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Point Douglas
Community News |
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The
Front Page: Look who's Cooking! Youth in the Kitchen |
Editor's Corner | Joining the Point Douglas Family | Amazing Change | "A Sound Like Iron" The History of Barber House | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Powerline - COWs in the Gardens | SISTARS - Stuck on Stucco | Your Health ... And Spring! | What's New at the Women's Centre? | Community Gardening in North Point Douglas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind From the South | Point Douglas Residents Committee | Seniors in the Garden - NPD Seniors Association | Dirt is Dirtier Than You Think! | Norquay School News | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcements | Our Advertisers |
Community Contact/ Information List |
Publication & Funding Credits |
The Back
Page: Out on a Limb - A Heroic Rescue |
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| Letters to the Editor | About The Point | Archives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Look who's Cooking! - Youth in the Kitchen |
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by Aaron Sanduliak
Pastor Trevor Berg of the Church of the Open Door, Gloria Desjarlais and Donna Rusnak put the junior chefs through their paces every Wednesday Youth cooking classes have been going on at the Church of the Open door at 137 Euclid. The classes are full and busy on Wednesday night with the help of a community cooking facilitator and kitchen space donated by the new owners of the Church of the Open door. We have a focus on healthy and fun recipes that the youth want, learning about safe food handling and food nutrition experiments, budgeting for recipes and learning proper kitchen and table etiquette. Youth in this program will receive a certificate issued by the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre highlighting what they learned in the workshop. There are 10 youth from North Point Douglas who have been apart of this program and have already been busy making chilies, homemade mac and cheese tacos, soups, onion rings, bannock, pyrogies, stir fry and more. Here are some of the things they have to say: “I would invite my friends to the cooking classes because we cook good things and it's fun” “I like that I can cook for my family now and my mom doesn’t have to cook sometime” “Learning what temp to keep food at is really helpful with not getting food poisoning” “Now I know how to cook more things than I did before” The “Youth in the Kitchen” started in March and will be finishing up in early May with a special family dinner prepared by the youth for their family. We are so happy with the success of this program we are hoping to continue the program and created an advanced workshop for youth who want to learn more. To find out more information about the program call Donna or Arron at 947 – 0321. ♦
by Heather Geddie, Editor Hello, everyone! The theme of this edition is renewal, growth, and change. Renewal in the arrival of spring, at long last. Growth in both a gardening sense and a community sense; witnessing the growth of the Norquay Knights Hockey team from a fledgling group of inexperienced inner-city kids – many new to skating, never mind playing hockey – into a solid team of champions on ice and in our hearts. They made us proud. We hope that these kids and others will ‘grow’ into soccer, baseball and basketball players over the summer. Our community is growing as well. Houses are selling like hotcakes, new families and friends moving in and becoming part of the rich fabric of this wonderful neighbourhood. Two of our new residents, Kendra Eisner and William Dentry, have shared their thoughts about Point Douglas in this edition. Change is in the air, too. The annual general meetings of two vital community organizations are coming up in May and June. The Norquay Community Centre’s AGM is May 29 at 2pm at the Norquay Community Centre and they are looking for new board members to join them in expanding their programs and services to meet more of the recreation needs of the community. Elections will be held and almost all board positions are open, so please come out to help your community centre grow. The Point Douglas Residents Committee AGM will be held June 26 at 2pm at Norquay Community Centre. As many of you know, the PDRC has been one of the driving forces behind so much of the great changes in Point Douglas in the past few years. The organization itself has experienced much growth and change in the process. It is now ready to grow its team to include representatives from all corners of the community and of every background. It is especially important for Aboriginal members of the community to take an active role. Becoming a board member in the PDRC, the community centre, or any other community organization will give you the opportunity to influence the direction of your community’s future. We hope you’ll join the team. ♦
by William Dentry
