Latest news with #DaleHawerchuk
Globe and Mail
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Pedestrians reclaim Portage and Main as Winnipeg reopens the famed intersection after 46 years
History books will show that Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham was the first pedestrian in more than four decades to traverse between Portage Avenue and Main Street, finally reopening what is widely known as the crossroads of Canada to foot traffic after years of fervent debate. Well, kind of. Many others have routinely jaywalked across the downtown thoroughfares since 1979, when barricades were erected to prioritize the free flow of cars and trucks. People on foot have since been crossing illegally or using an underground concourse beneath the 16 lanes of traffic at the famed intersection, proximate to the longitudinal centre of the country. But on Friday, hundreds of eager residents beat Mr. Gillingham to his preplanned photo-op moment. With the buttery midmorning sun spotlighting their path, shrouds over the new walk signals were lifted, and the mayor became just one among a crowd of many to legally cross the road when the last remaining barriers were removed. He marked the occasion, as music blared, with a healthy dose of classically Winnipeg-flavoured sardonicism. 'When I was a kid growing up, playing hockey, idolizing Dale Hawerchuk, I dreamed of having my own press conference at Portage and Main,' Mr. Gillingham said to roaring laughter. 'This is very special,' he continued cheekily, speaking from a podium facing the intersection while pompoms were thrown in the air. 'Today, we're putting an end to 46 years of debating whether or not people should be allowed to cross the street.' On a more serious note, Mr. Gillingham acknowledged that getting to this point wasn't easy. The reopening has long been opposed by both city councillors and residents. 'We know that there's still more work to do. Work to improve safety, work to address homelessness, and work to drive economic growth downtown,' he said. 'But making the intersections more accessible and more connected helps move us in the right direction for everyone.' In fact, Mr. Gillingham himself was opposed to the reopening for years as a city councillor. He even stood against it during his 2022 mayoral election campaign. In 2018, his predecessor, Brian Bowman, had promised a reopening. But he backtracked after two-thirds of Winnipeggers (most of whom were from the city's suburbs) voted against it in a non-binding plebiscite. Ultimately, Mr. Gillingham's 180 about putting pedestrians back on the streets was a practical decision. Last year, a city report indicated that the intersection's underground concourse was significantly prone to leakage – costing around $73-million to repair, with up to five years of construction-induced traffic delays. The mayor told reporters he didn't have a definitive date to shutter the concourse, or a decision on whether it would be permanently or partially closed. While he spoke, Haley Yurman, who works at local coffee chain Empty Cup, one of several businesses housed in the underground walkway, waved a sign behind him: 'Still brewing one level down.' Ms. Yurman said she is unsure if her café will need to relocate. On Friday, dozens of long-standing community advocates showed up in full force to celebrate the milestone. Over the years, they had initiated campaign upon campaign to fight against urban planning that puts cars before people. Many drivers honk-honk-honked in support, as people took selfies atop the newly-established pedestrian refuge islands at the four corners of the intersection. Some commuters, however, honked out of anger, cussing at the event's attendees from their car and truck windows. 'I really never thought I'd see this in my lifetime. There's been so much resistance,' said Martina Kucey, shortly after making a jaunt across the walkways with her golden retrievers, Carter and Bishop. 'But here it is. It's finally happened. And I never want to see it go away.'
Global News
a day ago
- General
- Global News
Decades after closure, Winnipeg's iconic intersection opens to pedestrians once more
It's been more than four and a half decades, but an intersection known in popular myth as Canada's coldest and windiest is finally reopening to pedestrian traffic. The iconic corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg opens to foot traffic Friday morning, after a long and tumultuous journey, with plenty of controversy, leading up to this point. Portage and Main has played host to some key parts of the city's history, from indelible moments during the deadly Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, to the Winnipeg Jets signing future Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk there in 1981. Looking west on Portage Avenue prior to the opening of the Portage and Main underground pedestrian concourse on February 23, 1979. (Photo courtesy of the City of Winnipeg Archives.). Photo courtesy of the City of Winnipeg Archives.' The iconic intersection was initially closed to foot traffic in the late 1970s with the creation of the underground concourse linking four corner properties. A 40-year deal to permanently close Portage and Main to pedestrians came into effect around 1978. Story continues below advertisement The idea of potentially reopening the intersection has been a near-constant topic of conversation in Winnipeg ever since — coming to head when then-mayor Brian Bowman, who originally campaigned on reopening the famous intersection, issued a plebiscite on the matter as part of the 2018 civic election, coinciding with the expiration of the city's 40-year pact. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy That plebiscite led to a split among Winnipeggers — divided almost 65/35 — in favour of keeping the intersection vehicles-only, although later reports showed that the vast majority of the 'no' voters were those whose commute took them through the intersection, but didn't live in the immediate area. Those who lived nearby were overwhelmingly in support of pedestrian access. Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham, who admitted to being in favour of keeping the intersection closed to pedestrians during the plebiscite — when he was a city councillor — announced in March of 2024 that he'd had a change of heart, after a city report about the costs of replacing the waterproof membrane that protects the underground pedestrian concourse. Story continues below advertisement Gillingham said in 2024 that much more information about the state of the intersection had become available in the years since the plebiscite, and suggested many Winnipeggers might have voted 'yes' on opening Portage and Main had they known more details at the time. Council voted 'yes' to reopening the iconic intersection to pedestrians later that month, with the plan to coincide with the city's overhauled transit system, which launches this Sunday. Winnipeg launched additional pedestrian amenities earlier this week — starting the process to convert a stretch of downtown's Graham Avenue, previously a busy transit route, into a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly 'placemaking project'.
