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For other uses, see Winnipeg (disambiguation).
Winnipeg (pronounced /ˈwɪ.nɪ.pɛg or ˈwɪ.nə.pɛg/) is the capital and largest city (containing over half of the provincial population) of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Located at the eastern edge of the prairie region of Western Canada, Winnipeg plays a prominent role in transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education. Because all rail and highway traffic between eastern and western Canada must travel through or near the city, it is often called the "Gateway to the West".Imperial Oil website. Winnipeg History. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.City of Winnipeg website. Winnipeg History. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
The city is located near the geographic centre of North America,[1] USGS Survey at the confluence of the historic Red and Assiniboine Rivers, a point now commonly known as The Forks, now a mixed-use public space and one of the city\'s most popular attractions.
Winnipeg lies in close proximity to hundreds of lakes, including Lake Winnipeg, Canada\'s fifth largest lake and the world\'s eleventh largest, as well as Lake Manitoba and the Lake of the Woods. Lake Winnipeg is the largest lake within the borders of Southern Canada, and along the east side are some of the most pristine Canadian Shield rivers.World Lake Database. Lake Winnipeg. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
The city is a cultural centre and is the home of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. It boasts historic architecture, scenic waterways, a heritage river, numerous parks including Assiniboine Park, and distinctive neighbourhoods. Winnipeg is home to the Hudson\'s Bay Company Archives, and is in the area of the original settlements and farms in the west. Winnipeg has laid claim to the title of World\'s Longest Skating Rink along the Red and Assiniboine rivers. CBC. Winnipeg Skating. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
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Winnipeg lies at the confluence of the Assiniboine River and the Red River, which is known as The Forks, a historic focal point on canoe river routes travelled by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. The name Winnipeg is a transcription of a western Cree word meaning "muddy waters". The general area was popular for thousands of years by First Nations. In prehistory, through oral stories, archaeology, petroglyphs, rock art, and ancient artifacts, we know that natives would use the area for hunting, fishing, camps, trading, and some agriculture further north. The rivers provided transportation far and wide, and linked many peoples for trade and knowledge sharing, such as the Cree, Ojibway, Mandan, Assiniboine, Sioux, Lakota, and others. Ancient mounds were once made near the water ways, similar to the mound builders of the south. Lake Winnipeg was considered to be an inland sea, with important river links to the mountains out west, the Great Lakes to the east, and the salt water ocean up north. The Red River linked ancient northern peoples with southern peoples along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The first maps of some areas were made by the Ojibway on birch bark scrolls.
The first Europeans arrived in the area in 1738. Sieur de la Vérendrye built the first fur trading post on the site (Fort Rouge) which was ultimately abandoned.The Forks National Historic Site of Canada. Parks Canada. Retrieved on 2007-01-05. Many other posts were also built in the Red River region. Fort Gibraltar was built by the North West Company in 1809 and Fort Douglas was built by the Hudson\'s Bay Company (HBC) in 1812. The two companies fought fiercely over trade in the area and each destroyed some of the other\'s forts over the course of several battles. In 1821, Hudson\'s Bay and North West Companies ended their long rivalry with a merger. Fort Gibraltar, within the site of present-day Winnipeg, was renamed Fort Garry in 1822 and became the leading post in the region for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Fort Garry was destroyed in an 1826 flood, and rebuilt in 1835. It played a small role in fur trading, but remained the residence of the Governor of the company for many years, and became a part of the major first colony and settlement in Western Canada.
In 1869 to 1870, Winnipeg was the site of the Red River Rebellion, a conflict between the local provisional government of Métis led by Louis Riel and the newcomers from Eastern Canada. General Wolseley was sent to put down the rebellion. This rebellion led directly to Manitoba\'s entry into Confederation as Canada\'s fifth province in 1870. On November 8, 1873, Winnipeg was incorporated as a city. In 1876, the post office officially adopted the name "Winnipeg," three years after the city\'s incorporation.
