Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

Thanks for all the photos folks.

Booked our tickets yesterday with Air Canada ! :thumbsup:. A bit pricey but we couldn't risk delays in travel times that Zoom have a reputation for. We have one week for our reccie so can't risk losing even a day.

We fly out Oct25th from Heathrow and then change at Toronto for Winni.

I'll be visiting some recruitment firms when i get there and we're also hoping to see a couple of schools for our little'uns. We're going to hire a car once there so any car hire recommendations would be appreciated.

I saw on some of Anita's downtown pictures that the traffic lights had 5 'lights' :confused:. What are the other 2lights for? Any tips on local driving will be good:thumbup:

Stewart/Archiseek,

Are there any particular areas that i will find difficulty in getting rented accomodation in? We're looking to go through a short list of Neighbourhoods and are hoping to find a rental property in an area that we would eventually like to purchase in. We would be looking to avoid having to change schools for the kids when we do eventually settle on a property.

Although we're a bit way off with our applications, i have been informed that the job prospects for me are good, so could possibly move there based on a TWP (i'll know more after the visit). Also waiting for the new Immigration guidelines to be published before we submit any variant of the PR apps.

The areas we're considering are;
Charleswood - Tuxedo
River Heights (and surrounding areas like Crescentwood etc)
Lindenwoods - Whyte Ridge.
Fort Richmond and surrounding Areas.

Your views on the above areas and on the wish list below would be appreciated gents (assuming Archi is a bloke :D)

Factors we're considering:

1. We'd take into account local Schools and distances. My eldest is 7yrs old but would need to factor in good Secondary Schools aswell just to future proof our purchase decision.
2. Would like to be near Parks and Leisure centres (Swimming Pool and Gym)
3. Direct public transport to Downtown (ie not having to switch buses)
4. Expected times for traveling (into Downtown) dependent on winter weather and the area you live with regards to Buses / Public Transport.
5. Shopping Centres (for when the wifes upset):rofl:.
6. Bars/Pubs (for the occasionial drink, honest! ;))
7. Fish and Chip Shop / Pizza / Chinese Takeaways.

Any other pointers and tips will be most appreciated guys.

p.s. whats the weather like towards the end of October? I've been told there may be snow.

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

I'm moving to Winnipeg in the next few months. I've been to and through it in Feb/March (twice) and Dec/Jan.

My wife insists it snows pretty much all year round, but I'm more inclined to believe my mother in law who seems to think that October is a bit mixed. As I understand it October is the beginning of winter in Winnipeg, so snow is quite likely, particularly if you're going late in the month. However, it won't be quite as cold as later in the year.

One of the tricks is to keep an eye on the wind chill factor, as the wrong wind can drop a relatively bearable -8 in to the -20s or 30s. Winnipeg can be a bit breezey and it makes quite a difference.

Having the option to add and remove layers is a good idea. Alternatively you can stay in and watch the weather channel!

This website should give you some idea, but I note they are average figures:

http://www.livingin-canada.com/climate-winnipeg.html

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

Our first year in Winnipeg there was a light dusting of snow on Oct 6th. It melted within a week iirc. The first big snowfall that year was Nov 15th and it was a huge dump, that was the last we saw of the grass until early April.

Our second year the first big snowfall was either on Hallowe'en or the day before, can't remember which. We bought candy for the neighbourhood kids but no-one could get along the sidewalks or paths so I sadly had to scoff the lot ;) That was also the snow down until early April.

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

Normally we don't expect much snow till the end of October begining of November. In the 10 years weve been here there have been no large dumps of snow, 10" was the most in one go and that didnt even disrupt the traffic that much.

Snow really is not that big a deal here.:thumbup:


The wind chill though can be nasty at times.

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

Hah, 10 inches is more than enough for a newcomer :unsure:

Our second year they were unbelievably slow to clear roads and paths out in the suburbs, it was treacherous for about 10 days after a dump. But going by what Calgary posters have reported, Winnipeg should consider itself lucky that roads like that get cleared at all, even if it's late!

I agree in the main though, the actual snowfall in Winnipeg isn't that great and isn't (usually!) a problem. It's the cold that's a total ********.

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

I've heard that they only clear the snow once there's a break in the snow fall (I guess so that it's not just falling back into place behind the plough).

I found the city generally fine to drive around in the snow, but had a bit of trouble seeing some of the road markings, much to my wife's dismay. I figure not hitting anything is the really important part and I managed that.

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

Keep the replies coming! :thumbsup:

Hariboy - i don't think i've come across anyone yet who has recently moved and has kids, do you mind me asking whether you have any?

