It was a gorgeous, sunny day and one of the bands my husband manages, Johnny Cajun, was playing a set, so we Snugglied up our now 2-month old and headed over to the Forks for some fresh air and lively tunes.

The riverfront was full of people happily taking in the music and blue skies. The river taxi was doing runs back and forth, and from their location on a barge the band played on!

Upcoming acts include Greg MacPherson, Chic Gamine, Sierra Noble , Fred Penner and many others. I hope you get a chance to go over the next few days!

When I first moved to Winnipeg last year, I was already familiar with some of the more popular/interesting outdoors hangouts. I had been to the Forks, explored the Exchange, shopped at Polo Park and ventured all the way down to the University of Manitoba (which is about as far south as I’ve been since I’ve moved here). However, one place I had never been too, or even really heard of for that matter, was Assiniboine Park. I stumbled upon the park last spring, when I went there for a work-related bbq lunch. Since then, I’ve been back numerous times with friends, visiting family, and solo. I tend to be fond of urban parks.  I love Stanley and Queen Elizabeth parks in Vancouver. I was impressed by the Toronto Islands Park. I’ve experienced Central Park, Hyde Park, and many more in Europe; but I have to say, Winnipeg has a pretty nice park in Assiniboine and here are some reasons why (in no particular order):

Number one: It’s larger than Stanley Park in Vancouver. Not by much mind you, but it is (I looked it up). Plus, unlike Stanley Park, it doesn’t have a major traffic artery bisecting the park in two.

Number two: Assiniboine Park has some pretty cool gardens. The formal English garden was very nice stroll through last summer, but I was most impressed with the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. I had never heard of Leo Mol before I moved here, so I was surprised to find an entire garden filled with his creations. However, I was quickly impressed with how nicely it was all laid out, and quite entertained by the variety of creative sculptures. The small display building and courtyard area in the middle of the garden is a wonderful spot, which was made even better when I discovered the (free) live Sunday jazz series in the garden last summer. You don’t get that in Vancouver!

Number three: All the trails through the gardens, forests and fields, around the duck pond and along the river make the park a great place to walk. It’s so nice to get a walk through the forest without leaving the convenience (and mosquito controlled confines) of the city. Plus, you get a great walking bridge over the river that leads directly to a delicious ice cream stand. Bingo!

Number four: Trains, planes and automobiles. Assiniboine has a miniature railway which, even though I haven’t experienced yet, I always appreciate. Also, there’s the cool old CN steam engine near the south gate. As for planes, with the airport just across the river, the park fields are a great place for plane spotting. It’s pretty cool, and a bit unnerving to see A320s and 737s flying that low right above you. Sometimes I get the urge to wave, thinking someone might actually see me and wave back! And of course, the park also has one key feature that would endear itself to any Winnipegger: abundant free parking!

Finally, number five: The Lyric Theatre at the Pavilion. I have been to the Lyric twice now, camped out with my folding chair on a prime piece of real estate, to see the WSO perform a free show on a gorgeous summer evening. This is a perfect combination and the best bang for my entertainment dollar (even after the well-deserved donation). This year, I will endeavour to experiment and try out more free performances at the Lyric; the Big Band Series looks promising, and I’ve heard that I need to see Moses Mayes, so I will have to make the trip a few times this summer. That’s not too difficult since even the drive to the park all the way down Corydon is rather pleasant (though I’m always tempted to pull over and have a beer or cappuccino on a bustling patio.)

There are many other things to enjoy in Assiniboine Park that I didn’t mention in my list. The conservatory is nice and I expect this is especially so in the winter. There’s the zoo, which I’ve enjoyed as well, though I have mixed feelings about zoos. I have yet to sample the park in winter mode, but I’m looking forward to taking my skis out there next winter.

What’s your favourite place/thing/aspect of Assiniboine Park? Do you have other favourite parks in the city or places you like to go for a quick nature getaway? I know I’m curious to try out FortWhyte Alive. I’d like to hear some of your suggestions too!

-Ian

Get married? Check.

Buy a house? Done.

Have a baby…  any time now!

Yep, my husband and I will welcome our first child very shortly, and since pregnancy is such a major life event, the last nine months have given me a real education in expectation. Reflecting on it all  has inspired me to share a bit about what I’ve discovered – I hope it will be of some use to fellow expectant parents in the city.  I’m certainly no pro, but I have managed to figure some things out!