The first locomotive in Winnipeg, the Countess of Dufferin, arrived via steamboat in 1877. The Canadian Pacific Railway completed the first direct rail link from Eastern Canada in 1881, opening the door to mass immigration and settlement of the Canadian Prairies and Winnipeg. The history of Winnipeg\'s rail heritage and the Countess of Dufferin may seen at the Winnipeg Railway Museum.
Winnipeg experienced a boom during the 1890s and the first two decades of the twentieth century, and the city\'s population grew from 25,000 in 1891 to more than 179,000 in 1921.U Guelph. U Guelph. Retrieved on 2007-10-03. Immigration increased during this period and Winnipeg took on its distinctive multicultural character. The Manitoba Legislative Building reflects the optimism of the boom years. Built mainly of Tyndall Stone and opened in 1920, its dome supports a bronze statue finished in gold leaf titled "Eternal Youth and the Spirit of Enterprise" but commonly known as the "Golden Boy". The Manitoba Legislature was built in the neoclassical style that is common to many other North American state and provincial legislative buildings of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Winnipeg faced financial difficulty when the Panama Canal opened in 1914. The canal reduced reliance on Canada\'s rail system for international trade, and the increase in ship traffic helped Vancouver surpass Winnipeg to become Canada\'s third-largest city in the 1920s.Planetware. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
As a result of a post war recession, radical union organizers, a large influx of returning soldiers, and appalling labour conditions following World War I, 35,000 Winnipeggers walked off the job in May 1919, in what came to be known as the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. The government broke the strike through arrests, deportation and violence. The strike ended June 21, 1919, when the Riot Act was read and a group of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers charged a group of strikers; two strikers were killed and at least thirty others were injured, resulting in the day being known as Bloody Saturday. The lasting effect was a polarized population. One of the leaders of the strike, J. S. Woodsworth, went on to found Canada\'s first major socialist party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which would later become the New Democratic Party.
Crowd gathered outside old City Hall during the Winnipeg General Strike, June 21, 1919
The stock market crash in 1929 only hastened an already steep decline in Winnipeg. The Great Depression resulted in massive unemployment, which was worsened by drought and depressed agricultural prices.
The Depression ended when World War II broke out in 1939. Thousands of Canadians volunteered to join the forces. In Winnipeg, the old established armouries of Minto, Tuxedo (Fort Osborne) and McGregor were so crowded that the military had to take over other buildings to increase capacity.
Winnipeg played a large part in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). The mandate of the BCATP was to train flight crews away from the battle zone in Europe. Pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, wireless operators, air gunners, and flight engineers all passed through Winnipeg on their way to the various air schools across Western Canada. Winnipeg served as a headquarters for Command No. 2. World War II. Canadawiki. Retrieved on 2007-05-16.
The end of World War II brought a new sense of optimism in Winnipeg. Pent-up demand brought a boom in housing development, but the building activity came to a halt due to the 1950 Red River Flood, the largest flood to hit Winnipeg since 1861. The flood held waters above flood stage for fifty-one days. On May 8, 1950, eight dikes collapsed and four of the city\'s eleven bridges were destroyed. Nearly 70,000 people had to be evacuated. Premier Douglas Campbell called for federal assistance and Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent declared a state of emergency. Soldiers from the Princess Patricia\'s Canadian Light Infantry regiment staffed the relief effort for the duration of the flood. The federal government estimated damages at over $26 million, although the province insisted it was at least double that.Manitoba Royal Commission. American Review of Canadian Studies. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
To prevent future floods, the Red River Basin Investigation recommended a system of flood control measures, including multiple diking systems and a floodway to divert the Red River around Winnipeg. This prompted the construction of the Red River Floodway under Premier Dufferin Roblin.