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
‘I can make it happen': True North recruits veteran tailor to stitch custom Dale Hawerchuk jersey
A look at the back of the custom fit Dale Hawerchuk jersey on the statue from True North Square on Wednesday May 7, 2025. (CTV News Winnipeg)
Winnipeg Free Press
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Score in the kitchen with recipes from Winnipeg Jets 1981 cookbook
In the NHL's 1981-82 Norris Division semi-finals, 19-year-old Dale Hawerchuk scored eight points as his Winnipeg Jets were defeated in a best-of-five by (checks … the St. Louis Blues. That season's Calder Trophy winner, who put up 103 points as the league's top rookie, solidified his superstar reputation during the 3-1 series loss in the opening round, doling out four assists in the Jets' lone win. What was the secret to the future Hall of Famer's early success? Could it have been his signature dish? The Dale Hawerchuk Monster Cookie was the left-handed centre's contribution to The Jets Are Cookin', a spiral-bound cookbook assembled by the wives of the Winnipeg Jets featuring dozens of family recipes from players, coaches and administrative staff. (Taking the lead was Gail Long, wife of blueliner Barry Long, a two-time AVCO Cup winner with the Jets who retired from professional hockey following the 1982 season.) The 1981 cookbook, a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital, is a finger-licking, nose-wrinkling time capsule of culinary trends, vintage rosters and back-in-style mullets. This particular copy was discovered in the basement of former South Osborne bookseller Nerman's, and rare first editions can be found online for between $35 and US$165. Winnipeggers can also peruse the cookbook in the local history room at the Millennium Library. The Jets Are Cookin' appears to be the team's first foray into community cookbooks — a popular fundraising and public relations platform at the time — but not its last. A followup, entitled What's Cookin' With the Jets?, was published in the '90s with recipes from the likes of Teemu Selänne and Tie Domi. And in 2014, the second iteration of the hockey club released Our Jets at Home, a player cookbook that included then-captain Andrew Ladd's Monster Cookies recipe. Professional hockey seems to create big cookie cravings. Unlike monster cookies of today — which are typically filled with M&Ms, oats and peanut butter — Hawerchuk's version was simply monstrous in size, with each chocolate chip cookie calling for an ice cream scoop's worth of dough. 'I don't think he got that recipe from mom,' says Dale's sister Dayna, who checked with Hawerchuk's junior-hockey billet family in Cornwall to see whether the rookie was introduced to the Monster by Mrs. Bissonnette; that was a no. 'It looks like it came off a bag of chocolate chips or something.' Published in an era when players still smoked between periods, The Jets Are Cookin' isn't a health-conscious read. The recipes are a mix of American, Swedish and French-Canadian fare (an indication of the team's makeup) with no shortage of cheesy vegetable casseroles, seafood surprises and decadent desserts. The Jets, however, did stay active in the off-season, according to write-ups in the cookbook, with Toronto-born Hawerchuk playing 'all sports,' watching horse racing at Assiniboia Downs and spending time at the family cottage in Oshawa. An avid barbecuer with an affinity for steak, chicken, pasta and peas, the rookie Hawerchuk's favourite local restaurant was Paladio, a long-shuttered eatery on Grant Avenue. As the Jets 2.0 prepare for another first-round face-off against the Blues tonight, we bring you a vintage game-day feast from The Jets Are Cookin' — hopefully, the results (in the kitchen and on the ice) will be cause for celebration four decades later. Find below a recipe for a boozy Orange Slush from captain Dave Christian and his wife Bonnie. The couple met on a blind date in their home state of Minnesota and arrived in Winnipeg in 1980 immediately following David's gold medal appearance with the U.S. Olympic team — a tournament in which the hosting Americans beat the Soviets in a final dubbed the 'Miracle on Ice.' Defenceman Bryan Maxwell and wife Debbie shared their Crab Dip recipe in the cookbook. After meeting in a Medicine Hat arena, where he played junior hockey and she figure skated, the pair spent three seasons in Winnipeg with their firstborn, Nicole. Biff a la Lindström isn't an original family recipe from former right winger Willy Lindström, but rather a popular Swedish dish akin to a hamburger patty. Off-ice, Lindström spent his time golfing and repairing cars, while wife Britt enjoyed squash and cross-country skiing with the family's dog, Guy. Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney is an award-winning journalist who approaches every story with curiosity and care. Read full biography Ben WaldmanReporter Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the Free Press. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
