So, where the heck IS Winnipeg? It is the capital of Manitoba which is the Canadian province tucked between Ontario to the east, Saskatchewan to the west, Nunavut to the north, and North Dakota and Minnesota to the south. It’s a mere 62 miles from the United States border near the geographic center of North America.

A native or resident of Winnipeg is called a Winnipegger and, per Gary, one of the city’s nicknames is the Peg, and according to my seat mate on the flight to Toronto the other is Winterpeg. It just so happens to be the Slurpee Capitol of Canada! July 11 is Free Slurpee Day as a matter of general interest.

Winnipeg was The. Place. to. Be. not so long ago. The railroad plus its location at the confluence of two rivers, the Assiniboine and the Red, combined to make it the leading commercial center of the prairie territories and provinces. In fact it was the only large city on the Canadian prairie as late as the 1890s. In competition for territorial control of the area, the North West Company, backed by the French, and the Hudson’s Bay Company, backed by the English, built competing fur-trading forts and did a booming business for decades. They eventually combined under the Hudson Bay name and are still a big deal. Think: HBC.

We spent two relaxing days checking out city sites and all agree we are so glad we came early. Of particular interest was the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The unusual shape of this gorgeous building has made it an iconic structure in the city. The focus of the museum is global human rights with a particular emphasis on telling the ugly truths about shameful practices in Canada’s past. Between the 1950s and 1990s, for example, there was a systematic purge of LGBTQ members of the military, Mounted Police, and the civil service. During World War II Japanese-owned land and personal property were confiscated and West Coast Japanese were interred in camps. The Indian Residential School System thrived from the 1880s to the 1990s (!!!) when First Nations children were forced to leave their families and live in church-run boarding schools. These school were renowned for abusive practices and for suspending the children in cultural limbo. Chinese were recruited when they were needed to build the national railway but, once finished, were either taxed heavily or denied access to Canada altogether until 1947. Jehovah’s Witnesses endured decades of government persecution. Still unresolved is the fact that Inuit, First Nations, and Métis women are three times more likely to experience violence than other women in Canada and are over-represented as homicide victims.

Although the subject was a serious one, we thoroughly enjoyed the museum and came away respecting the its honest look at Canada’s past, its review of the progress that has been made, and its hope for more responsible personal choices and governmental policies in the future.

Sidebar: Cleone got in free because she is a card carrying member
of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation.

On the lighter side we had a delicious lunch (fish and chips for the W&C and pizza for us) at The Forks Market with a made-to-order doughnuts chaser before strolling around the shops to see what fun things were on offer. The exchange rate is definitely in our favor with $1.00 USD = $1.40 CAD.

Cleone got a top tip from a stranger that we followed up on: the zoo’s Arctic section. Because the weather was crisp and cloudy the polar bears were up and out. Happy birthday Cleone! An acrylic viewing tunnel is built into their swimming pool. As soon as we arrived two playful adults jumped in the water and performed all sorts of tricks while we were captivated from below. A couple of times they just stood or sat on top of the tunnel which was a hoot. Lucky us!!!! There are other Arctic animals in this section of the zoo, but we paid them little attention since our focus is pretty narrow this trip. We zipped past a snow leopard, snowy owls, and reindeer.

The largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world is displayed at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq. The group humored me by tagging along and exploring this fabulous gallery as well as a couple of others. Of particular interest to me were the intricate carvings and my first narwhal tusk. Cleone whipped out her Indian card and got in free again.

Guess who’s in town? The Boss himself, B. Springsteen. We spent part of one afternoon trying to get tickets, but we ended up passing because the best we could do was seats behind the stage.

NHA provides polar coats and boots, water bottles, and hot beverage cups for this trip. We saved a little time before the welcome dinner to pick up our gear. At dinner we met the 5 men and 18 women who will be traveling with us, got briefed on a few logistical matters, and enjoyed a fabulous welcome dinner in the hotel.

In preparation for our trip north tomorrow we reorganized our stuff into three piles: what we’d leave at the hotel in our suitcases (for starters, the coats and boots we arrived wearing), what we would stuff into a waterproof duffel bag (pullover waterproof pants, binoculars, flannel jammies, etc.), and flight essentials for our daypack/backpack. We had thought it through before we left home, so this task did not take very long.

We are heading to bed really excited for tomorrow and hopeful we will see loads of bears up close.

… What’s the Difference …

Inuit refers to the people who make their home in the Arctic.
They are not considered First Nations but a distinct Indigenous group.

First Nations are Indigenous people who make their homes below the Arctic.

Métis emerged in the 17th and 18th century and are descendants of
Indigenous women and European fur trappers and traders.

… Winnie the Poo …

In 1914 a soldier named Harry bought a black bear cub for 20 CAD at a train station
in Ontario, Canada and named her Winnipeg Bear after his hometown.

Harry took his new pet with him on the train to Quebec and soon after to England
where his unit was deployed for World War I.
A very tame Winnie became the mascot for Harry’s unit.

When Harry’s unit got orders for France Winnie was not allowed to go along,
so Harry lent her to the London Zoo where she became very popular.
Because Winnie was so tame visitors were allowed in her inclosure; children could even ride on her back!

Christopher Robin and his father, A. A. Milne, were among the many to visit often.
As they say, the rest is history.