saskatchewan are often outrunning an incoming storm and will pass on a warning.

Marciniw and most of his longtime staff have spent their share of hours stuck at the travel centre while stormy weather prevents them from driving home.

The travel centre contains a full-service restaurant, convenience store, shower facilities for truckers as well as fuel for trucks and other vehicles.

A pay phone is situated next to many of the restaurant’s tables, a throwback to a pre-cell phone era.

Times have changed for the long-haul trucking industry, and this has impacted the Husky’s business, Marciniw said. “The trucking industry has gone to e-logs; they’ve changed their habits.”

The emphasis on speed means most truck drivers will buy ready-to-go foods rather than take the time to be served in the restaurant, he said. To meet this need, Husky House kitchen staff prepare and package foods that are placed for sale in refrigerated displays in the convenience store.

The restaurant’s hours are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., while the store is open 24-hours. A take-out menu is also available.

Marciniw, who has managed the Headingley Husky for 10 years, said he’s trying to attract local residents to eat in the restaurant.

“We have a lot of regulars who come in,” he said, mentioning a group of about 10 who come in every Thursday.

Having businesses such as AMC Foam Technologies, Matix Lumber and McMunn & Yates Building Supplies recently locate in the area has helped with business, Marciniw said.

“I can hardly wait until all the new houses go in (the Taylor Farm development).”

— Staff