Point Douglas Community News
Vol. 8 *  Issue 5 * July / August 2010

Inside this issue

Point Douglas Residents Committee News

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by Mary Mathias and Valerie Himkowski

First, our we want to give a huge thank you to Assiniboine Credit Union for supporting The Point Community News with a Sustainable Community Grant. Thanks also to the North Point Douglas Seniors Association for their generous contribution to our fundraising campaign.

One focus of this issue is Arts in the Community, and we are pleased to feature the work of one of our local photographers. Continuing with this visual presentation, there are images showcasing some of the many positive changes in the community. The renovated Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre building at Euclid and Sutherland is stunning. After years of planning, ground has been broken for the new Eagle Wing Early Childhood Centre. A derelict building has been transformed into affordable rental housing.

During the summer, be sure to take a walk around the neighbourhood and get inspired by all the wonderful things to be seen in The Point!   ♦

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By Sel Burrows

Seniors’ programming in North Point Douglas is warming up with the weather. Members of the North Point Douglas Seniors Association have worked with the tenants’ advisory board at 817 Main St. on several projects. First came the trimming of dead trees and preparing the garden for flowers and landscaping. The seniors association provided gardening tools and clean up equipment while the residents provided time, muscle, and a saws-all. By the time this is printed there should be a wonderful garden on Main St.

Thanks to Rob Forbes, executive member of SWAT, food delivery is now beginning on Sundays to 817 Main as well as to seniors residing in Point Douglas. Preparations are underway for a sewing group. We now have three sewing machines and a quantity of thread and cloth. Any further donations of sewing machines (in working condition) or other sewing materials are welcome.

The Seniors Association will be providing transportation for 817 Main residents to attend various events, including the Goldeyes, and to enjoy an outing to City Park. Thanks to the Manitoba Liquor Commission, which previously donated tables and chairs, Point Douglas seniors will be able to attend a Bomber game in October. We are hopeful we will be able to get more tickets for other events.

We are waiting for the renovations to 817 Main to conclude to have our official opening of the Seniors Library. With books provided by MLA Christine Melnick and book shelves from Manitoba Hydro, this will be a great addition to the neighbourhood.

During the week of June 21^st, the NPD Seniors Association, the PDRC Green Team, and volunteers from 817 Main cleaned up the vacant lot beside the Yellow Warehouse on Main St.  This is an overgrown lot where a woman was sexually assaulted a year ago.

SWAT stands for Seniors With Attitude, which is the other name for the North Point Douglas Seniors Association. We may be over 65, but we still can make things happen!   ♦

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By Craig Ross

New position at Mount Carmel Clinic works with the urban Aboriginal community

A couple of years ago, Mount Carmel Clinic organized community consultations looking at what we do well and what we could do better. One of the things we found is that residents felt strongly that the “staff should reflect the demographics of the community.” We definitely agree, and while we continue to make progress on that front, another thing we can do to stay closer to our neighbourhood is to better target the focus of some of our work. 

According to a recent report, the Aboriginal population comprises 34% of North Point Douglas and 20% of South Point Douglas. For the most part, urban Native people experience the same barriers to accessing service as everyone else. For example, because the vast majority of all residents have work, childcare, and/or volunteering commitments, we need to make sure that our operating hours are convenient, our wait times are reasonable, and our staff members have the opportunity to leave the four walls of the Clinic to go to where it’s more convenient for people. 

Some barriers, though, are not shared equally among all groups. A history of colonization and racism has rightfully influenced many Aboriginal people to distrust and not access mainstream services. Instead, a vibrant network of Aboriginal agencies and networks exist that fill many of these gaps.

Beginning in July 2010, Mount Carmel’s new Aboriginal Health Promotion Facilitator will be looking to collaborate with local Aboriginal community residents, organizations, and networks to see how we can better share resources and deliver service to this community, both in partnership with these groups and in terms of our own access and programming. We fully expect that what we learn will improve service to all our neighbours. 

