/31 25 2011 / 03 volume 65 STATE OF THE CITY EXPLORING WINNIPEG IN OUR ANNUAL URBAN ISSUE YOUR MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY CONTINUE TO GREG SELINGER MLA FOR ST. BONIFACE PREMIER OF MANITOBA Work Hard 237-9247 for Manitoba [email protected] STUDENTS DAVE JENNIFER PETER CHOMIAK HOWARD BJORNSON MLA FOR KILDONAN MLA FOR FORT ROUGE MLA FOR GIMLI 334-5060 946-0272 642-4977 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] THERESA KERRI FLOR OSWALD IRVIN-ROSS MARCELINO MLA FOR SEINE RIVER MLA FOR FORT GARRY MLA FOR WELLINGTON 255-7840 475-9433 788-0800 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] DARYL NANCY DOUG REID ALLAN MARTINDALE MLA FOR TRANSCONA MLA FOR ST. VITAL MLA FOR BURROWS 222-0040 237-8771 589-3769 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] JIM ANDREW BONNIE RONDEAU SWAN KORZENIOWSKI MLA FOR ASSINIBOIA MLA FOR MINTO MLA FOR ST. JAMES 888-7722 783-9860 889-8073 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] the Urban IssUe 03 www.UniTer.ca March 31, 2011 The UniTer Dread or alive The other day i posted on The Uniter’s Facebook page, pieces dedicated to each issue, each written by someone asking readers to list things they thought would improve from the community - will shed new light on these topics. winnipeg. The feature at the centre of the paper explores winni- “a cleaner, more happening, vibrant, colourful downtown peg’s north end, with an emphasis on the many positive as- with things happening past 6 p.m.,” one person wrote. pects of that community that we don’t always hear about. “Bike lanes that don’t suck,” someone added. and two other features look at urbanism and the arts The third person that posted left perhaps the most poi- in winnipeg. The first is an epistolary dialogue between gnant comment: urban bloggers robert Galston and walter Krawec, and the “campaigns/programs/anything to improve a sense of second is a dialogue between artists Kier-La Janisse and pride instead of the dread that seems to exist about our Michael Petkau Falk. city.” Ultimately, this issue is a celebration of what winnipeg it’s not an original concept, but it rings true: love/hate is and could be. is the best way to describe how many winnipeggers feel no one’s denying that sometimes this is a terrible place about their city. to live. But there’s a movement of people who aren’t con- The Uniter’s fourth annual urban issue once again has tent to simply complain about the way things are, but who us exploring that concept. The following issue looks at are making strides to change this place for the better. what’s working well in the city, but also, what’s not working as Petkau Falk notes, we’re in a pretty great position go- so well. ing forward. The first three pages explore transit, crime and poverty it is possible for us to turn our dread to pride. in winnipeg. These aren’t groundbreaking topics, but we hope our in- AAron Epp clusion of many different voices - there are two comments MAnAging Editor the Urban Issue 04 the Urban IssUe The UniTer March 31, 2011 www.UniTer.ca TransiT in Winnipeg JORDAn JANISSE Progress on securing funding for operating budget basically held the a complete rapid transit system in line on funding the city's current Winnipeg is at a virtual stand-still rapid transit on hold until phase one on-street transit services. while the city continues to delay Russ Wyatt, city councillor for the second phase of the South- Transcona, voted in favour of mak- west Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) cor- of BRT is completed, says councillor ing LRT the city's preferred rapid ridor in favour of a light rail transit transit method in July of last year. (LRT) system that has yet to mate- Securing funding at a stand-still He now feels that the mayor has rialize. not moved swiftly enough to secure The first phase of BRT involves due to the mayor's much publi- watch for a couple of years to see “People can live in the suburbs funding for an LRT system, which a 3.6 kilometre line that will link cized commitment to LRT, which how the first leg works and make a and that's fine, they can drive and would require provincial and fed- Queen Elizabeth Way at the Forks would see electric-powered railcars decision (based on that).” that's fine,” said Steeves, a staunch eral funds. and Jubilee Avenue at Pembina along city streets. The mayor wants to convert the LRT supporter. “The mayor made a very strong Highway, alleviating traffic conges- “We're going to do the first stage current BRT corridor to light rail “But ... a transit culture has to push to go to LRT last year and I tion