I've got three all under 7 and was hoping to get a current view on schools and what its like for kids.

How did you find the winter and surviving the cold? also whats your opinion on the neighbourhoods?

Have you been Downtown after dark and is crime there as bad its cracked up to be relative to Cov (not saying Cov's bad or anything:thumbup:you understand!).

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

Sorry, but I've no kids just yet. I'm moving there to join my wife and maybe get some on the way once I've settled in a bit! As such I've not asked about the schools.

I know we have at least one youngster in the immediate circle of friends and I'm fairly sure one of my new cousins is a teacher, so maybe I can get a slightly bias view.

I haven't really been downtown after dark, except for one hockey game at the MTS centre. There were so many hockey fans around it wasn't exactly like being alone in the dark. I've been down a few times during the day though and much as any town centre, there are a few characters around. No one I found too intimidating though (although I'm 6'2 with a skin head, so maybe that's why). Most folks seem to do their shopping at the out of town malls.

As far as crime goes, I got the impression it's a lot like any other city; there are areas its probably best not to go. Winnipeg is officially murder capital of Canada which sounds fairly frightening at first, but when you find out that there were something like 14 murders in 2007 (compared to 170 in London, obviously a much bigger city, but still) and they were nearly all either family disputes or drug related, I see no reason to worry.

That kind of brings me on to my next point. I'm told the North of the city is the 'bad' area. Personally I'm only familiar with the Fort Garry area which seems very pleasant. I've been over to residential areas close to the St Vital mall and that was very nice too, although I don't know what the area was called.
Every one I've met is really friendly and Winnipeg is small enough that being a Brit is still a novelty quite often.

We're had one eye on the property market and have been focusing on the South and West of the city. My wife also has an eye on Osborne Village, but at 31, I feel a little too old for the youngsters down there!

The weather is really just an everyday fact of life. Unlike the UK where the 2nd biggest city and all its suburbs get gridlocked because of 2" of snow, Canada continues to function. I just made sure I have my ski jacket on and couple of layers underneath. Of course, no one in Winnipeg goes anywhere without a toque.
I found that going for a 45min walk in a pair of jeans in the -20s was enough to make my legs start to feel a bit cold towards the end, but was otherwise fine.
If its windy out, keeping your face pretty well covered is a good idea as otherwise it bites quite a bit. Apparently it depends a lot on wind direction as to whether its warm or cold, but I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

Pop the weather channel on TV. They give the temperature and a 'feels like' temperature. It's usually pretty accurate.

I found it amusing when people said things like '...but Canada has a dry cold', but it's true. I've felt colder here in +/-1 than I have at -15 out there. The snow is different too! Kind of powdery.

Should you use public transport, you can call up and find out if your bus is on time and if not how late it is. That minimises standing around in the cold.

One last thing. I recommend going to the zoo in winter. A lot of the animals were indoors, but there was hardly anybody there. It's bizarre (especially seeing the tigers in the snow, which is probably quite normal for the Siberians, but I'd never seen it before).

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

The worst areas of the City are:-

Point Douglas
The North End
The West End
Downtown.

Basicly its all contained in area about 2km West of Portage/Main and 2/3km North and North West of Portage & Main.

The further you get from the Downtown the "better" the areas are.

North of Portage is cheaper (for the same type of property) than south of Portage.

The "best" parts of the City are in the South and South West, with Charlsewood being one of the best "Family" areas.

The MLS areas to avoid are 4A, 5A, 9A but having said that its not all bad, there are good streets and areas in those neighbourhoods, and there are really awfull parts. These areas have the cheapest property prices.

When you get here you should really rent for a while, so you get the feel of the City, before you buy a home.

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

AS to the weather, really it's not that bad in the Winter.

The compensation for a really cold day is that the sky will be clear and blue and the sun will be bright, it can be glorious at -25c.

On a hot muggy day like today (90f, 60% humidity) I'm looking forward to a bit of cold weather, but then I'm told (by my wife) that I'm not entirely sane.:p

Re: Photos of Winnipeg
 

we moved with 2 kids 18 months and 5, the older one loves his school and we have been very happy with the teachers etc.

There are a ton of parks and play areas for the kids in the spring/summer, in the winter you have sledging skating, skiing/snowboarding (only hills really but ok for beginners)

If it is too cold (with wind chill it can easily be -30 and is no fun to be out in,) there is the childrens museum,ymca for swimming bouncy castles and gymnastics etc.

There are organised sports (see your local comm centre)some that go yr round, soccer, bball, hockey. baseball

In short there are things to do but be prepared there will be times when the kids don't get out much for weeks on end