The new worker, Melissa, can be contacted at mguimond@mountcarmel.ca or through our main phone line, 582-2311.  ♦

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Construction begins at the site of the new Eagle Wing daycare centre, on the grounds behind Barber House

Eagle Wing Early Education Centre is looking forward to another action-packed summer. We have several field trips already planned:  Tinkertown, Morning Sound Farm, and Camp Manitou. The children will also be enjoying many activities including picnics, visits to the local water parks, The Forks, special arts ‘n crafts, games, gardening, and so forth.

Our Eagle Wing Early Education Centre Nursery-Kindergarten-School-Age Program has recently undergone some changes in that Norquay School has moved this particular program to a smaller classroom in order to accommodate Norquay School’s growing enrollment. Therefore, this has necessitated the move of only our Nursery-Kindergarten program to our 49 Euclid location. Welcome to our Nursery-Kindergarten children and staff! 

At the close of the 2009-2010 school year, we wish to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who help us in any way they can, no matter how small or how large the contribution may be!  To name a few:  S.I.S.T.A.R.S., parents, staff, and Filipino Seniors. Have a great summer and stay cool…  ♦

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For several months the newsletter planning group has been discussing reviving a 'Roving Reporter' type of feature. Thanks to Tyson Cormack for producing the first Neighbourhood Voices column.

Tyson posed the question:  What is your favourite thing about Point Douglas in the summer?

Tyler:   "The Splash Park"
		Olivia (L) and Maria: "Closeness to Downtown and the ability to walk to all the places you want to go"
Glen: "Enjoying the park, and people watching."

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Adrian Stoness is a photographer who has lived in Point Douglas for nearly 20 years. He is a self-taught city historian. His passion for and commitment to Point Douglas and Winnipeg is inspiring. His artistic point of view is clear in viewing his work. To see more of Adrian's photography, visit www.pointdouglas.com   ♦

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To see more of Adrian's photography, visit www.pointdouglas.com   ♦

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We welcome your letters and opinions at any time.

You may contact us by email at thepoint.editor@pointdouglas.ca , by telephone at 942-6811, by writing to us at The Point Community News, c/o 116 Grove St. Wpg MB, R2W 3K8, or by dropping a letter into our mailbox at that address. ♦

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By Jordan Van Sewell

Although I’ve never been to the Left Bank in Paris, I’ve read all kinds of tales about the place: the bohemians, the artists, and the writers that lived there and wrote or were written about. Who doesn’t love Jean-Paul Sartre, Henry Miller, and George Orwell. Didn’t they all suffer the artistic lifestyle and pay penance from that locale that seemed designed for that purpose? As a Winnipegger, it can be prudent to study ourselves in the context of others, to see other ways of resolving the difficult human condition and help us to reach a better understanding. Art is said to do this.

The feeling that something is happening here continues. There have been a lot of these sensations in the last two decades. Listing the changes is folly. It’s like counting leaves as they emerge in the spring. Next thing you know the tree is covered with them. It’s easier to chronicle the impact, list the facts. This is the last place that I know of where you can buy a house for a reasonable dollar. This seems to be the single most important factor in the area’s ongoing ability to sustain its “artistic standing.” Even institutional and commercial space was relatively affordable the last time I looked--relative, yes, but always the first to increase in perceived value.

Fortunately, some of the cornerstones arrived before the trend of paying high dollars came into common practice.

A quick run through South Point Douglas reveals several of these stable agencies: Graffiti Gallery, Red Road Lodge, The Edge Gallery, MAWA (Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art). There are more, and in time there will be even more.

There is also an established artist population. I won’t address them by name, but the neighbourhood really has become a sanctuary for artistic types. They tend to assimilate well into the larger population and have given the confidence that was needed for others to relocate to this area. I see artists walking by my residence and often cannot distinguish them from the rest of the population.