In December 2009, my wife Joan’s blood pressure began rising, seeking dangerous, new heights. Should we put her into hospital in Minsk, where we were working, or seek medical care farther afield? We chose Winnipeg, our childhood home, where much of our family still lives. My mother, soon to be 85, was ecstatic; the prodigal son returns. We spent a great deal of time looking for the perfect place. We wanted a neighbourhood with friendly people who weren’t afraid to get to know you, a place with parks and quiet areas where you could watch the birds or walk your dog, a place where kids played and the elderly relaxed, a place with a history. Avid bikers and hikers, we wanted easy access to all that Winnipeg has to offer. We envisioned our house as a stand-alone home on or very near to the river, a home orientated so that the interior would be brightly lit throughout the day, with a yard where we could put in a small garden. We spent much of the summer and fall of 2010 looking for this perfect place, and found ourselves continuously drawn back to the streets around Michaëlle Jean Park. We met all sorts of interesting and helpful people: Tyson C, who hopped into his car and led us on our bikes to meet Ivan F, busy working on his home. We met Sel, of Powerline fame. Everyone was so friendly. Everyone made us feel very welcome. As our family learned where we wanted to live, one after another tried to dissuade us. “That area is full of drug dealers and gangs…” said one. “You’ll be robbed or killed or worse…” said another. Of course, the more we walked the streets of Point Douglas, the more we realized what a gem of a neighbourhood it was and what great people live there. It reminded us of the many exotic places where Joan and I have lived over past decades: China, India, the Caribbean, Ukraine and more. We are like a mini UN, an eclectic mix of races and colors that make this vibrant community come alive. It is perhaps Winnipeg’s best kept secret! Then one day we got lucky, and now we live here, nestled in at the foot of Burrows, with all that this great area has to offer. I’ve met many of you while walking along the river with the dogs that we were dog sitting. Now it’s our turn to give back a little. We hope to meet many more of you as we do so. ♦
by Kendra Eisner
Residents of Point Douglas have worked magic in transforming their community When I decided to move to Point Douglas with my husband, we had a fair idea of what the neighbourhood was like and what it was going through, in terms of rejuvenating. Prior to moving to Point Douglas, we had been living in Toronto, where people would love to live this close to downtown, if only they could afford it! So we jumped at the chance to move into the area and were quite excited to be part of changes that were taking place here. When we moved into our home, we could see all the changes that were happening but we weren’t sure how the community was accomplishing it all! After living in Point Douglas for a few weeks (and receiving The Point in the mail), we were introduced the Point Douglas Powerline and were amazed at how we immediately began to feel connected to the people looking to help out residents here. Little did we know, that was merely the beginning! In recent months I have learned about so many programs through the community, government, Hydro and individuals living here that are trying to improve every aspect of life in Point Douglas; from energy efficiency grants, exterior home fix up grants, new projects being developed, renovations galore, programs to clean up the streets of garbage, the list just goes on and on! I started to realize how so much was being accomplished! So many people were working towards the same goal and were very organized in how and what they were doing! It is an incredible process to watch and be a part of. I had been looking into Point Douglas for about five years, prior to moving here and in that time, the changes are amazing – drug houses closed, drug dealers off the streets, property values have gone up by leaps and bounds and the city and government finally seem to realize that this neighbourhood matters and that we won’t tolerate being ignored!!! It’s quite a feat for such a short period of time and I have the feeling that it has just begun! It is a very exciting time to be living here! ♦
by Shirley Kowalchuk “Listen, it gives out a sound like iron. It’s so firm it’ll last a hundred years, given ordinary repairs, like seeing to the roof,” said Lily Barber Sparrow, a daughter of the house..." (1974) * The house was even hardier than Lily could imagine. It lasted – despite severe vandalism and years of mothballing and deterioration – and it will open more vibrantly than ever in June.
Barber House on Euclid, circa 1869 The oldest house in Winnipeg was once a haven for the social elite of Winnipeg. Yet for years, the structure remained dark, enclosed by a high chain link fence. It was said that ambitious late night revelers still visited the home - or was it heedless trespassers? The 1862 "Thistle Cottage" was home to Winnipeg's first "star" couple: Edmund Lorenzo (E.L) Barber, pioneer real estate entrepreneur, dry goods merchant and publisher, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hudson Bay Co. Chief Factor Robert Logan and his Salteaux aboriginal wife, Mary. The structure was expanded in 1867 to its present size and became known as Barber House. The family steadfastly remained in Point Douglas, and daughter Lily lived at the residence until 1958. It was taken over by the city in 1974 due to its profound historical significance but sat for years without substantive intervention. Recently, local residents advocated strongly for a $2-million refurbishment. Its story of community-driven triumph will be articulated through its beautiful interior design that incorporates its arson-scarred timbers. A "play-trium" connects two structures upon the footprint of an early summer kitchen. The traditional heart of the historic and vital home is the new centre for youngsters and seniors of who will share its space. ♦ * "Winnipeg's Oldest House", Lillian Gibbons, Manitoba Pageant, Spring 1974, Vol. 19, No. 3. Manitoba Historical Society
by Chris Burrows