Prior to 1972, Winnipeg was the largest of thirteen cities and towns in a metropolitan area around the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Unicity was created on July 27, 1971 and took effect with the first elections in 1972. The City of Winnipeg Act incorporated the current city of Winnipeg: the municipalities of St. James-Assiniboia, St. Boniface, Transcona, St. Vital, West Kildonan, East Kildonan, Tuxedo, Old Kildonan, North Kildonan, Fort Garry, and Charleswood were amalgamated with the Old City of Winnipeg.
In 1979, the Eaton\'s catalogue building was converted into the first downtown mall in the city. It was called Eaton Place but would change its name to Cityplace following the controversial demolition of the empty Eaton\'s store in 2002.
Immediately following the 1979 energy crisis Winnipeg experienced a severe economic downturn in advance of the early 1980s recession. Throughout the recession, the city incurred closures of prominent businesses such as the Winnipeg Tribune and the Swift\'s and Canada Packers meatpacking plants. Hansard. Manitoba Legislature. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
In 1993, feeling that their community needs were not being fulfilled, the residents of Headingley seceded from Winnipeg and officially became incorporated as a municipality.
The first elections for city government in Winnipeg were held shortly after the city was incorporated in 1873. On January 5, 1874, Francis Evans Cornish, former mayor of London, Ontario defeated Winnipeg Free Press editor and owner William F. Luxton by a margin of 383 votes to 179. There were only 382 eligible voters in the city at the time but property owners were allowed to vote in every civic poll in which they owned property. Up until the year 1955, mayors could only serve one term. City government consisted of 13 aldermen and one mayor. This number of elected officials remained constant until 1920.
Winnipeg panorama, from 1907
The inaugural Council meeting took place on January 19, 1874 on the second floor of Bentley\'s, a newly constructed building on the northwest corner of Portage and Main.
Construction of a new City Hall commenced in 1875. The building proved to be a structural nightmare and eventually had to be held up by props and beams. The building was eventually demolished in favour of building a new City Hall in 1883.
A new City Hall building was constructed in 1886. It was a "Gingerbread" building built in Victorian grandeur and symbolized Winnipeg\'s coming of age at the end of the nineteenth century. The building stood for nearly 80 years. There was a plan to replace it around the World War I era, during the time that the Manitoba Legislature was under construction, but the war delayed that process. In 1958, falling plaster almost hit visitors to the City Hall building. The tower eventually had to be removed and in 1962 the whole building was torn down.
Winnipeg City Council embraced the idea of a "Civic Centre" as a replacement for the old city hall. The concept originally called for an administrative building and a council building with a courtyard in between. Eventually, a police headquarters and remand centre (the Public Safety Building) and parkade were added to the plans. The four buildings were completed in 1964 in the brutalist style, at a cost of $8.2 million. The Civic Centre and the Manitoba Centennial Centre were connected by underground tunnels in 1967.
Since 1992, the city of Winnipeg is represented by 15 city councillors and a mayor elected every three years. The present Mayor Sam Katz was elected to office in 2004 and re-elected in 2006. Katz is the first Jewish mayor of Winnipeg. Winnipeg is a single-tier municipality governed by a mayor-council system. The structure of the municipal government is set out by the province of Manitoba in the City of Winnipeg Act. The mayor is elected by direct popular vote to serve as the chief executive of the city. The City Council is a unicameral legislative body representing geographical wards throughout the city.
Winnipeg is represented by 31 provincial Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), 25 of whom are members of the New Democratic Party, 4 are members of the Progressive Conservative Party and 2 are members of the Liberal Party. In the provincial election in 2007, the NDP won 2 ridings from the Conservatives, rising from 23 to its present 25 seats in the city. All 3 leaders of the provincial parties represent Winnipeg in the legislature.
Winnipeg is represented by 8 Members of Parliament: 3 Conservatives, 3 New Democrats and 2 Liberals. There are 6 Senators representing Manitoba in Ottawa. Only 2 list Winnipeg as the division they represent although all of them were residents of Winnipeg when appointed to the Senate. The political affiliation in the Senate is 3 Liberals, 2 Conservatives and 1 Independent.