Some folks may say, “Yeah, yeah, big deal.”  It is a big deal.  For instance, studies have been done, statistics have been compiled, and in this province serious money moves into our economy and through the artistic community. I do not know if this includes the sale of t-shirts and fridge magnets. I am an artiste not a pollster, so any survey I conduct is anecdotal and always concludes that people here stay focused on what they’re doing. There is little time for crime and there is a positive vibe.

Governor General Michaelle Jean thinks so. She always comes down to the Graffiti Gallery when she’s in town. I’ve had visits from the former Lieutenant Governor here in the South Point and met with the Premier and the Mayor to discuss all things pertinent to these exciting times in this exciting part of town. Hey, trends do dictate. Who wouldn’t follow a positive trend, whether you’re a politician, a buyer, a seller, an artist, or an interested citizen.

The “art movement” is a lot younger than the history of the area. There is no need to return to the circumstances that allowed S.P.D. to get lost and entangled so long ago .The important thing for now is  to acknowledge that a lot of good has returned to the neighbourhood with the new residents, these modern pioneers that are welcomed by the cradle of Winnipeg burgs. Now we can build upon the spin offs of these most recent efforts. It has been awhile since anyone believed in the crystal ball or looked for a psychic to shed answers. You learn to do it yourself. It’s probably enough when someone says in conversation that they’ve heard of the area. Did they read about it in a national publication? A magazine? Maybe it was being discussed on the Left Bank.

Hey! Did anyone find my rucksack (ok, purse) with my camera, book of answers to the universe, and my stupid Costco water bottle?  Reward?  You bet.

Editor’s note: The Point hopes to include articles on the organizations mentioned in ‘Wind from the South’ in future issues. Meanwhile, for additional information please visit www.edgevillage.com; www.mawa.ca; www.graffitigallery.ca. Refer to our May-June 2010 issue for the article “Studio 631 at Red Road Lodge.”  ♦

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The women and the Safety Coordinator of the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre, Linda Williams, celebrated International Peace Tree Day on June 1^st by creating a Peace Tree at the Centre and posting symbols and words of what peace means to them. 

The Peace Tree concept evolved from the creation of the Peace Tree film by Mitra Sen, which received twelve international awards including the Liv Ullmann Peace Prize.  Peace Tree Day has begun to grow in India, Canada, USA, Pakistan, Germany, South Africa, Australia, England, Taiwan, Korea, Scotland, Dubai and is about to begin in Germany. 

Join the Peace Tree Spirit by coming into the Women’s Drop-In at 221 Austin to post a message or symbol of what peace and non-violence means to you. Many thanks to Kelly McKinnen, our Red River Counseling student for drawing The Peace Tree! Next year we will ask the Mayor to declare June 1^st Peace Tree Day as they have in Toronto and other cities.  ♦

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Farmers Market Offers Incentive

The Farmers Market Association of Manitoba has provided funding for a unique incentive opportunity to community residents who shop at the Main Street Market. Families can receive a weekly incentive of $5.00 per family toward the purchase of food at the Market.

The Main Street Farmers Market will be located at 1085 Main St. at Age and Opportunity every Friday from 12-4, from June 25th to the end of September.

The Market offers the freshest in-season produce, as well as specialty food items and crafts. Buying locally grown food helps to strengthen our local economy and brings people together. The Farmers Market is a great way to meet new people in your community and also provides much-needed support for our local producers.

So come on down and make an afternoon of it, bring the family and enjoy everything the Farmers Market has to offer! 

Agencies and community members interested in participating either as vendors or customers are welcome to call Margo Malabar @ 927-2342 for more information.  ♦

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by Chris Burrows

Power Line operates 24/7 for all of us in Point Douglas. It is an amazing thing that just keeps growing. People were very nervous about joining in the beginning, fearing that they would not be 100% anonymous.

