Last updated Mar 08/10  

Wind From the North
by Barry Hammond

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Wind From the North - #1
by Barry Hammond

I moved to North Point Douglas in 1979, and for several years in the 1980s I was chair of the Point Douglas Residents Committee.

One of the main tasks we took on was to restore Barber House to reflect its historical appearance. During my tenure with the PDRC, it was restored to about 1870 before a fire gutted much of the interior.

The Barber House restoration was meticulously done. Under the guidance of Dudley Thompson and Prairie Architects, we replaced any log with even a small bit of rot. The original windows, which were in good condition, were put into storage. Many children wondered how people made such perfectly rectangular windows with only an axe to make the openings.  No chain saws at that time!  Our plan, years ago, was to house a museum, an office for the residents committee, and a caretaker in Barber House. Following the fire, the project lost momentum and became mired in bureaucracy and controversy.

Unfortunately, these many years later, Barber House continues to await renewal. More details on Barber House are contained in a book by Lillian Gibbons called Stories Houses Tell. 

 As PDRC chair I found industries, non-profit organizations, and citizens most willing to serve the community. We had over thirty children who came from South Point Douglas to attend Norquay School, so we linked North and South Point Douglas under the one residents committee. Fortunately some links are being rebuilt today.

Other issues of concern at that time were beautifying the CPR underpasses and libraries for Point Douglas. Such issues are alive and well today. Our community library is the St. John’s branch on Salter Street near Church Avenue.  The theory, at that time, was that since few citizens used a library we did not need one close by.  Our idea was that a library would encourage reading so site one nearer our community.  Now the Norquay Community Centre has the Check It Out Reading Zone Program, and we may yet see a mobile library in Point Douglas.

In recent years planting of shrubs and trees along the river bank and in Zuken Park have helped beautify the community. Also the banding of trees likely prolongs tree life for hundreds of years.  Of course, regular community cleanups do wonders to beautify Point Douglas.

Ross House is a great resource to have in the neighbourhood.  For many seasons they have provided space for a community garden. Children from Norquay School have often helped with the planting. Unfortunately they are not in session for the harvesting during the summer. One year Mrs. Radysh, who started the garden but who has since passed away, saved a pumpkin and in the fall made a pumpkin pie which she shared with the children who had helped to plant. The Point Douglas Women’s Centre has now taken over the garden, so look out for great things in the future.

Point Douglas welcomes immigrants from abroad and from the North, as well as new residents from anywhere, to our gem of a community.  It is a pleasure for me to meet the diverse folks who walk our street. With great bus service and the proximity to downtown, we likely live in one of the best parts of Winnipeg.  Although not everyone knows what a superb community we have, each of you helps to contribute to this wonderful place.

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Wind From the North - #2
by Barry Hammond

Point Douglas is an alcove close to downtown.  This proximity to a successful business sector raises the importance of the area in several ways.  First, most North and East End buses must pass this area in their trips downtown.  In an era when automobile travel is being touted as one cause of green house gas production, the availability of transit alternatives to cars is important.  Many personal vehicles convey only one person, but buses typically accommodate several dozen for many hours throughout the day.

The development of a bike trail from the Forks to Kildonan Park will add to the allure of this area.  Bicycles make travel easy and inexpensive.  When I was a young man I loved to park my bike by a tree in winter and help push some motorist out of a snow bank.  Cycling is also good for your health.  The fresh air and exercise likely overcome some couch potato illnesses.

A small, caring community where people know their neighbours can lead to sharing vehicles, too. For example, few people need a truck for more than one or two days per year so why own or rent one?  If you need to transport a bed or other large object, it’s ideal to have a neighbor with a truck and a willingness to help out.  My beat-up half ton has helped out a lot of people in the community. In an era of economic hardship and polluting vehicles, a neighbourhood truck can diminish hardship both on individuals and on the earth.  Such gestures can extend beyond transportation.  Sharing gardening tools and expertise or the excess produce from your garden labours is a great way to be a good neighbour.