In 2004, Winnipeg had the fourth highest overall crime rate among Canadian Census Metropolitan Area cities listed with 12,167 Criminal Code of Canada offences per 100,000 population. Only Regina, Saskatoon, and Abbotsford had higher crime rates. Winnipeg had the highest rate among centres with populations greater than 500,000.Winnipeg Crime rate - Statistics Canada The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary and more than double the rate for Toronto.
In 2005, Statistics Canada shows Manitoba had the highest decline of overall crime in Canada at nearly 8%. Winnipeg dropped from having the highest rate of murder per capita in the country. That distinction now belongs to Edmonton. Manitoba did continue to lead all other provinces in auto thefts, almost all of it centred in Winnipeg.Neighbourhood Characteristics and the Distribution of Crime in Winnipeg - Statistics Canada, Extracted November 29, 2005
To combat auto theft, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) established financial incentives for motor vehicle owners to install ignition immobilizers in their vehicles, and now requires owners of high-risk vehicles to install immobilizers.[2] CBC News, accessed 2007-10-03
Winnipeg is protected by the Winnipeg Police Service, which has over 1350 members.
Winnipeg is situated just west of the longitudinal centre of Canada (near the geographical centre of North America), and approximately 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of the border with the United States. It is near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies, and about 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Lake Winnipeg. It is situated in the floodplain of the Red River and is surrounded by rich agricultural land. The closest urban area with over 500,000 people is the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.
Winnipeg has an extreme humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfb). Spring and autumn are highly variable seasons, and winters are long and cold. In a typical year, daily average high temperatures range from around -14°C to 26°C; the recorded extremes are -45°C and 40.6°C (-49°F and 105.1°F). Winnipeg also reaches temperatures of above 30°C more often than other Canadian cities such as Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, or Montreal.Current Results."Hottest Canadians Cities". Retrieved on: December 31, 2007. It is not uncommon for the city to reach dangerously low windchill temperatures of -40°C or lower in the winter months. The summers in Winnipeg are often humid; it is not uncommon for humidex readings to exceed 40°C in the region and climb to dangerously high humidity levels between May and September.Environment Canada."Canadian Climate Normals or Averages 1971-2000". Retrieved on: October 3, 2007.
Winnipeg is the sunshine capital of Canada, with over 2300 hours of sun annually. The sky is arguably as blue as in southern Italy.APEGM."Winnipeg Climate". Retrieved on: December 31, 2007. July is the sunniest month with 318 hours of bright sunshine, and November the least sunny, with 96. Winnipeg has the second clearest skies year-round and is the second sunniest city in Canada in the winter.Environment Canada. "Winnipeg MB". Retrieved on: October 3, 2007.
| Winnipeg Climatological Data | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Mean | |
| Average high °C (°F) | -13 (9) | -9 (17) | -1 (30) | 10 (51) | 19 (67) | 23 (74) | 26 (78) | 25 (77) | 19 (65) | 11 (51) | -1 (30) | -10 (15) | 8 (47) | |
| Mean °C (°F) | -18 (-0) | -14 (8) | -6 (21) | 4 (40) | 12 (54) | 17 (63) | 20 (67) | 19 (65) | 12 (54) | 5 (42) | -5 (22) | -14 (6) | 3 (37) | |
| Average low °C (°F) | -23 (-9) | -19 (-2) | -11 (12) | -2 (28) | 5 (41) | 11 (51) | 13 (56) | 12 (53) | 6 (43) | -0.3 (31) | -10 (15) | -19 (-2) | -3 (26) | |
| Precipitation mm (in) | 20 (0.8) | 15 (0.6) | 22 (0.9) | 32 (1.3) | 59 (2.3) | 90 (3.5) | 71 (2.8) | 75 (3.0) | 52 (2.1) | 36 (1.4) | 25 (1.0) | 19 (0.7) | 514 (20) | |
| Data recorded at Winnipeg International Airport for Environment Canada. Average data recorded over a 30 year span from 1971 to 2000. | ||||||||||||||
Winnipeg lies exposed to numerous weather systems including bitterly cold Arctic high pressure systems during the winter months, although people who live in Winnipeg claim their city\'s dry winter cold is more pleasant than the damper cold in Toronto. According to Environment Canada, Winnipeg is the coldest city in the western hemisphere with a population of over 600,000.Weather Winners WebSite. Environment Canada. Retrieved on []. The coldest temperature during the last 25 years was -41.7 °C (-43.1 °F) on February 5, 2007.Winnipeg. Environment Canada. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. The coldest wind chill reading ever recorded was -57.1 °C (-70.8 °F) on February 1, 1996.