Just this week we have four new members, people who have moved into the neighbourhood and want to live in a safe community. Some people are a bit puzzled and ask, “But I don’t get it, how do you join the Power Line?” It is so simple: all you have to do is email point.powerline@yahoo.com or phone 956-4090. As soon as you email or call me, I can add you to our safety network.

If you are on the email list, I can send you crime updates and warnings to keep your family safe. If you do not use email, I have a lot of regular phone callers who let me know what is happening in the “hood”. If you are comfortable sharing your phone number (we do not have call display!) then I can get back to you and warn you if there may be problems in your area.

Inside our houses, safely looking out of our windows, the residents of Point Douglas have changed the neighbourhood. We now have 70% less crime according to the police, we are a cleaner and safer neighbourhood, and we have so many calling or emailing 311, they can hardly keep up with us!

Recently we were involved in hunting down a couple of pedophiles who molested a local kid. The whole Power Line went into overdrive, and a former resident of Point Douglas who now lives in William Whyte came up with a very useful piece of information to help us locate these nasty people.

Incredibly, some people move out of Point Douglas but stay on the Power Line. We have had some great safety information from people who live outside the neighbourhood now. The invisible COWs, the Citizens On Watch in Point Douglas, keep our neighbourhood safe and family friendly. Thank you all.   ♦

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 Ross House Museum in Joe Zuken Heritage Park is open once again for visitors interested in the history of our area.

Located in a log structure which once housed Western Canada’s first post office, the museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm in July and August.

Museum tours are available during these hours, and historic walking tours can be arranged by phoning 943-3958.

Drop by Ross House and say hello to summer staff Matthew and Real and to Victor, who is the museum manager. ♦

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By Dale Harik

Correction: The article entitled ‘From Eyesore to Asset’ published in the May/June issue of The Point (Vol. 8, Issue 4) requires some clarification. The article focused on Primal Contracting and may have created the impression that Primal was responsible for the renewal project at 139 Euclid Avenue.

In fact this project was nearly a complete reconstruction costing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with Primal Contracting being one company hired by property-owner Zekarias Worku. To undertake this project, Mr. Worku created his own company to do much of the work and used numerous other companies. In total, Primal Contracting was responsible for roughly 2% of the project.

Over the past few years, many in the community have taken exception to the property at 139 Euclid Avenue. Having suffered a major fire in 2007, this former rooming house remained a boarded and vacant blight on the surrounding community until very recently. No one would touch it: burnt out, water damaged, and ravaged by mould and decay, most felt it would need to be demolished.

Zekarias Worku in one of the new suites
Zekarias Worku, however, saw an opportunity to create affordable housing in a community he was instantly drawn to. Unfortunately, after purchasing the property it became clear that it would cost more to rehabilitate than Mr. Worku could invest. This brought Mr. Worku to the Point Douglas Residents Committee (PDRC) and the North End Revitalization Inc. (NERI) where he found out about the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP).

RRAP, provided through the Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative (WHHI), is a great resource.  It not only provides financial assistance (up to $24,000 per rental unit) to landlords who are doing major renewal work, it also contributes towards affordable housing by requiring recipients to keep their rents at or below the median market rates. The result is high-quality, affordable housing at a time when we are in desperate need of rental accommodations due to a consistently very low vacancy rate.

Mr. Worku indicates that the main difficulty in accessing the funding was the daunting application process. He credits the PDRC and NERI for the assistance they provided in applying for the funding. In tight economic conditions, it is understandable that the government must be as sure as possible that their investment pays off and therefore, they require landlords to demonstrate that they are investing as much as they can to complete the project. Mr. Worku feels the process is worth it because once the funding was approved, it was all smooth sailing.

“The RRAP staff and inspectors were very good. They were in constant contact and were very friendly, cooperative and accessible,” says Mr. Worku. He is very happy with the project, especially the community interest it has generated. He’s pleased that “many people are happy and have stopped by to see what’s going on.” 