We see the Walking School Bus go by, every day a little less bundled up. The Walking School Bus is run by the Women’s Centre (947-0321),Norquay students are picked up to go to school they walk with an adult and after school they walk back home safely with the adult. It is so great to see our neighbours again, a few new ones but many we have known for over five years now. I see them out raking up the garbage that also gets buried in the snow. What a great friendly neighbourhood! The scooters and bikes are out and sadly a few mean people who steal kid’s bikes. Let’s try to keep the kids' bikes out of sight. Last spring we watched a youth come by on his bike, see another one that a neighbour kid had left on the front step, which I guess was better than his and in one smooth move he dumped his bike swiped the other bike and was off. A neighbour hopped in his car and demanded the bike back; since he is not a small man the bike was quickly given back. Another good tip is to photograph your bike; just on your cell phone is good enough but if a bike is found or seen it can be identified as yours with the photo. Also if you are offered a bike cheap and especially if it is spray painted black, please don’t buy it is probably stolen from another youngster. Daisy, Bluebell and Buttercup and even old Annabelle, some of our regular COWs (and the bulls) are getting out and checking the flowerbeds and the neighbourhood. The fridge magnets are great; we have had many calls from people who start off by saying “I think I am a COW’ and then share their concerns. It always makes me smile. ♦ Chris Burrows (a.k.a Annabelle) Point Powerline
by Angel Peterson We all know that SISTARS has often despaired about getting the new childcare built, we have had to wait for funding and we have had endless meetings. WE thought we were finally moving two weeks ago, but suddenly one evening shortly before the planned move we saw the Child care centre draped in orange tarpaulins. The plan had changed and the builders were going to Stucco before the kids moved in. Crystal Our ED has had to change the date three times or is it four now, the parents have been told this weekend for sure, and then on Thursday, it changes again. It will of course be lovely to have the building stuccoed before we move in, but the wrong colour and rain have led to the date changes and it is hugely frustrating for parents and staff, the movers are not thrilled either as they have also had the date change.
Barber House, with Eagle Wing in background, May 25/11. The work is nearly complete on Barber House, and the daycare is in full swing The board has been inside and despite the long wait it is going to be a beautiful child care centre. I don’t think I have seen a nicer one anywhere in town. The place has been inspected by the health department; it has been measured by the licensing department to be sure we have exactly the right amount of space for each child. It is absolutely amazing the high levels that are set for a child care which of course makes it very expensive to build one. It has been great to see Barber House brought back to its former splendour, we knew it would not be ready until early summer; it too will need to be stuccoed so we may find ourselves playing the waiting game again. The North Point Douglas Seniors are used to waiting, by the time you are 65+ you are quite used to it! ♦
by Craig Ross, Director of Community Services, Mount Carmel Clinic Spring is in the air at Mount Carmel Clinic! Our planning year begins every April 1, so we have some new and exciting things to report now that our ‘year’ has begun!
In the next issue, we’ll have more information about what else we have planned for this year. Stay tuned, and as always you can check out www.mountcarmel.ca to get the latest news. (And watch for a new website coming soon!) ♦
by Christie Paul We are excited to say that our Drop In Coordinator Jo is having a baby!! But that means we are saying goodbye to Jo in June. Make sure to stop in and chat before she leaves. We also said good bye to our Office Assistant Angel and now welcome Jackie in her place.
Point Douglas
Dream Catchers: Walking for a Strong Community EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
- YOUTH OUTREACH WORKER
On Saturday, April 9, 2011 a workshop on Seed Starting was held at the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre. Residents planted veggies and native plants to be contained in a Green House at the Women’s Centre. Later these plants will be transported to our community gardens in North Point Douglas at Euclid and Sutherland, The Women’s Centre, and other community gardens. This year a Community Garden Group is being created to encourage people to get involved in community gardening. We hope to grow many veggies to put in a new veggie dehydrator that will allow residents to keep their veggies (and some meats too) in the cupboard for the entire winter. Everybody is welcome to join the Community Garden Group to grow their own veggies, help with the community gardens, attend upcoming garden workshops, create new boulevard flower gardens in the area, work with Urban Green Team, and other activities. Please phone the Point Douglas Resident’s Committee at 927-3827, or contact others involved with our community gardens. Let’s make a great community together! ♦
by Jordan Van Sewell I have lived here in South Point Douglas for the past 22 years. Long before that I worked down the street at the C.P.R. station as a redcap. It seemed appropriate. That was in 1970 when Higgins Avenue was lined with activity; lawn bowling, the Braunstein Block had a grocery in it, there was Sidney I. Robinson, Ogylvie Oats , and the crown jewel on the corner at Main Street; The Royal Alexandria Hotel. Now Higgins is flanked by chain link fences with trash tangled up in them and the promise of a future that never comes. All that doesn’t matter because my favourite place is down here on the river at the foundation of a long gone hydro tower. It’s about 40 steps from my studio door. I can see across to Whittier Park and the full skyline of downtown. This past Wednesday I watched the ice begin its move down the Red; the cacophony of crashing ice like a million breaking chandeliers. In the morning this skyline is set ablaze by the rising sun. That same sun sets behind the buildings and then the night lights let you know that you are in a