Aboriginal Center

Also, we visited the Aboriginal Center, which is a community center for Aboriginal people. Its purpose is to be a place for creating educational and economical growth in the Aboriginal community. This  nonprofit organization offers services and development opportunities for the neighborhood.  The center holds meetings and is home to many different organizations and programs for the Aboriginal's. We had the chance to walk around this area as well as the center to see what this society is like. The area is neat because it is so culturally unique, yet it's in the middle of downtown Winnipeg. This experience gave us insight into the way this community and culture lives.

The center

The courtyard next to the center

University of Winnipeg

Today undergrad student Lillie Cholakis gave us a tour of the University of Winnipeg, one of Canada’s leading undergraduate schools. First Lillie showed us Wesley Hall, the University’s main building where administration, the gym, one of the cafeterias, one of the libraries, and many classrooms are located. Though Wesley used to be the University of Winnipeg’s only building back in 1888, the University has grown tremendously and has dozens of new building and facilities and teaches 9,800 students. The University has a combination of very traditional, limestone buildings (The “Harry Potter buildings” according to the students) and very new and modern buildings thanks to the recent renovation. Some of the new buildings include the Richardson Science and Environment College, the Buhler Center, and the Theater and Film Center. The University is known for its focus on research and giving its students a very hands-on experience. For example, Lillie is able to run her own biology labs and is given the opportunity to apply for research positions alongside her professors. We enjoyed our time seeing what this educational establishment had to offer!

The Wesley building 

Going to class!

The cafeteria 

The atrium 

With our tour guide, Lillie 

The library 

Winnipeg Arts Council

The Winnipeg Arts Council is an organization that provides funds for art and cultural programs/pieces. The Council, which was established in 1984, provides grants for individual artists and organizations through an application process. In addition to its grant program, the Council provides public art pieces to enhance Winnipeg’s appearance and artistic awareness. After speaking with a representative from the Winnipeg Arts Council, we visited various pieces through out the city that the Council had provided. Through this art scavenger hunt, we saw how dramatically art can alter a city.

Outside the council  

St. Mary's Academy

Today, we toured St. Mary's Academy, an all girls Catholic school for girls grade 7-12. In 1869, two nuns opened St. Mary's in a small house, the first Catholic school in Winnipeg. In 1873, St. Mary's began to receive funding and by the next year the enrollment rapidly grew to around 130 students. By 1903, a new building was built to accommodate the growing academy, and was renovated two more times in 1909 and 1960 to become the building we know today. St. Mary's is the oldest independent school in the province. During our tour, Emily, our tour guide, showed us classrooms, the cafeteria, gyms, the chapel, and the dome that sits on the top of the building. We also met with various teachers to learn about the types of subjects and classes studied at the school, as well as the extra-circulars offered to the students. We had a lot of fun looking at this school and learning of all the history behind its foundation.

The cafeteria  

The library 

Our tour guide, Emily Fridrik

The auditorium/theatre

The workout facility  

The gymnasium 

A classroom 

The main office

The chapel

The view from the dome 

An interview with a teacher

The outside of the school 

Ross House Museum

We also visited the Ross House Museum, the first post office in Western Canada. William and Jemima Ross constructed the Ross House in 1852 as their home, but after the Council of Assiniboia appointed William the official postmaster, he converted his abode into the post office. The post office/house grew in popularity and became a vital point to send and receive mail in Winnipeg. The mail traveled from Winnipeg to Pembina, North Dakota and then continued to the desired address. FUN FACT: The postal rate between Pembina and Winnipeg was only one penny! Though the Ross House was originally located near the shores of the Red River, it was moved to the Point Douglas Heritage Park in order to preserve its history. We enjoyed our time at this quaint residence and were able to learn how Winnipeg became a key mailing checkpoint.

The Ross House

A monument dedicated to the Ukrainian settlers

Inside the Ross House

The history of the Ross House