Doctors, Obstetricians & Midwives

One of the most frustrating things about moving to a new city is getting yourself set up with new healthcare providers.  When I found out I was pregnant, I hadn’t yet found a family doctor, and that was pretty stressful (as if there aren’t other things on your mind when you’re in your first trimester, like not throwing up!). The Family Doctor Connection did not prove to be particularly helpful – I wound up just searching the internet for Winnipeg medical clinics accepting new patients and eventually did get into one.

Eventually I was referred to an obstetrician who think is great, but when I found out that pregnant women in Manitoba can choose to work with a doctor or a midwife, I was disappointed that I hadn’t pursued the latter option. Fortunately, we’ve been able to somewhat bridge the differing styles of prenatal care by hiring a doula who has been meeting with us regularly over the last few months, and who will be with us when our baby is born.

Midwives are funded through the province of Manitoba and can generally attend hospital and home births. Be forewarned, though: there’s a shortage of midwives in the province. According to this Free Press item, the province funds about 40, but needs more like 200.  Apparently, the College of Midwives is turning away more than half the people who want a midwifery birth. You can see a list of all midwife practices here. (Midwives support low-risk home and hospital births – pretty cool.)

Hospital Births

In Winnipeg, only St. Boniface Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) have maternity wards.  I’ll be delivering at St. B,  which is made up of private, LDRP (labour/delivery/recovery/postpartum) rooms, and semi-private rooms. You can take a monthly “virtual tour” of the St. B maternity ward every 2nd Thursday of the month. The first half hour/45 minutes is a powerpoint presentation by an anaesthesiologist, addressing drug options for labour. The second half is a slide show and presentation by a labour & delivery nurse, and for me, this part of the presentation was much more valuable. The nurse shared when to come to the hospital, and what to bring, and answered the question that everyone wants to know: how do I get a private LDRP room? (The answer is sort of complicated, but I was relieved to know that even if you don’t get an LDRP room, you still have your own room for labour, delivery, and recovery. It’s only after the delivery that you’ll be sharing a room.)

Also of great interest to me is the construction of a free-standing birthing centre (“Women’s Health Clinic”) that is scheduled to begin by Spring of 2011. It’s expected to handle 500 births per year, and “will include a primary-care clinic and four birthing rooms, and facilities for education and counselling.” (CBC News item)

Ultrasounds

Sorry ladies, this ain’t the United States, where if you believe what you see on A Baby Story, you’d get a whole bunch of chances to see your little one in utero. In Manitoba, I’ve been told, and it was my experience, that unless you’re high risk, you’ll probably get one ultrasound at around 20 weeks. And it’s for medical purposes, not to determine the sex of the baby. (Don’t bother to ask if it’s a boy or a girl, because apparently they won’t tell you! At St. B, anyway. I’m not sure about HSC.) At St. Boniface, you can order a DVD of your ultrasound for $50 (allow  weeks for processing). This was a hard reality for me to learn, since all I wanted was one snapshot to show family and friends, and tuck into a baby book. In the end we opted save some money (am I becoming a frugal Winnipegger, or what??) and to forego the ultrasound DVD. If you’re willing to pay, BabyMoon and UC Baby are private ultrasound clinics that offer a variety of photo/DVD/etc. packages.

Doulas (a.k.a. labour coaches)

As I mentioned earlier, we found a wonderful doula through Birth Roots Doula Collective who has been meeting with us over the last few months and will be with us when I go into labour. She has been an excellent source of information, reassurance, and support and we feel very lucky to be working with her. While doulas (personal labour coaches) aren’t paid for by the province, most have a sliding scale fee policy… we are paying the full Birth Roots price at $575+tax. Other organizations such as MACFE (a non-profit) charge less.

Incidentally, word on the street is that doula services in Manitoba are way underpriced. A friend of mine in Calgary who is also expecting looked into getting a doula, and the least expensive service they found cost $900. I have heard that doulas in Toronto often charge $1000. We’ve had such a positive experience with our doula so far that I’m sure we would happily pay a higher rate, if it were required.

Prenatal classes, activities & networking

One of the downsides of moving away from your old friends is that once “baby fever” hits your gang, you may find, as I did, that you want to be around other expectant mothers but don’t know any! Fortunately I’ve been able to meet some other pregnant women through prenatal classes and prenatal yoga, both of which are held at Birth Roots. I’ve especially enjoyed the 8-week yoga class, as we generally had group discussions both before and after the class. Moksha Yoga also offers prenatal yoga, and the Winnipeg Leisure Guide lists several pre-and postnatal (and pre-/postnatal friendly) classes including yoga, aquafit, exercise, etc.

