Kirby Gilman

Unique run reaches 100-event milestone

Winnipeg’s Churchill Parkway ‘parkrun’ celebrated its 100th run recently — a milestone for the event, that started here in July 2019 and is one of the over 2,000 weekly parkruns held in 22 countries across six continents.

After the 100th parkrun, first-timers and regulars stayed to enjoy hot chocolate, veggies and fruit, and cookies, which Dennis Cunningham, parkrun event director, admitted was the most popular snack.

Cunningham said he was one of five Winnipeggers who collaborated to bring parkrun here. His first experience with parkrun came on a family vacation in the United Kingdom. Rick Harrison’s parkrun connection was made through an online running group. Like Cunningham, Harrison regularly volunteersat Churchill Parkway, taking on various tasks, including timing. Others who helped with the startup had attended parkruns as far away as Australia.

Registering online for a free parkrun barcode gives runners and walkers access to parkruns anywhere. Like all parkruns, Winnipeg’s is held every Saturday at 9 a.m. The five-kilometre course uses the scenic Churchill Parkway between the Red River and Churchill Drive. Runners, walkers, young and old, and those with dogs and strollers all take part. The start area is where Ashland Street meets Churchill Drive.

Greenspace advocates urge preservation

Winnipeg needs volunteer organizations such as Outdoor Urban Recreational Spaces (OURS) and Crescent Park Rescue (CPR) more than ever in this age of climate crisis.

Enjoy Winnipeg’s river ice in safety

When walking on Wildwood’s trails along the banks of the Red River in winter, I often see skiing and walking trails on the river and wonder if I can venture out. But I also see open spots on bodies of water in mid-winter and generally stay off natural ice unless I ask someone with expertise or am in an approved area.

Encountering coyotes in the city

Coyotes live in and around Winnipeg and, while coyote attacks on people or pets are rare, we should all take steps to co-exist safely with these creatures.

Eric the Great, on songs and struggles

If you are a coffee lover, you may enjoy the singing and guitar music of Eric Pyle, a busker by the Tim Hortons on Pembina Highway in the Fort Garry area. He’s also the “Johnny Cash guy” to those walking to the Canada Life Centre when the Jets or Moose have games. Eric, well known in the city as Eric the Great, once regularly busked Osborne Village.

Northern lights wowed in early September

We often travel to see new and unusual sights, but sometimes the best experiences of nature occur closer to home. As a northerner who grew up in Thunder Bay and has lived for many years in Winnipeg, I felt it my duty to have seen the northern lights. At 55, I had never spotted them.

Winnipeggers face increased water woes

After a wet, cold spring, many Winnipeggers are dealing with home foundation and water issues. So how does water get into basements, and what can we do to avoid problems with water in the future?

To answer such questions, Wildwood Community Centre hosted an information evening on home foundation issues presented by Cory Mospanchuk, whose experience in construction, insurance, appraisal, and real estate proved insightful.

Mospanchuk says when it comes to insurance, there are three types of coverage: overland water (above grade), groundwater (below grade), and sewer backup. It’s important to know and understand what type you have. This spring, groundwater became a huge issue due to the amount of snow, rain and frozen ground.

Most houses have weeping tile at the foundation’s footing to direct excess water away. Weeping tiles are a system of porous pipes that collect excess groundwater, redirecting it away from the foundation (either to the interior catch basin or sump pump).

Revisiting the butter or margarine debate

I remember the butter versus margarine debate while growing up in the ’70s. Butter won out in my family, and I’ve generally stuck to butter since then. I recently got a high cholesterol reading, so a dietitian I’m seeing, Raschelle Sabourin, has suggested margarine.

To manage high cholesterol and heart health, the types of fats you eat become important. Sabourin explains margarine often contains unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), which are plant-based. In contrast, butter has a higher amount of saturated, or animal, fats. According to “Which spread is better for my heart — butter or margarine?” on the Mayo Clinic website (www.mayoclinic.org), the fats found in margarine reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol.

I’ve always thought butter was more natural and thus the better choice but Sabourin says some types of margarine also contain few ingredients, in a comparable way to butter. All brands of margarine are not created equally, she says, so it’s helpful to read the labels. She recommends soft, non-hydrogenated margarine. The hydrogenation process solidifies margarine, so it’s more like butter, but the processing also adds unhealthy trans fat.

Sabourin believes that balance in eating is important. For instance, if someone has a food or recipe where they prefer the taste of butter, they may want to incorporate butter over margarine in moderation. A lot also comes down to preference and how much margarine/butter they are consuming. It’s important to enjoy food, and deciding whether to use butter or margarine is just one part of your diet.

Enjoying Inuit art at Quamajuq

Qaumajuq, Winnipeg’s Inuit art centre, opened a year ago this month and I recently visited for the first time.

Anyone driving past the new gallery is struck by its architecture. Located beside the Winnipeg Art Gallery , Qaumajuq’s undulating white-granite and glass facade contrasts with, yet complements, the angular and solid WAG.

Qaumajuq sits separately from WAG yet is joined in places, forming one main centre for Winnipeg art. Inside, you walk past floor-to-ceiling windows and see the outer walls of both Qaumajuq and WAG. Such distinct yet connected architecture seems fitting, as Indigenous peoples and Canada strive for reconciliation.

In the gallery foyer, a two-storey, glass visible vault full of Inuit sculpture greets you and allows the gallery to display much of its permanent collection. You can support the gallery by adopting a shelf in this curved display case.

Wildewood Golf Course does double duty

Although the Wildewood Golf course lies under a cover of snow, its managers generously extend the use of the course’s natural setting throughout the winter by accommodating cross-country skiers and walkers.

