Calgary children's camp taking different approach toward stuttering
A camp for children who stutter underway in Calgary is taking a different approach, encouraging kids to embrace the stutter and speak with confidence.
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Debate over new sidewalks in Ottawa's Manor Park neighbourhood
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Winnipeg's Louise Bridge changed the course of history, but its future is uncertain
When the original Louise Bridge opened in 1881, it not only brought together two communities on either side of Winnipeg's Red River, it was responsible for altering the course of Canada's first transcontinental railroad. Named for Princess Louise, in honour of the daughter of Queen Victoria (who reigned until January 1901), the bridge was the first permanent river span in Winnipeg. It was modest at just 62 metres long and eight metres wide, but the bridge played a massive role in convincing the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to change its intended course, securing Winnipeg's future as a major centre. "It's a really important part of our history. It changed Canadian history," said Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg. "It really put us on the map as a major urban centre. We were developing and we were confident." The Louise Bridge's mark on history is undeniable, but its future is uncertain. In 1910, a replacement steel truss bridge was built. And the 115-year-old bridge linking the Point Douglas and Elmwood neighbourhoods was closed May 23 for maintenance and an annual inspection. That revealed corrosion, which required repairs — work the city initially expected to be done by the end of July. The closure was extended to early September after it was discovered more work needed to be done. Some people fear the Louise is heading down the same path as another steel truss bridge in the city. The Arlington Bridge opened in 1912 but was closed indefinitely in November 2023 when it was deemed the ongoing corrosion had reached a point where annual safety repairs were no longer viable. "It seems like with the Louise Bridge, we're just waiting [for the same result]," Tugwell said. City Coun. Janice Lukes, public works chair, understands the concern but insists the goal is to begin extensive bridge repairs in 2028 to make it last at least another 30 years. "The good news in all of this is right now we've got a detailed design study underway — $1.5 million that was approved in the budget to look at what needs to be done to rehabilitate the bridge," she said, referring to the capital budget adopted in March 2024. The estimate for the rehabilitation work is about $40 million. But time and again those estimates soar by the time projects are set to start, Tugwell said. "Time is money. I'd like to see it rehabilitated before the millions start doubling … and people say it's not worth doing." The story of Louise Bridge When British Columbia joined Canada on July 20, 1871, it did so with assurances from the federal government that it would be connected to the rest of the country by a rail line. When it came to cutting through Manitoba, the CPR's plan was to cross the Red River at Selkirk, about 40 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Selkirk's riverbank was higher, making it more stable and less prone to flooding. In addition, that path was more direct toward Edmonton. Sandford Fleming, chief engineer of the CPR, vehemently maintained his original opinion that the CPR should pass through Selkirk. But Winnipeg's elite, knowing the route could make or break the fortunes of a community, petitioned CPR executives and the federal minister of railways, to get it through their city. Merchant James H. Ashdown offered $300,000 toward a railway bridge over the Red, the Hudson's Bay Company (which owned 1,750 acres of land in Winnipeg) presented letters from employees downplaying the flooding potential, and city council offered to exempt railway buildings and property from civic taxation for a prolonged period. To show it was serious, the city built the Louise Bridge without a commitment yet being made by the CPR. It served as a traffic bridge with room for tracks, if necessary. The piers were made from stone quarried in Stony Mountain and Selkirk. The steel was manufactured in Cleveland and transported by rail, to be assembled on site through the fall and winter of 1880. It immediately sparked the development of Elmwood's business core around Nairn Avenue and Stadacona Street, near the foot of the bridge. In early 1881, the CPR responded to the city's offer by demanding a $200,000 bonus and for Winnipeg to provide land for stations and make all railway land exempt from municipal taxes in perpetuity. It was put to a vote at a public meeting, the deal was resoundingly approved. But the CPR was still ready to give Selkirk a chance. At that point, the main line was well into Manitoba and just 19 kilometres of track and a bridge stood between Selkirk becoming the rail hub in the province. The CPR asked Selkirk for $125,000 to complete the work but the population of 1,700 couldn't raise the money. Instead, the first trains on the CPR main line crossed the Louise Bridge in June 1881. Winnipeg's population over the next decade went from about 7,000 to more than 26,000. Selkirk's still hovered around the 2,000 mark at the turn of the century, in 1901. By then, Winnipeg had ballooned to 42,540 people. Another statistic that shows the impact of the rail line: In 1880, there were 400 buildings erected in Winnipeg and in 1881 that jumped to 700. Local property assessment went from $4 million in 1880, to $30 million in 1882. "It was really the cusp of Winnipeg starting, in 1881, and a force to be reckoned with, with major redevelopment from the railway," said Tugwell. The bridge stands as a symbol of Winnipeg's resilience and determination, she said. "Its underlying story is that wonderful relationship between the private and public sector — government and business. People really rallied to see this bridge built and believed in their city," Tugwell said. As traffic levels grew and locomotives, as well as train cargo, increased in weight, the bridge was deemed to be under too much strain. The CPR built a new bridge with increased load bearing capacity and relocated upstream at the tip of Point Douglas, the present-day location. The existing bridge continued in use for pedestrian and other vehicular traffic until 1909 when construction of the present-day bridge Louise Bridge, with a widened superstructure built by Winnipeg's Algoma Steel. It opened in 1910 and included streetcar tracks, which were later removed after the streetcar system was decommissioned in 1955. Four years later, the Louise Bridge's role as the key link between central Winnipeg and the northeast side of the Red River was superseded by the Disraeli Bridge. That bridge which was built in 1959 was replaced in 2012. It remains one of the busiest bridges in Winnipeg. Meanwhile, the city has been discussing upgrading the Louise Bridge or building a new one on and off for the past 20 years. "I feel like city council is struggling to make proper decisions and the delay of these decisions is affecting our infrastructure," Tugwell said. Lukes said it would be nice to do the work immediately, or even replace the bridge. However, she said Winnipeg has a lot of old infrastructure and only a few revenue sources. "We're a city of 800,000 people. We can only tax people so much," she said. The oldest bridge still in use is the Harry Lazarenko (Redwood), completed in 1908, followed by Louise, and then the 1914 Elm Park (better known as the BDI) Bridge, which is now just for pedestrians and cyclists.