Spring and fall tend to be rather contracted seasons, each averaging little over six weeks. In general the weather during these seasons is highly variable, and rapidly changing. For example, temperatures in Winnipeg in October have ranged from -20.6 °C (-5.1 °F) to 30.5 °C (86.9 °F), and in May from -11.7 °C (10.9 °F) to 37.8 °C (100 °F).
Winnipeg has had a public transit system since the 1880s, starting with horse-drawn streetcars. Electric streetcars from 1891 until 1955, and electric trolley buses from 1938 until 1970. Winnipeg Transit now operates entirely with diesel buses. For decades, the city has explored the idea of a rapid transit link, either bus or rail, from downtown to the University of Manitoba\'s suburban campus.
Because of extremes in summer and winter temperatures in the city (averaging -40C to +40C) the roads tend to be in rough conditions with the combination of thawing and freezing, or during the heat and humidity of the summer.
The city is directly connected to the United States via Highway 75 (a northern continuation of I-29 and US 75). The highway runs 107 kilometres to Emerson, Manitoba, the 8th busiest border crossing.NAIPN. North American Inland Ports. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. Much of the commercial traffic that crosses in Emerson either originates from or is destined to Winnipeg. Inside the city, the highway is locally known as Pembina Highway (Route 42).
Winnipeg\'s airport, recently renamed as Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, is currently under redevelopment. A new terminal building is scheduled for completion by 2009. The field was Canada\'s first international airport when it opened in 1928 as Stevenson Aerodrome.Found Locally. Transportation. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
Winnipeg is unique among North American cities its size in that it does not have freeways within the urban area. Beginning in 1958, the primarily suburban Metropolitan council proposed a system of freeways, including one that would have bisected the downtown area. A modern four-lane highway called the Perimeter Highway was built in 1969. It serves as an expressway around the city (also known as a ring road) with interchanges and at-grade intersections that bypass the city entirely. It allows travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway to avoid the city and continue east or west uninterrupted. The city has \'major arterial roads\', examples are Route 165 (Bishop Grandin Blvd) and Route 90 (Brookside Blvd, Oak Point Hwy, King Edward St, Century St, Kenaston Blvd)
Winnipeg has also embarked on an ambitious wayfinding program erecting new signage at strategic downtown locations.Destination Winnipeg. Wayfinding Signage System. Retrieved on 2007-07-05. The intention is to make it easier for travellers, specifically tourists to locate services and attractions.
Winnipeg is an important regional centre of commerce, industry, culture, finance, and government.
In 2003 and 2004, Canadian Business magazine ranked Winnipeg in the top 10 cities for business. In 2006, Winnipeg was ranked by KPMG as one of the lowest cost locations to do business in Canada.Winnipeg Advantages. Destination Winnipeg. Retrieved on 2007-06-09. As with much of Western Canada, in 2007, Winnipeg experienced both a building and real estate boom. In May of 2007, the Winnipeg Real Estate Board reported the best month in its 104-year history in terms of sales and volume. Bidders go Big. Winnipeg Feee Press. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
Winnipeg has the third-fastest growing economy among Canada\'s major cities as of 2007 released by the Conference Board of Canada with Winnipeg\'s real GDP growth at 3.7%. Winnipeg going Strong. Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
Approximately 375,000 people are employed in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Winnipeg\'s largest employers are either government or government-funded institutions: the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, the Casinos of Winnipeg, and Manitoba Hydro. Approximately 54,000 people or 14% of the work force are employed in the public sector.