Stating his gratitude for the support he’s received from the PDRC, NERI and the WHHI, Mr. Worku said, “This program is really important. Without it, I would never have been able to do this project.” In the end it looks like a win for Mr. Worku, the government and North Point Douglas. The four one-bedroom units will be available for rent on July 1^st. Interested renters can contact Mr. Worku by email at zackbethw@yahoo.com  to apply for one of these beautiful new rental units.  ♦

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Congratulations MICEC Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre on the completion of your renovations

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Our Advertisers in this Issue

The Point would like to thank our advertisers, past and present, for their support of this vital community service. We urge our readers to support our advertisers at every opportunity. We are a community.

The Point strives to be a non-partisan organization, and as such, we welcome campaign advertising from all candidates in our civic elections. Please contact our Advertising Sales Manager for further information.

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Community Contact / Information List

Power Line Phone:  956-4090 E-mail:  point.powerline@yahoo.com To anonymously report any criminal or suspicious activity Point Douglas Residents Committee 927-3827 E-mail:  pdrc@pointdouglas.ca Website:  www.pointdouglas.ca Eagle Wing Early Childhood Education Centre Pre-school Child Care - 49 Euclid Ave School-age Child Care - Norquay School, 132 Lusted Norquay Community Centre 65 Granville Street         943-6897 E-mail:  nccentre@mts.net Boys & Girls Club, Norquay Norquay School       944-1637 Graffiti Art Programming (GAP) 109 Higgins Ave - 667-9960 Turtle Island - 510 King Street - 986-7812 www.graffitigallery.ca North Point Douglas Women's Centre 221 Austin Street North 947-0321 Norquay School 132 Lusted Ave     943-9541 The Welcome Home 188 Euclid Ave     946-5352 Ross House Museum Joe Zuken Heritage Park     943-3958  Recycling Day Blue boxes and curb side refuse collection is on the following dates : July 5, 12, 19, 26      August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Other Important Numbers
Emergency police, Fire or Ambulance	911
Non-emergency police	986-6222
Street Crime Tip Line	986-8435
Winnipeg Crime Stoppers	786-8477
Public Safety Board Investigation Unit (Safer Communities & Neighbourhoods Act)	945-3475
Confidential Line to report Child Abuse	944-4200
Truancy and School Non-attendance (Confidential)	789-0400
To report over-serving in bars	474-5585
Abandoned furniture/large item pick-up, garbage and recycling	311
Street lights burned out or flickering	480-5900
City of Winnipeg Public Works	311
Shopping Cart Pick-up	786-7600
Publication & Funding Credits
Publication & Funding Credits The Point Community News is a non-profit community paper produced by and for the residents of North and South Point Douglas. This issue of The Point is funded by  grants from Neighbourhoods Alive!,  and Assiniboine Credit Union. Thanks to NECRC, NPD Women’s Centre for their administrative assistance and to all our donors and supporters.  Please direct all submissions, correspondence & enquires to : The Point C/O 116 Grove  St. Winnipeg, MB  R2W-3K8 Phone: 771-6066 E-mail: thepoint.editor@pointdouglas.ca   Deadline for submissions is: September/October 2010 Issue - August 15, 2010 Submissions can be made by e-mail or to the address above.  The views expressed in The Point are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers. All submissions may be edited for length and style. The Point reserves the right to not publish submissions.  Editors:        Val Himkowski & Mary Mathias Layout/Design:       Alex Stornel Website Management:      Heather Geddie Contributing Writers:       Margo Malabar, Chris Burrows, Tyson Cormack, Annie Bergen, Craig Ross, Heather Geddie, Dave Delorme, Erin Galston, Jordan Van Sewell, Shirley Kowalchuk Advertising  & Promotion:       Heather Geddie - Call 801-3086 or heathergeddie@shaw.ca Distribution:       North Point Douglas Women’s Centre  Printing:         Labelle Printers
The Point Community News

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