real city. From here I’ve watched the seasons turn and then turn back again. Nothing is more inspiring than being a witness to this show. I can see the construction cranes spinning above the Human Rights Museum and the new condos on Waterfront Drive. There is a profound reassurance viewing the old water tower in St. B , seeing the Eaton’s Warehouse on Alexander and the namesake dock next to the James Street pumping station. I invite anyone whose faith in this city is waning, down to this site and I wouldn’t even have to ask “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” They’d already have the answer. The very best thing about my “special” place is not a sight, however. It’s the sound of the freight trains. Across the river within sight is the CN mainline. On the other side of Higgins is the C.P.R. transcontinental line. For sure, playing hockey and gathering maple syrup is at the heart of this country but the mournful wail of a freight train is the soul of Canada. ♦
by Sel Burrows, President, North Point Douglas Seniors Association The North Point Douglas Seniors Association has many different identifiers. NPDSA are the initials. Our unofficial name is Seniors With ATtitude, which with a little bit of creativity can be seen as SWAT. Whatever we are called there is a lot going on. First we want to introduce our first staff member. Shirley Murray is starting as our Program manager/ Volunteer coordinator. Many of you will have already met our little senior dynamo, if not you will soon. Shirley has a vast experience working with volunteers and developing programs Shirley is getting to know our community, meeting many seniors and preparing for our move into Barber House, which is scheduled for June 1st. Shirley is also organizing volunteers to build raised garden beds and plant lots of things that grow around Barber House. It will be up to the seniors to decide how much will be flowers and how much edibles.
As we encourage more people to come to Point Douglas to visit our beautiful, safer community, we need to identify more sites and places people can visit and see. One of our ideas is to make a list of some of the beautiful gardens in the area. I know we have some of the best gardens in Winnipeg hidden behind fences and hedges. Please let us know of any gardens or historical sites worth adding to the community tour. We hope you will help us celebrate the Barber House restoration. We will send out an invite to our official opening when we are closer to moving in. Barber House is owned by SISTARS who have also built the wonderful Eagle Wing Daycare just behind Barber House. Sandy Dzedzora and her board team have raised almost two million dollars to make these dreams come true. The Seniors group have entered into a long term lease to utilize Barber House as a Seniors Centre. It will also be a historical site with historical artifacts. We hope to bring people into Point Douglas to see the oldest House in Winnipeg. We are also planning to rent the building out for weddings and small receptions. Maybe some of our past residents will come back to renew their vows in Barber House. Seniors With attitude will be continuing to be involved in making Point Douglas a wonderful place to live for our diverse population. ♦
by Karen Jones
A valid concern, but not unique to North Point Douglas. If you live in a house anywhere in North America which is older than 40 years you probably have a 'heavy metal halo' around your house. Because lead paint was used to paint houses up to 40 years ago. Since most of the housing in Winnipeg was built pre-1950, that's a lot of houses. So imagine how many of these there in North America. But, there are ways to reduce your risk to lead, in garden soils. Lead is most commonly breathed in from dust. The paint chips eventually become smaller and smaller until they are dust. And we breathe it in. One more reason to keep dust free! Gardeners need to always wear gardening gloves, and always wash their hands after gardening. Don’t track your garden shoes through the house, spreading dust and dirt. And change your gardening clothes. If you have someone under 2 in your household and can't keep an eye on them 100% of the time. Don't let them garden with you. 10% of children under 2 are soil eaters. Never pull a carrot from the soil and wipe it on your jeans and eat it. Never! In general, try to avoid growing leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, swiss chard and root veg. like beets and carrots this is generally where heavy metals accumulate in plants, in the roots and leaves. Avoid gardening on windy days or when the soil is very dry it turns into dust easily. Any leaf or root materials removed from your garden should be put in the garbage bin for municipal pick up, not returned to the garden via compost. Also be aware of the origin of any 'clean fill', there is no requirement that it be free of soil pollutants. Just large boards and huge rocks. Even bagged mulches and potting mixes have no regulations that they be free of soil pollutants. Get out there and Garden Safely! ♦ Karen Jones is a Botanical Horticulturalist at the University of Winnipeg, a Master Gardener and a Master Composter. Karen is happy to be a member of the American Community Garden Association. Learn and connect at http://www.communitygarden.org/
by Nancy Dyck, Principal
We will be having our School Yard clean up in May 2 to 6th. During this week we will do a big clean up of the playground. Each class will work on a different section of the school yard. Gloves, bags and other necessary supplies will be on hand! We recently began to report
our daily attendance to the province. We were pleased to learn that
we have a consistent 91.5% attendance rate for our school. This is a
healthy rate and one that would be expected within any school. We
still continue to struggle with students coming late to school.