There are several large private sector employers, as well: Manitoba Telecom Services, CanWest Global Communications, Palliser Furniture, Great-West Life Assurance, Motor Coach Industries, Convergys, New Flyer Industries, Boeing Canada Technology, Bristol Aerospace, Nygård International, Nortel, Canad Inns and Investors Group.
A number of large privately held family-owned companies operate out of Winnipeg. The most famous of these is James Richardson & Sons. The Richardson Building at Portage and Main was the first skyscraper to grace that corner. Other private companies include Ben Moss Jewellers, Frantic Films and Paterson Grain.
Winnipeg is the site of Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg and the headquarters of 1 Canadian Air Division, as well as home to several reserve units. See Military in this article.
The Royal Canadian Mint located in eastern Winnipeg is where all circulating coinage in Canada is produced. The plant, established in 1975, also produces coins for many other countries in the world.
Winnipeg is also home to the National Microbiology Laboratory, Canada\'s front line in its response to SARS and one of only 15 Biosafety level 4 microbiology laboratories in the world.
Polo Park is the largest mall between Toronto and Edmonton.
| Selected Ethnic Origins, 2001Selected Ethnic Origin for Winnipeg, 2001. Statistics Canada. Retrieved on 30 September 2007. | |
|---|---|
| Ethnic origin | Population |
| English | 135,520 |
| Canadian | 131,095 |
| Scottish | 109,605 |
| German | 97,220 |
| Ukrainian | 90,985 |
| Irish | 81,910 |
| French | 81,905 |
| multiple responses included | |
| Visible minorities, 2001Community Profile of Winnipeg CMA. Statistics Canada, 2001 Census of Population (2007-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-09-30. | |
| Total | 81,915 |
| Filipino | 29,995 |
| South Asian | 12,165 |
| Black | 11,275 |
| Chinese | 10,890 |
| Southeast Asian | 5,030 |
| Latin American | 4,500 |
| Japanese | 1,560 |
| Arab | 1,065 |
| Korean | 945 |
| West Asian | 815 |
| Other | 1,960 |
| Multiple | 1,710 |
According to the 2006 Census, there were 633,451 people residing in Winnipeg itself and a total of 694,668 inhabitants in the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area on 16 May, 2006, and 711,455 in the Winnipeg Capital Region making it Manitoba’s largest city and the eighth largest CMA in Canada. Population and dwelling counts, for census metropolitan areas (ALL), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data. Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population (2007-03-13). Retrieved on 2007-03-13. Of the city population, 48.3% were male and 51.7% were female, and 24.3% were 19 years old or younger. People aged by 20 and 39 years accounted for 27.4%, while those between 40 and 64 made up 34.0% of the population. The average age of a Winnipegger in May 2006 was 38.7, compared to the average of 39.5 for Canada as a whole.Community Profile of the City of Winnipeg. Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population (2007-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
Between the censuses of 2001 and 2006, Winnipeg\'s population increased by 2.2%, compared to the average of 2.6 for Manitoba and 5.4% for Canada. The population density of the city of Winnipeg averaged 1,365.2 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 3.5 for Manitoba.
Of Winnipeg’s total population, 61,217 citizens live in the city’s Census Metropolitan Area,Community Profile of Winnipeg CMA. Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population (2007-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-09-30. which apart from Winnipeg includes the Rural municipalities of East St. Paul, Headingley, Ritchot, Rosser, Springfield, St. Clements, St. François Xavier, Taché and West St. Paul, and the Aboriginal community of Brokenhead.
