Winnipeg, mb
Winnipeg is located very close to the geographic centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, commonly referred to as The Forks. It is the eighth largest city in Canada. The name Winnipeg has its origin in the Cree name given to the lake 40 miles north, meaning "Win", muddy, "nipee", water. The city was incorporated in 1873.
Population: 648,600
[Source: Statistics Canada, March 2007]
Though there have been fur trading posts on the site since 1738, the first permanent settlement of the area occurred in 1812 when a group of Scottish crofters arrived. The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 brought a 30-year period of growth and prosperity unequalled in Canadian urban development. A flood of immigrants, high wheat prices, plentiful capital and improved farming techniques contributed to making Winnipeg the wholesale, administrative, and financial centre of western Canada. Following World War I, economic stagnation due to low wheat prices and the Depression lasted well into the 1940s.
Since 1945, Winnipeg has grown steadily, based on its position as a major grain, financial, manufacturing, and transportation centre. In 1972, the unified City of Winnipeg was created by amalgamating 13 local municipalities, towns and cities.
‘A Sense of Belonging’ Priority Areas for Winnipeg:
- Formal and Public Education
- Curriculum changes including the issue of diversity
- The general public engaged in debates related to these issues
- Diversity as a part of several professional training programs
- Educational institutions as champions of diversity - Violence and Racial Profiling
- Growing partnership between organizations around racial profiling awareness
- Reduced rate of racial violence - Aboriginal realities and contribution
- More inclusive environments for urban aboriginal youth
2007 Regional Report
(information compiled during Winnipeg Regional Visit)
DATES: September 24-27, 2007
Regional Coordinators
LeeAnne Sinclair
Elena Anciro