# Is slamming Winnipeg a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004 "2018-04-23T23:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/41 "2018-04-28T04:18:04Z")
West coast Canadian, here. Winnipeg has the reputation for being colder that Satan’s mother-in-law and windy enough to fly your cat like a kite. Portage and Main, 50 below, as the song goes. It’s the kind of place where pregnant women have been taken to the hospital by snowmobile, what with the apocalyptic snowfall, and all. This, in a city of 700,000. You gotta have a soft spot for a place like that. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/42 "2018-04-28T05:51:38Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Better than Regina is a pretty low bar. 😛 It rhymes with “vagina” which is cool. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/43 "2018-04-29T19:39:17Z")
“The City that Rhymes with Fun” is one of our unofficial mottoes. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/44 "2018-04-29T20:36:12Z")
[quote=“terentii, post:4, topic:813004”] I’ve been to Winnipeg once. I went there (from Minneapolis) in February 1979 to watch an eclipse of the Sun./QUOTE]Well, you’re where you should be all the time. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/45 "2018-04-30T00:27:09Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Well, you’re where you should be all the time. FYI, the eclipse referenced in that song (in Nova Scotia) occurred 7 March 1970. It was a big deal at the time. I wanted to go see it, but I was stuck in the Midwest. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/46 "2018-04-30T00:36:01Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > The streets are named, not numbered, Huh? How is that different from any other city? (Yes, most of have “5th street” or whatever, but they also have named ones as well) I don’t see how that would complicate things. A lot of Downtown Pittsburgh’s major streets are named. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/47 "2018-04-30T00:55:12Z")
I’m just surprised that there are actually Americans who watch “Murdoch Mysteries.” ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/48 "2018-04-30T02:04:11Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’m just surprised that there are actually Americans who watch “Murdoch Mysteries.” It is shown on some of the cable networks such as COZI and Ovation. plus the ABC station in New York city broadcasts it Saturday morning at 3AM. I have no idea how many people actually watch it; I never have. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/49 "2018-04-30T04:37:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Huh? How is that different from any other city? (Yes, most of have “5th street” or whatever, but they also have named ones as well) I don’t see how that would complicate things. > > A lot of Downtown Pittsburgh’s major streets are named. It’s different than the numbered-grid system that helps people get around when they are not familiar (not me though, I am used to the named streets). ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/50 "2018-04-30T14:06:55Z")
Also, the downtown area is a series of one way streets that seem to mess people up pretty well. Also, [Confusion Corner.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confusion_Corner) Winnipeg’s drivers are a scary lot, they are nearly as bad as Edmonton’s… ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/51 "2018-04-30T16:51:34Z")
I’ve been there in both Winter and Mosquito, and am surprised that they have a food culture now, as a pizza I ate there was the second-worst meal I’ve ever had, after a Vegan Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/52 "2018-04-30T20:19:54Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’ve been there in both Winter and Mosquito, and am surprised that they have a food culture now, as a pizza I ate there was the second-worst meal I’ve ever had, after a Vegan Thanksgiving. Unless you are in New York, I don’t think that it is fair to judge a City’s food culture by its pizza. Winnipeg is the most ethnically diverse City in Canada with large populations of Ukrainians, Filipinos, Germans, and Polish. So you can probably get a good pierogi or chicken kiev. > [@ftg](#): > > What does a “rough area” mean in Canada? > > When you bump into someone, do they not say “Sorry, entirely my fault.”? Along with their large immigrant population Winnipeg also has a very large native population. Unfortunately, Canada’s treatment of its natives has not been very good and their communities tend to be poorer, younger, and have higher instances of substance abuse than the rest of the country. I don’t know if it has changed much since the late 90s, when I lived there there were areas that you just didn’t go after dark. One of my friends quit his job in the downtown area after getting mugged three times in a very short period. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/53 "2018-04-30T20:36:21Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > …Winnipeg is the most ethnically diverse City in Canada … That’s completely untrue; Toronto holds that record with Montreal and Ottawa/Gatineau close behind. It’s easily googleable. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/54 "2018-04-30T21:18:30Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > That’s completely untrue; Toronto holds that record with Montreal and Ottawa/Gatineau close behind. > > It’s easily googleable. you are correct. Not sure where I heard that. Winnipeg is currently 7th. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/55 "2018-04-30T21:27:52Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > … Also, [Confusion Corner.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confusion_Corner) … The diagram for that…intersection?..looks like a name that may have been in consideration when Prince was looking for a symbol. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/56 "2018-05-01T15:05:33Z")
Prince once stayed at a holiday Inn in Winnipeg. True Story. OK, it’s not. He was craving a Kelecki’s Hot Dog and a Goog Special from the Bridge Drive In but it WAS the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/57 "2018-05-01T19:12:12Z")
That’s Kelekesis (best fries ever). One of the major issues with the downtown core is gangs and violence, and a lot of that (most recently) stems from a mass evacuation in 2011 of several Aboriginal communities. The families were “temporarily” re-settled in hotels and resorts. A lot of money was pumped to pay for this and re-building efforts - money that mostly went to MANFF (Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters). When I moved, in 2014, many of those families were still living in hotels, so you have teenagers and pre-teens going a bit stir-crazy in a hotel in downtown Winnipeg. Not a great recipe for success. In addition, a large number of teens that were/are in the foster care system were (are?) also put up in hotels, with a care worker that is, often, just a glorified sign-in/sign-out desk. There are a lot of issues facing downtown Winnipeg, which is very sad, and a lot of those issues are because of generations of abuse to Indigenous people, and continued strangling bureaucracy and non-constructive solutions, which is so much worse. So many issues, in Winnipeg it’s more front and centre since it’s right downtown. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/58 "2018-05-01T22:34:05Z")
Oops, it’s [Kelekis](https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/chris-kelekis-and-his-family-restaurant/). My mistake, and you’re right about the fries. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/59 "2018-05-02T01:53:16Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Oops, it’s [Kelekis](https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/chris-kelekis-and-his-family-restaurant/). My mistake, and you’re right about the fries. Dammit! It’s gone now. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2018, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/60 "2018-05-02T02:46:00Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > It’s not for everyone, but it’s a pretty amazing place (and still better than Regina). 😃 **Poysyn** , I’m hurt! I thought we were friends! > [@Gorsnak](#): > > Better than Regina is a pretty low bar. 😛 You, on the other hand, just off your berry farm… 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004.md?page=4)