Most Winnipeggers are of European or Canadian descent. Visible minorities make up 13.4% of Winnipeg\'s population. Winnipeg is home to 29,995 people of Filipino descent, the highest concentration of persons of Filipino origin in Canada, and the second largest Filipino population in Canada after Toronto, which has 86,460 persons of Filipino origin.
More than 20 languages are spoken in Winnipeg, the most common is English, in which 99.0% of Winnipeggers are fluent. In terms of Canada\'s official languages, 88.0% of Winnipeggers speak only English, and 0.1% speak only French. Eleven percent speaks both English and French, while 0.9% speaks neither English nor French. Other languages spoken in Winnipeg include German (spoken by 4.1% of the population), Tagalog (3.4%), Ukrainian (3.1%), Spanish, Chinese and Polish (all three spoken by 1.7% of the population), as well as Aboriginal languages including Ojibway (0.6%), Cree (0.5%), Inuktitut and Micmac (both less than 0.1%). Other languages spoken in Winnipeg include Portuguese, Italian, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Hindi, Russian, Dutch, Non-verbal languages, Arabic, Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Creoles, Danish, and Gaelic languages (all of which are spoken by roughly 1% or less of the population).2001 Census Data, Languages. The City of Winnipeg. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
The 2001 census states that 72.9 per cent of Winnipeg residents belong to a Christian denomination, 35.1% of which are Protestant, 32.6% Roman Catholic, and 5.2% other following Christian denominations. 5.6% of the population follows a religion other than Christianity—followers of Judaism make up 2.1% of the population, Followers of Buddhism and Sikhism make up 0.9% of the population each, while Muslims make up 0.8% of the population. Hindus account for 0.6% of the population, while followers of other religions make up less than 0.5% of the population. 21.7% of Winnipeggers do not follow a religion.
Education is a responsibility of the provincial government in Canada.
In Manitoba, education is governed principally by The Public Schools Act and The Education Administration Act, as well as regulations made under both Acts. Rights and responsibilities of the Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth and the rights and responsibilities of school boards, principals, teachers, parents and students are set out in the legislation.
There are two major universities, a community college, a private Mennonite college and a French college in St. Boniface
The University of Manitoba is the largest university in the province of Manitoba, the most comprehensive and the only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. In a typical year, the university has an enrolment of 24,542 undergraduate students and 3,021 graduate students.
The University of Winnipeg received its charter in 1967 but its roots date back more than 130 years. The founding colleges were Manitoba College 1871, and Wesley College 1888, which merged to form United College in 1938. Until 2007, it was an undergraduate institution with a faculty of arts and science that offered some joint graduate studies programs. It now offers graduate programs exclusive to the university. In 2008, the university plans on creating a new faculty of business consisting of economics and business programs hived off from the faculty of arts.
Winnipeg is also home to numerous private schools, both religious and secular.
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School divisions There are six public school divisions in Winnipeg: |
Higher education There are four universities and one major college in Winnipeg: |
Winnipeg has a long and storied sports history. It has been home to several professional hockey, football, baseball franchises, and dirt track stock car racing. There have also been many university and amateur athletes over the years who have left their mark.
| Club | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Canadian Football League | Canad Inns Stadium | 1930 | 10 |
| Manitoba Moose | American Hockey League | MTS Centre | 1996 | 0 |
| Winnipeg Goldeyes | Northern League | CanWest Global Park | 1994 | 1 |
Winnipeg hosted the Pan-American Games in 1967 and 1999, being the only Canadian city to host the event and the second city to host it twice. iaff.org. Pan-am Games. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
Winnipeg is well known across the prairies for its arts and culture.City of Winnipeg. Cultural Report. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. The isolation of the city led to the development of many homegrown cultural institutions in theatre, music and dance. As the city developed, it became one of the main stops in Canada for artists as they travelled across Canada. It remains one of the top destinations today. Province of Manitoba. 2006 Manitoba Budget. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
The city is home to several large festivals. The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is North America\'s second largest Fringe Festival, held every July. The Winnipeg International Writers Festival (THIN AIR) rivals similar festivals in Calgary and Vancouver. Other festivals include Folklorama, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Music Festival, the Red River Exhibition, and Le Festival du Voyageur.
