This is a continuation of a previous thread but as i've had no response i thought i'd start a new one.

Thanks for all the photos folks.

Booked our tickets yesterday with Air Canada ! . 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' . What are the other 2lights for? Any tips on local driving will be good

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 )

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).
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.

Just heard on the news about Zoom Airlines and its financial troubles. Feel sorry for the people caught out by it and i didn't hear anything about passengers getting refunds.

I can only thank the people who complained about their flights on this forum which convinced my wife and I to fly Air-Canada. We were debating over which airline to go with but then opted for AC. We only booked everything a couple of days ago, how lucky were we!

Its a shame they went bust though, to my knowledge they were the only ones that flew direct to Winnipeg.

Hey guys,
We live in fort richmond area, just off pembina hwy before St Norbert and we love it in this area.
Its not busy.
There are 2 high schools and a primary school near by. Ryerson, acadia and Dalhousie.
A community centre
A swimming pool
An outdoor ice rink
Great for bus route downtown (number 62)
Crime here is one of the lowest in the city.
Its just off the perimiter
There are a few nice parks... Especially if you have dogs.
We are close to 2 24 hour gyms
close to all the major stores (especially anything on Pembina hwy, which includes all the main places to eat)
Very close to a hospital. (victoria hospital)

We don't have any kids (yet) but I would feel more than happy bringing my children up in this area. I'm a 24 yea old female and feel safe running outside late at night.

If you have any questions feel free to email us.

As for zoom... well yesterday my parents flew to visit us and flew via zoom. It looks like they were on one of the last flights. Now they need to find a way home. :-(

Oh and as for weather in October. Last year the family were getting packed for a visit. It happened to snow 2 days before they flew out. I told them to pack warm clothes... They arrived and within no more than 4 days we were sat on a deserted Grand beach in 19c sunshine. October is such a guessing game. I remember the year before that hallow'een we had a major blizzard.
I say pack for 10c weather but bring a coat just in case.

Hello, good luck on your reccie and job hunting. we are over the provincial border in Saskatchewan and it snowed 3 Nov for us.

If you are OK with an apartment you should be able to rent in any of the locations you mentioned. Houses are available, but not nearly as many as apartments.

The FreePress is a good starting point:-

http://www11.xpresssites.com/fp/wfp/...RND=1066559818


AS to amenities, well your chosen areas are the "High End" part of the City, so the schools etc are good, as is the shopping and other facilities.

Thanks for the tips and pointers folks.

We'll make sure we bring appropriate clothing (long johns me thinks!)

Fort Richmond sounds perfect. We will be checking out the other areas aswell but at least it gives us something to go by.

Maple...how long does the 62 bus take to get Downtown?

....and we may take you up on your offer for advice as we get nearer to the reccie date. It would be brilliant if we could meet up for a coffee or even quick drink or two (1 for the misses and 3 for me!)

Hope your parents don't end up paying over the odds to get back to the UK.

p.s. may be cheaper to sponsor your parents for PR than sending them back!

We live on the Tuxedo / River Heights border so can hopefully give you a few pointers.

1. Schools - we don't have kids yet so can't speak from person experience, but there are plenty of them in this area and from what I've heard they are of a pretty good standard.
2. Assiniboine Park is huge, great in the summer for free concerts, cricket, BBQ's etc plus the zoo, also fun in the winter with ice skating and toboggan runs.
3. & 4. Numerous bus routes. standard routes around 20 mins to downtown, plus peak hour express buses that take about 10mins.
5. A couple of useful local shopping areas (Tuxedo, Grant Park, and some higher end boutiques on Academy Rd), plus Polo Park is just across the river and is the biggest shopping mall in Winnipeg.
6. Couple of local bars, but very easy access to Corydon and Osbourne Village for multiple drinking/eating options.
7. Plenty of options here as well, though I'm still on the look out for a decent chippy.

Hope this helps?

Thanks ADAMC,

Great info!
Just the kind of stuff we're looking for. I've got three kids so having Assiniboine Park and its year round attractions would be great

Have you ever suffered any floodings being so near to the river? In fact, are there any areas where this has ever happened?


p.s. keep me posted on the chippy as well!

We haven't suffered any flooding yet, and according to my neighbours the Assiniboine didn't flood during the 1997 Flood of the Century when the Red River ate up a number of smaller communities to the south of the city.

The Red River Floodway was built to protect the city, not just by redirecting the Red when it floods, but also to allow the Red to be diverted to ease pressure on the Assiniboine (I believe there's also another river flood engineering system for the Assiniboine to the west of Winnipeg).

You can never say never with any river system, but the Assiniboine has a much steeper bank than the Red, which means houses are much higher up.

They are digging the floodway a bit deeper, so we should be good for upto a 700 year flood.

Hi there, wow you were lucky you decided to go Air Canada at the last minute!! When you get to Winnipeg (assuming you have a laptop with wireless connection or other internet access) go on this website and it'll tell you what bus you need to take from where, at what time, how long it takes, inc. walking distance to other stops! Just click on the NAVIGO trip planner icon and follow the instructions. We found it invaluable

Enjoy your trip and bring back some happy memories!

Anita

oops!

http://winnipegtransit.com/index.jsp

P.S. message to Disillusionist:- Don't forget to go on the Downtown Spirit, it's a free bus to all of Winnipeg's major destinations, and it runs every day of the week

Hello Anita,

Thanks for the info.

Won't have a laptop with us but i'm sure we'll find an internet cafe there. We will probably hire a car (as long as there's no snow!)for a couple of days to get our bearings right and then rely on public transport after that.