During thirty years of living in Point Douglas, I have seen many changes.  Others are seeing the strengths of the community.  Hopefully the changes we see will lead to greater equality and to diminished injustice in society.  With strengthened people, a better world is possible.  

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 Wind from the North -  #3
by Barry Hammond

What is the meaning of community as it relates to a small alcove in the city of Winnipeg?  Community means people who work together to iron out difficulties between, for example, sex trade workers who need a source of income and school children who need a safe route between home and school. Community also means establishing a clean environment or a green neighbourhood full of gardens and trees.  Good housing, good health, and good neighbourhood safety are aspects of a healthy community.

We appear to need leaders, so we elect councilors and a residents committee to present our concerns to greater Winnipeg.  But we need more input from groups and individuals who know about our past and who have the energy and ideas to tackle present challenges. Can we maintain Point Douglas as a largely residential area or should more business and industry be encouraged?  Will the renewed Disraeli Bridge and the pedestrian-cycle path to Kildonan Park meet our needs as well as those of other areas of the city? What should happen to the Louise Bridge—Replacement? Twinning? Other?

Last week I had an opportunity to travel all the streets in North and South Point Douglas.  It was wonderful to see the diversity of people who have settled here, reflecting our multicultural society.  Newcomers learn of Canadian customs by interacting with other Canadians like those in Point Douglas.  Migrants from Northern Manitoba and new immigrants from all over the world have found Point Douglas to their liking.  Can we do more to share our wisdom?  Try reaching out to new neighbours with a helping hand.

Community may be an elusive concept.  For me it means an opportunity to relate to other citizens living in the area.  Perhaps we can share composting ideas or community garden proposals.  Children growing up in our area need the experiences provided by quality child care and diverse recreational opportunities.  Sharing and caring are key for all.  Some disagreement is inevitable in community just as in families, but let us spend little time on conflict and short range crises that upset the goodness of our community. 

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Wind from the North - #4
by Barry Hammond

Is competition better than cooperation in human affairs? Is the private always better than the public?  It appears not so when it comes to urgent community needs. When sand bags are needed, call on students and other citizens. Likewise, charter or private schools aren’t necessarily better than public schools. In Point Douglas, teachers and others at Norquay School work hard to provide the best education possible for people in the area.

I guess the question ought to be: What kind of a world ought we to inhabit?  The Taliban in Afghanistan think women ought to be excluded from power. Some rich people conclude that those not so rich ought to work in their corporation and not for their community.  And if their salaries are higher some will say, Why not? Of course the basic belief here is that becoming richer is good for all, including the community.  Fortunately not all agree, as many volunteers can attest.

When I lived in Chicago I was part of a group of parents that started a storefront school, thinking we could do better than the public system.  As long as we had committed parents and teachers this superiority may have been true, but keeping such schools going over the long haul was impossible. True, we may have forged some new models which Obama has now picked up for inclusion in public schools.  Perhaps we can improve public schools when that is our quest.  But in the end public education reflects the society in which we live.  This takes me back to the question of what do we want the world to be. Schools in Manitoba reflect gender equality and diversity in general.  They welcome an inclusive model that attempts to equalize opportunity, a value not always reflected by the corporate elites.

Can other ways be found to empower those with less than equal input into our society?  Can microcredit do what banks have been unable to do?  Can courts of law balance the power of the police with those of other citizens?  The increased polarization of rich and poor is costing lots when health and educational benefits are added.  Perhaps equality would be cheaper. The displaced president of General Motors retired with a 23 million dollar parachute.  Unfortunately some of those providing this package will never see such funds. Surely justice cannot allow such inequity. Taxes perhaps might narrow this gap, yet we continue to lower taxes in ways that appear to benefit the already rich. 

We can do much to help create the community and the world we want.  Fortunately learning is enjoyable and relating to new friends and neighbours often renews one’s health. Activity is part of this community building potpourri.  We need to exert ourselves more if we wish to achieve a better community and an improved quality of life.

We welcome your thoughts on your neighbourhood as well.

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