The Winnipeg Public Library is a public library network with 20 branches throughout the city, including the central Millennium Library.
Winnipeg is well known for its murals.Bob Buchanan. The Murals of Winnipeg. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. Many buildings in the downtown area and extending into some suburban areas have murals painted on the sides of buildings. CBC. New Festival. Retrieved on 2007-07-31. Although some are advertisements for shops and other businesses, many are historical paintings, school art projects, or downtown beautification projects. Murals can also be found on several of the downtown traffic light switch posts and fire hydrants.
Winnipeg also has a thriving film community, beginning as early as 1897 with the films of James Freer to the production of local independent films of today, such as those by Guy Maddin. It has also supported a number of Hollywood productions, including Shall We Dance (2004), the Oscar nominated film Capote (2005), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006) and the The Horsemen (2007). Several locally-produced and national television dramas have also been shot in Winnipeg. The National Film Board of Canada and the Winnipeg Film Group have produced numerous award-winning films.
There are several TV and Film production companies in Winnipeg. Some of the prominent ones are Frantic Films, Buffalo Gal Pictures, Les Productions Rivard and Eagle Vision.
Winnipeg is also associated with various music acts. Among the most notable are Neil Young, The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Venetian Snares, Chantal Kreviazuk, Bif Naked, Comeback Kid, The Waking Eyes, Jet Set Satellite, the New Meanies, Propagandhi, The Weakerthans, The Perpetrators, Crash Test Dummies, Christine Fellows, and The Duhks.
Winnipeg is the subject of the song "One Great City!" by the Weakerthans. The song makes allusion to the slow growth and lost industry in the town.Darryl Sterdan (2007). jam! Showbiz, Album Review: Weakerthans. Retrieved on 2007-03-14. The title of the song is the slogan on signs welcoming visitors to Winnipeg. The city is also mentioned in Neil Young\'s "Don\'t Be Denied". Aaron Funk, a Winnipeg-based Breakcore artist better known as Venetian Snares, released a profane concept album in 2005 based on his hatred of Winnipeg.
Winnipeg is mentioned in the song "Anywhere Under the Moon" by Canadian folk duo Dala, on their 2007 album Who Do You Think You Are.
Winnipeg was mentioned in two episodes of The Simpsons; Nelson slaps a driver, who then states, "That\'s it! Back to Winnipeg!" and an episode when Homer came to Winnipeg to import prescription drugs from Canada.
Winnipeg was also mentioned in an episode of Life with Derek on Family Channel; Derek states that his hockey team will no longer be going on a trip to Sweden, but rather a road trip to Winnipeg.
Winnipeg has also achieved acclaim for being the "Slurpee Capital of the World," since 1999, as its residents have a year-round penchant for the icy slush served in convenience stores.CTV. Winnipeg Crowned Slurpee Capital. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
Winnipeg has two daily newspapers, six English television stations, one French television station, 25 AM and FM radio stations and a variety a regional and nationally based magazines that call the city home.
Winnipeg is the future home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The start of construction is contingent on continued efforts to raise money in 2008. It will be the first Canadian national museum outside of the National Capital Region. The museum will be located at The Forks. The Forks, where the Red River and Assiniboine River meet, is Winnipeg\'s number one tourist attraction and brings locals and visitors alike to its shops, river walkways and festivals. The Fairmont Winnipeg. 10 Best Sightseeing. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
The Manitoba Museum is Manitoba\'s largest museum. It has nine galleries and includes a planetarium as well as the Nonsuch. It is one of the only attractions to receive the Michelin Guide highest rating as an attraction in Winnipeg.Wcities. Manitoba Museum. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
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