For decades, skiers have taken to the trails on the course but in the past 25 years an organized ski program has emerged with the assistance of neighbourhood volunteers. Bob Stewart, then manager of Wildwood Community Association, instigated groomed trails for skiing, and even incurred the costs initially. Taking the reins from Stewart, avid skier Harvey Peltz has co-ordinated the ski program for a quarter-century.

The Cross Country Ski Association of Manitoba grooms the classic and skate ski trails that run up and down the fairways, along with some walking trails in more wooded areas of the course. Peltz and other volunteers plan out the trails, including the fun, winding ski hills and the tracks that extend past the golf course along the river to St. John’s-Ravenscourt School.

Kathy Bentley, general manager of the golf course, enjoys seeing skiers and hikers take to the trails.

Wildwood’s Witchy Path an oasis worth saving

A small protected green space in Wildwood gives visitors a true forest feeling within city limits. Manchester Park, often called the Witchy Path/Woods, allows native species the space to thrive while giving neighbourhood residents a place to rejuvenate.

The green space lies between Manchester Boulevard North and South, with a pathway through the woods from Wildwood Street to the Oakenwald School grounds.

How did this little forest escape the chopping block and survive in a time of urban sprawl?

For some background knowledge, I spoke with Hugh Penwarden, a former professional gardener who lives across from the park.

A healthy return to normalcy

As neighbourhoods return to some of their normal rhythms, you may have noticed run and bike races making their way around city streets. The ‘parkrun ‘in the Churchill Parkway was back for the first time since the pandemic on Oct. 9, giving those involved a sense of normalcy.

This free, five-kilometre run/walk occurs weekly on Saturdays at 9 a.m. and attracts people of all ages and abilities. Those looking for motivation to get some exercise, along with more dedicated runners, will find parkruns of value.

Participants need only register once online at parkrun.ca and then they can either print out a barcode or save it to their smartphones. The barcode enables one’s time to be recorded and tracked. Organizers have accurately measured the route for those looking to improve upon previous efforts.

The first parkrun was held in the U.K. in 2004, and these runs now occur across the globe. The Churchill Parkway runs began in 2019, and between 20 to 60 participants attended weekly before a 16-month pandemic hiatus. All parkruns emphasize a “positive, welcoming and inclusive experience where there is no time limit, and no one finishes last.”

Appreciating the new season

Not everyone wants to hear it, but fall is here. For those noticing the cooler temperatures and fewer daylight hours, let’s try to look at some of the so-called bounties of fall.

September always feels like a second new year to me, a time for fresh starts. Of course, the kids are back in school, and adults often start thinking of new hobbies or classes to take.

I’ve noticed events folks have used to get out and enjoy the crisp fall air. The Manitoba Marathon ran Sept. 5, pushed back from its usual June date, owing to the pandemic. Seeing runners passing through neighbourhood streets always gives a lift.

Bikers in Cycle on Life also zoomed past my house this September. Participants pedalled in support of the Riverview Health Centre Foundation and recreational programs that occur on each unit. Fall is one of the best times to hike. No bugs, fall colours, often dry.

Tennis is on the upswing at local club

Wildwood is lucky to have one of the best tennis facilities in Winnipeg in its backyard.

The Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club offers 11 courts nestled between the Red River and the Wildwood Golf club, night lighting, and various tennis programs and social fun.

Roland Burrell, who started as the new tennis pro this summer, shares how the pandemic affected WLTC, highlights of his job, and the growing tennis scene.

During the pandemic, WLTC made public safety measures paramount. Court-spacing regulations allowed the club to remain open most of the time, providing a safe outlet for isolation-weary members.

Picking and planting trees to beat the heat

Do you have an open spot for a new tree in your yard? Maybe you could use some added shade.

Now’s the time for planting if you want to participate in the City of Winnipeg’s Million Tree Challenge.

Some types of trees grow naturally in the Winnipeg area, and planting tips may give your new tree a better chance to thrive.

Since moving into my house in Wildwood, I’ve had some big tree stumps removed. I’ve planted a few replacement trees, but I’ll have to make do with shade umbrellas until they grow. Oh well, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now,” says the Chinese proverb.

Naturalized city spaces and yards

Within Winnipeg, you have probably noticed “wilder” yards without grass and perhaps the presence of natural-looking vegetation around city retention ponds. Citizens and city planners have taken up the call to naturalize private and city property.

The Wildwood community is at the forefront of the movement with various strategies to maintain and bring back habitat indigenous to the area.

Many positives arise from a more naturalized urban landscape, says the resource “Naturalization andNo-Mow Zones” (Winnipeg Trails Association/ Government of Manitoba). For example, unmowed grass along riverbanks filters run-off pollutants, while deeper roots prevent erosion.

Animal and plant life benefit from habitats such as healthy wetlands and nesting areas. These habitats filter air pollution and provide weed and pest control.

Winnipeg wildlife on the increase

Like many others during the pandemic, I’ve explored Winnipeg’s parks by foot, kayak and bike and have travelled outside the city to seek out nature and peace.

Ironically, I spot more wildlife in the city than outside of Winnipeg. This year, in some city parks, I’ve seen deer more often than not, sometimes in fairly large groups. Other wildlife occasionally spotted in city neighbourhoods and parks include raccoons, foxes, beaver, owls and eagles. On excursions to provincial parks and other wild areas outside the city, I enjoy rarer, if a bit more varied, animal sightings.

Why the abundance of animals enjoying city life?

The well-researched “Urban Wildlife of Winnipeg: Causes, Effects, and Management” (from urbanwinnipegwildlife.weebly.com) states that urban areas provide animals with the four necessities to survive — year-round food, water, shelter, and space. The article explains that Winnipeg’s four main rivers, along with ponds and creeks, offer corridors where animals can move around safely and avoid busy roads.