Urban Exchange

When we relaunched MyCityMySay.ca, we asked you to tell us what you love about Winnipeg. (You can find the original article here.)

The response has been very positive. While fictional character Michael Scott from NBC’s The Office may not have enjoyed his trip to Winnipeg (in the episode that ran on 11/14/2008), he didn’t get out to see much of our city.

The next time Michael Scott comes to Winnipeg, he should get a MyCityMySay.ca reader to pick him up at the airport. These next few people obviously know where to look for all the great things we love.

Pam Tonsaker loves Winnipeg because of:

. . . our tree canopy, our post-secondary institutions, our Legislative Building, our Golden Boy glistening and shining brightly day or night, our Open Doors event in May, our ability to get around Winnipeg quickly regardless of where you start, our winters, our blue skies, our ethnic diversity, our Canadian geese, our BDI, our love of curling, our Bombers, our Moose, our Goldeyes, our volunteer spirit, our desire for change, our new airport being developed, our two main rivers – the Red and the Assiniboine, our Forks, our Via train station, our grain farms close to the city centre, our summer thunderstorms, our grain commission, our small towns from which to draw for numerous events and festivities to keep us entertained, our Debbie at the zoo, our grass lands in St. James, our bridge in St. Boniface, our many shopping centres to met and greet friends, our Exchange district and our fabulous architecture, our yummy restaurants, our mosquitoes ( only when they are gone – so love our seasonal changes ), our creativity coming in all types and venues, our world class Human Rights museum to be built here, our MTS Centre, our caring and compassionate ways to help others, and lastly our friends, family and the citizens who call this home and wouldn’t be anywhere else. My Winnipeg, my home!!

Jason is a bit of a sports fan:

I love Winnipeg because of the extremely friendly people in this city. We are very generous and very much caring. I also love how our city supports all types of cultures and everybody loves all the different events. I also love the Blue Bombers, Moose and the Goldeyes.

Gilbert Laberge is a proud member of Manitoba’s francophone community and lists the following things as highlights:

• The pathways and close proximity to Bird’s Hill, Saint-Malo, Assiniboine & Saint-Vital Parks, to name some of the largest.
• The ability to live as a bilingual person without burden.
• The fresh air we breathe in the heart of the continent.
• The lesser intensity of rainfalls around the Forks area.
• The freshness and aromas of the Fall season.
• The tolerance of the multicultural for the French culture.
• A peaceful electoral process.
• The goal of achieving the righting of the right of the poor to a decent life we all deserve.

Jane Brueton likes the size of Winnipeg and the fact that friendly faces are everywhere:

I love the fact that it only takes twenty minutes from my home to downtown; that I can explore every section and part of the city and not get lost and even if I do there will be a friendly face to help me find my way home; that Winnipeggers take pride in their city and their surroundings; that we have so many parks, recreation areas and green spaces within the city limits; that when attending concerts at the MTS Center you are likely to meet someone you know and stop and chat; that although the geese herald winter in the fall there is no sound that is more lovely at dusk and no sight as magical as thousands of birds setting down for night, except perhaps the RWB company in performance!

I love that I live in a multi-cultural city and bilingual city where there is always something interesting and fun to do. I choose to move here, not once but twice and I absolutely love living in Winnipeg. The cost of living, access to the arts and the personality of its citizens are the true gems of Winnipeg, my home.

Finally, Noelle Depape sent in this list:

• Guerrilla Art
• Thanh Huong Restaurant on Sargent – # 6 Beef Satay Noodle Soup
• Wolseley mornings at Tall Grass Bakery and Prairie Sky Books
• A microcosm of the world at Central Park
• The polar bears hanging out at the Leg
• The river skating rink

Thanks again to everyone who’s sent something in. We still have some t-shirts left so if you want to tell us what you love about Winnipeg, please email a photo, video or paragraph to urban.exchange@unitedwaywinnipeg.mb.ca.

We’d love to hear from you!