Two online forums have been somewhat useful, too: Baby Center’s Parents in Manitoba board and What to Expect’s Canadian Parents board.

Maternity & baby clothing and gear

I’ve had a lot of luck finding gently worn maternity clothes at Mom’s and Children’s Paradise, got my winter coat at Motherhood Maternity, and almost never left Thyme without something cute! As for baby gear, a colleague told me early on to watch the Zellers flyers because they routinely have big sales in the baby department… and it’s true, they do! E-Children is a smaller chain whose Winnipeg store in located in the Exchange, and they have really lovely cribs, bassinets, bedding, furniture, etc. there. We purchased cloth diapers from a local mother/daughter team who runs Canada’s Diaper Ladies. I’ve also heard good things about AMP Diapers.

And again, I wouldn’t be a thrifty Winnipegger if I didn’t scope out a bunch of garage sales a couple weekends back, and score a bunch of barely-used clothes, a Snugli, and a diaper bag for a fraction of what they would have cost new. (On a related note, this year I discovered that there are somewhat regular “community garage sales” where entire neighbourhoods plan their sales on the same weekend… I visited the Whyte Ridge sales on May 8, and the Linden Woods sale is right around the corner on June 5.)

I’ve also made excellent use of Winnipeg Public Library‘s extensive collection of pregnancy and baby name books. I’m looking forward to taking the little one to some WPL programming eventually, too!

Anyway, that’s about it (I know, this was a novel) from me on this topic. I’d love to hear about others’ experiences, tips, and comments about preparing for a baby in Manitoba… it can be an overwhelming and anxious time of life, so the more we can share with each other, the better

On Thursday May 13, there will be two presentations of Of Songs and Battles (“De chants et de batailles”), a fascinating look at the history of Francophone community in Manitoba, produced by the CJP.  I had the pleasure of seeing this reading (accompanied by live music from Kin) last year at the CUSB and left the event feeling proud, inspired, angry, and in awe of the tireless efforts of francophones in this province.

Are you planning on going to the world’s largest social (at any of the 63 satellite locations), or any other events during the 4-day blitz in Neepawa? Let me know how it goes!

Some of you may know that when I’m not blogging about Winnipeg, I run the library at a law firm. I’ve been working in the library field since 2003, and I love my job! Even though I work in the private sector, I still feel pretty passionately about supporting other types of libraries, especially public and school libraries.

A few weeks ago, library CUPE Local 500 members took to the streets outside the Millennium Branch of the Winnipeg Public Library, handing out information about their Positively Public campaign and  trying to raise awareness about cuts to library funding. I got one of these pamphlets and have been thinking about it ever since. I had just started to formulate this post when I got an email from a blog reader on the same topic. This is an issue on many citizens’ minds.

If you care about the Winnipeg Public Library, you should let your city councillor know that you’re opposed to budget cuts that will  reduce staffing  and funding to our valuable community institution. The City of Winnipeg’s Adopted Operating Budget 2009 shows that jobs have been (and will continue to be) eliminated and overall library funding will be cut (see pp.108-109). Plus, they’re talking about outsourcing (privatizing) the cataloguing department.

This is despite steadily rising visits to the library (both in-person and to the library’s website), increasing numbers of library card holders, increasing computer bookings and use of online databases. It makes no sense to me.

I really believe that people use the library more and less at different times of their lives. Many talk about library use going up during times of economic difficulty, but I think it’s more than that. To give just one example: a young professional with tons of disposable income may not think of going to the library all that often. But a few years down the road when that young professional is now a young parent, the library with its endless supply of kids’ books and CDs and free, quality programming starts to look a little more appealing. Even if libraries don’t seem that important to you just now, I guarantee that you will be grateful for them at some point down the road. Your neighbours will be, too.

Libraries aren’t just about books – far from it. They are community institutions that promote literacy, provide access to information, offer cultural and entertainment activities, support newcomers, students, and job-seekers, provide resources in alternate formats for people with disabilities… the list is endless. Every cut to library funding takes away from what services WPL can offer. We’re not just talking about fewer book acquisitions, we’re talking short staffing, longer waits for service, and fewer programs.