in areas like Confusion Cor- (of BRT) and see what the first and turned down $130 million in grow in this city.” think the expectation of the public ner. The first phase is slated for stage looks like,” said Gord Steeves, infrastructure-stimulus funding The city's 2011 capital budget, is that he will do something a lot completion before next year. city councillor for St. Vital and for the second phase last year, say- which includes funding for the sooner than a few more years,” said The second phase of the BRT a member of the city's executive ing that he would rather see money city's new and long-term infra- Wyatt. line, which would extend the corri- policy committee, suggesting that from the Building Canada Fund structure and other assets, did not EthAn CAbEl dor by six kilometres to the Univer- rapid transit is on hold. dedicated to road and bridge infra- include any new funding for rapid sity of Manitoba, has been delayed “I think people ... are going to structure. transit. Additionally, the city's 2011 A more liveable Winnipeg Car convenience stifles effective public transit Paul HEssE sit corridor. That means pathways where VoluntEER cyclists can zip along at good speeds, to afford personal vehicles or expensive daily and without having to mix with traffic or JOE WAsyLycIA-LEIs monthly parking rates (or don’t want to waste time with pedestrians. VoluntEER moving their cars every hour on the street). I've lived in many cities. Of all those Rapid transit will, of course, also It also reflects the fact that students are bound cities, Winnipeg currently has the worst increase the speed of transit. By moving by a certain necessity. Regardless whether it takes transit system. transit onto dedicated corridors, tran- While listening to CBC Radio Winnipeg recently, one hour and three buses, they must still make it Whether in Paris, Hamburg, Ottawa, sit will get out of traffic and away from I heard a story regarding the potential increase of to school. Montreal or Toronto, I was always able traffic lights. downtown parking fees. As a whole, though, Winnipeg has a high to enjoy using transit and could live That means transit that moves faster The “for” argument was captured with an advo- amount of downtown parking relative to its popu- without a car. Winnipeg seems to con- than cars. In Ottawa, I could get to the cate who stated that “Winnipeg needs to start act- lation. Those who work and shop downtown find spire against those who want better airport from downtown faster by tran- ing like a big city,” and pointed out that it is not car use convenient. transportation options. sit than by taxi or car. On transit ways, uncommon to pay four or five dollars an hour or Indeed, increasing the cost of parking has a role Winnipeg's current approach to tran- there are no red lights and no traffic even $20 or $30 a day to park in some of Canada’s to play in curbing automobile dependence and sit is symptomatic of a greater problem: jams. larger urban centres. making our downtown more environmentally a tendency to resist change. What about the cost? In larger cities, there is a distinct supply and sustainable, but only when coupled with a strong Winnipeg could have a better tran- Former Winnipeg mayor Glen Mur- demand relationship between downtown parking commitment to developing a more comprehen- sit system. It could have a more urban, ray and I were recently speaking about and public transit. The amount of available park- sive public transit system. liveable, dense feel to it. It could have rapid transit. He said that when he first ing space is drastically less than what is needed to As a medium-small, low-density city, Winni- a more vibrant downtown – one that proposed rapid transit during his time accommodate the ever-growing number of people peg is faced with a public transit dilemma. Our isn't filled with gravel-bedded surface as mayor, the increased property taxes seeking access to downtown. population is spread comparatively thin over our parking lots. from the Fort Rouge Yards develop- As a result, a premium price is charged for park- metropolitan area, meaning that the development Winnipeg can be a more attractive, ment alone would have offset the cost ing spaces, and those not willing to pay, or those of a transit system that would even come close to proud and liveable city. of the first stage of rapid transit. who know they will probably never find a spot matching the convenience of personal automobile One of the reasons I helped found In other words, if you wanted to pay even if they were able to pay, join those without use is a significant challenge.