Being on time is an important social and safety skill. If you need
help with
The applications for summer programming will also be coming soon. Please be advised that spaces are limited and it is an excellent program that is free for any Norquay students. ♦
by Chris Burrows
Can you say 'overkill'? This afternoon the Powerline was alerted by a neighbour from the South side of the Point that there was a cat stuck up a tree. The base of the tree was out in the flood water of the Red River, the tree was quite rotten and many of the branches just broke with a touch. Our damsel in distress awaits rescue
A ladder was brought to the scene and a young man started to climb up to the cat; but there was so many dead branches that it was impossible to find a safe place to climb the rest of the tree. An open can of tuna was tried, some treats in a bag were shaken. It was quite obvious the cat wanted to come down but was just too scared. The
Powerline had a cell phone with them so called the police non
emergency number and they gave the number of the Fire Dept. The
Fire Dept. were far
The first truck did not have a long enough ladder so the big ladder truck came and the owners of the cat also arrived. The cat had been missing for a couple of days, and they had been looking for her. They had her food and shook it, she recognized them but still was too scared to move. We all got to watch the big ladder extended out over the water to the tree and a fire man walk out, of course the cat was scared of the fireman and moved down the tree but not low enough and further over the water; so the guys lowered the ladder and scared her further down, until she was in reach of the original ladder. Another fireman went up that ladder and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck came down a little way and threw her on to the riverbank. She took off like a bat out of hell, for her home on Barber.
The young man, Dylan, was easier to coax down than the cat Much thanking of fireman followed; all of them handled the situation with humour and consideration. I wish it had been a bit later so the school kids could have watched, but the rescue was completed at 3.10 pm. The name of the cat was "Ugly Cow", only in Point Douglas you say? Yes and that is why I love to live here. ♦
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.
Letters to the Editor We welcome your letters and opinions at any time. You may contact us by email at info@pointdouglas.net , by telephone at 801-3086, by writing to us at The Point Community News, c/o #1 - 116 Grove St. Wpg MB, R2W 3K8, or by dropping a letter into our mailbox at that address. ♦ |
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Last
week while enjoying The Point with my morning coffee, I was
seized by a moment of weakness and sent off an e-mail offering to
help. Mary M. invited me to the newspaper’s next planning meeting,
and like all meetings, it began with us sharing a little background.
After sharing a little of mine, I was asked to tell you, our
readers, a little about us. So here goes… 
Spring
is in the air, the ice has broken up. The brown blossoms are first
to show and go. Anyone with a dog knows that occasionally we miss a
pickup in snow storms and the evidence comes back to greet us in the
spring. We really miss our teenage kids who were always so happy to
pitch in and help with this lovely chore, in exchange for meals for
the year!
Look
for family fun this summer as we plan outings to Fun
Mountain, Tinkertown, Winnipeg Beach, Kildonan Park and more.
EXTERIOR FIX UP GRANTS: Grant applications are
being delivered to mailboxes in North Point Douglas. Deadline to
apply is May 20. Call PDRC at 927-3827 if you need an application.
The grants are decided by lottery, so everyone who applies does not
automatically receive a grant. Landlords can apply too. These grants
are provided with funding from all three levels of government. Let’s
all work together to make Point Douglas more beautiful.
We are also looking
at assisting lower income seniors, over 60, with some gardening
tasks. We will have a green team person this year and some
enthusiastic young volunteers who will be available to help with
gardening. The senior must be there and supervise since we don’t
expect our young people to be expert gardeners.
Spring is upon us.
Gardeners are checking the perennials and thinking about planting
and seeding. Lately there has been concern about the suitability of
soil in North Point Douglas for growing vegetables. 
After
the longest stretch of the dreaded “Indoor recess” in recorded
history we are happily embracing the lovely spring weather and
enjoying nice times playing outside. The playground is a little bit
muddy these days and so we are having mainly hard top recesses.
Soon, we will be getting into the gardens and preparing them for
planting. This is without a doubt one of my most favourite times of
the year. 
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.