So, the best thing you can do is let your city councillor know that you want to see increases, not decreases, to the WPL’s staffing and overall funding. The best people to run a community institution are the library that live in the community, so be sure also let your feelings about outsourcing be known. A recent article in the Globe & Mail explained how to get a politician’s attention (tip: a personal e-mail is often the best way). And, oh yeah, keep using your library! (I’m off to email my councillor.)

According to my trusty “Manitoba Book of Everything” this is what kids here often say instead of “Trick or Treat!”. I’d never heard of it until I moved here, and sort of have the idea that it might be something people used to say (see  Aaron Schwartz remembers Halloween in Ashern, MB and Willy Cole remembers Halloween in East Selkirk, MB) but do they anymore? I’ll find out!

Growing up in Alberta we said “Trick or Treat!”, but also joked around with a little song that went “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat” – how charming, now that I think of it.

Did you grow up saying “Halloween Apples”?  Or something else?

I might be crazy, but I think I remember my parents saying that when they lived here in the 70s, the only places open on Sundays were gas stations, but they were pretty much only allowed to sell you bread and milk (and, well, gasoline).  If that’s true, then times have changed since then!

Nowadays, in Winnipeg, we have it both ways: stores are allowed to open, but only during certain hours: retail stores (which include grocery stores) are only open from 12 noon to 6pm on Sundays. There are exceptions, of course. If your store operates with fewer than four people, you are allowed to be open whenever you like on Sundays. It’s not clear to me whether smaller cities that do not have a municipal Sunday Shopping bylaw are allowed to open.

The biggest adjustment for me in this regard has been to the hours grocery stores keep on Sundays. Before moving here, I was used to stores being open whenever they pleased. I think the last Safeway I shopped at in BC was open 7am to midnight, seven days a week. This was extremely handy – you could get groceries pretty much any time it was convenient – but any time I took advantage of late-night or early-morning shopping, I felt self-conflicted. On one hand, it was like, “See, it’s a good thing you’re open! Look at all of us shopping at 8 on a Sunday night! How accommodating!” But on the other hand, it was also a bit depressing. Don’t the employees deserve some time off? Do you REALLY need anything after about 7pm on a Sunday that can’t wait until Monday — or that you couldn’t pick up from the gas station convenience store? Is nothing sacred anymore?

Now that I’ve adapted to the rules here, I think limited Sunday shopping hours are a good thing.  It’s actually nice knowing exactly when stores will open and close. It’s lovely to have Sunday mornings for lying around, doing the crossword, drinking coffee and making pancakes, going to church, whathaveyou, but not HAVING to do anything. And it’s nudged me into becoming a bit more organized, too. I now know that if we’re, say, going to make brunch on Mother’s Day, we’d better get my supplies on Saturday, or be stuck buying extreme mark-up bacon and eggs at 7-11 on Sunday morning (and we can forget about that bag of potatoes we were in charge of bringing).

So, what do you think about Sunday shopping hours? Do you like the prescribed, set hours, or do you think stores should be free to set their own hours? Do you remember a time when there was no Sunday shopping at all in Manitoba?

*I know, I know. We WoMH’ers listen to a lot of CBC.

The City of Winnipeg wants to know more about “how people use and value City parks and what people want now and in the future for our parks and open space system.”

I just did it – it took me all of three minutes. You should, too!

Start the “Parks, Places, and Open Space – Winnipeg User Needs Survey” at Speak Up Winnipeg.

It took a bit of prompting the Friday before, but Laurel did finally agree to accompany me. I know that wacky excursions on early weekend mornings aren’t always popular, but I was armed with my grandma’s beet leaf borscht recipe and a burning desire to get cooking that afternoon. Thanks to the Vancouver-like weather we’ve had this summer, it was of course raining on our drive out to St. Norbert. Arriving at our destination we discovered you can either a) scour the streets for free parking, or b) simply drive into the big lot and pay $2 for a spot. We chose the easier and quicker option “b”.

As we exited the car a kind gentleman struck up a conversation with us (he noticed my out-of-province plates) by asking if we drove all the way from Alberta just for the farmers’ market. This devolved into a discussion of which grower offers the freshest chickens. He showed me his. I gagged internally as I haven’t eaten meat for 9 years. Dead birds in plastic bags aren’t my “thing”. It was charming, nonetheless. Manitobans are so kind and eager to strike up conversation! (at least, they are in farmers’ market parking lots)

After our experience with Winnipeg garage sales – and the lessons I supposedly learned about bargaining – I should have known better than to accept a first offer. One key ingredient for grandma’s borscht is fresh dill. I mean, a lot of fresh dill. When I saw a bunch of the stuff for $2 my initial reaction was “is this $2 day? A couple bucks for parking and now $2 for dill? Sweet!” I snapped it up quickly. However, by the time I was buying beets at the next stand I discovered a much finer, more full bunch of dill for $1.75. WHA-WHA-WHAT? By this point Laurel saw what was happening and began to help keep me calm.

As I was selecting hearty carrots at the next stall I noticed another ample bunch of dill…for $1.25! I ultimately broke down and bought it. In the end I used both bunches of dill in the borscht recipe (I doubled the instructions grandma gave me) and it was well worth it to have extra. The lesson I can impart with regard to farmers’ market shopping is that when you’re new to the game, always “do a lap” before you commit to a location. Check out the prices each vendor has set for their produce, and then make your choice from that point. Don’t jump the gun and prematurely purchase. Take your time and ease into the experience of shopping for farm fresh, local produce. It’s worth it!

Our tweets from the farmers’ market adventure:

Aaron: If the rain doesn’t stop the farmers and the Market, it can’t stop me! St. Norbert bound!

Aaron: Picking up @formerhasbeen for our adventure…hope she has her umbrella and her produce-picking hat on!

Laurel: Just got coffee with @directedreading, now off to the farmer’s market!

Aaron: It is raining less now! Had to pay 2 dollars for parking and just got advice on fresh chicken

Laurel: Ugh, just got dumped on by a tarp puddle.

Aaron: Mission accomplished! Green onions, dill, potatoes, carrots, beets…yum! Laurel got, um, soaked!

Laurel: Where were the eggs, St. Norbert farmer’s market?

Aaron: At Smitty’s for a post-Farmers Market breakfast…the special today is chocolate chip waffle; I heard “shellfish”waffle!

According to the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market website, this season is going to be their longest to-date, and they are open Saturdays from 8am – 3pm (June through to Halloween), and also on Wednesdays from 1pm – 7pm in July, August, and September only.

"The Lake": Heaven on Earth

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking my first trip to “the lake” since moving to Manitoba. When I was younger, we often visited my grandparents at their place in Lac Du Bonnet, where they lived year-round, and memories of those days contributed a great deal to my yearning for the province.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited for my first invitation to the lake as a Manitoban, and even more delighted to learn that we’d be going through LDB to get to Lee River. The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed horseshoes, beer, reading, more beer, roasting hotdogs, and mosquitoes. The next morning, we made a big breakfast, did the crossword, went swimming, and were treated to a spin in the boat. Heaven! By the end of our 24 hours at the lake, we were trying to figure out how to buy a cottage and work from home. We got back to the city grubby, covered in bug bites, but very happy and relaxed!

Anyway, I had lunch today with an eclectic group: an Albertan, several Winnipeggers (some of whom are originally from elsewhere in the country), and one Ontarian. Somehow, the topic of cottages and cabins came up, and we started discussing what you call the visit to your cottage country home away from home. I’m a giant word nerd, so naturally, I found this discussion fascinating. And if I have everything straight…

• People from northern Ontario (Kenora-ish) will call it “going to camp” [aside: I always get a kick out of the fact that a town that's parallel to Winnipeg is considered to be in northern Ontario!]
• Southern Ontarians are more likely to say “going to the cabin“
• Winnipeggers will say “going to the lake” regardless of what type of structure they will be staying in, though if pressed, I’d say I usually hear them say “going to the cottage“
• Someone asserted that calling something a cabin denotes no indoor plumbing

Are we on the right track? Any corrections to be made to this? (A new Winnipegger’s gotta be sure she has her terminology straight!) Are there regional variations in other parts of the country, too?

Incidentally, CBC Information Radio was interviewing someone from Cottage Life magazine the other day, and the topic was cottage etiquette, or more specifically, cottage guest etiquette. You can take this quiz to find out if you pass the test, and read their guide on nine ways to be a good cottage guest.  I had to laugh at one essential piece of advice from the Cottage Life interviewee: When you’re a guest at someone’s cottage, and your host asks you how you slept, no matter how old and lumpy and uncomfortable the bed was, you always say, “Great!”.

How very Friendly Manitoban