The Uniter 30
This year we asked you to vote for your favourite Winnipeg things. The categories are based around topics that we cover, combined with what we think our readers are into - music, theatre, fashion, radio, visual arts, photography, comedy, blogging, podcasting, foods and beverages, intimate moments, sports, body modification, film, politics and events that happen around our home base at the University of Winnipeg.
There’s a decent variety of people, events and places that represent what is great about our city. No chain restaurants, no people that spent only two weeks living here before moving to Hollywood and only a few silly categories here - but mostly, just pure, homegrown goodness.
This is also our last issue of the year, so take a look for our contributor’s top ten lists! Lists are fun.
Additionally - I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who gave their time this year to write, draw, photograph or contribute in any way to The Uniter. We operate on guts and bolts, so thank you. Another big shout out goes to you kids and kiddos for picking this thing up and checking out our new website. We’ve felt the love and we’ll continue to do our darndest to deliver a product that tells your stories.
Throughout December, take a look at uniter.ca for exclusive content and to vote for the Uniter Fiver.
Expect big things next year from our little weekly magazine. Well, maybe not big things. But medium to large sized things.
-NJF
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The Comedian
When you meet J.D. Renaud, he comes across as a humble, down to earth, and creative guy.
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The Writer
There’s no shortage of people with talent in this city. The rare finds, though, are those that have a work ethic, drive or attention to detail that matches their natural gifts.
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The Athlete
Locally grown hockey player Jonathan Toews will go for gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, with the goal to make his country proud once again.
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The Photographer
It is easy to see why so many voted April Dawn Plett as their favourite photographer.
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The Celebrity
Chances are you’ve heard Ace Burpee’s unique voice at some point, either while he is hosting his popular morning show on 103.1 Virgin Radio, speaking at a charity event or doing his live on location work all over Winnipeg.
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The Winnipegger Abroad
With family heritage in Nigeria and Manitoba, and having performed across Canada, Aisha Alfa has a brilliant passion for Winnipeg.
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The Venue + The Nightspot
Union Sound Hall has hit the ground running since opening in August 2013.
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The Podcast
It might be labelled as “Winnipeg’s Worst Podcast,” but there still seems to be a few of you that enjoy the 27 episodes of Couch Surfin’ that have been uploaded so far.
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The Local Album
Local six-piece Royal Canoe has been busy lately, touring the globe with genre-bending psychedelic electronic rock and garnering critical acclaim for its sophomore full length Today We’re Believers.
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The University of Winnipeg Event
The first week of University hosts some hallmark memories of our lives. It marks that transition from being a high school student to one who is now in the “real world”. We owe some of our most vivid memories of this significant time to Orientation Week, aka “O-Week”.
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The Campus Radio Show
James Borsa is the ultimate film guru. He has an irreplaceable amount of knowledge in the realms of film and he displays a true passion for the topic.
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The Theatrical Production
Winnipeg theatre happens all year long, but to many people it’s all about checking out the Fringe in July.
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The Parking Space
The Uniter is a downtown street weekly, but it’s also the official newspaper of the University of Winnipeg.
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The Film
Under the Neon Lights is the surrealist creation of University of Winnipeg film grads Fabian Velasco, Milos Mitrovic, Markus Henkel, and Ian Bawa.
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The New Restaurant
Winnipeg already has a ton of burger joints scattered throughout the city, but all that competition hasn’t stopped Market Burger from becoming a top contender since it opened up at 645 Corydon back in July.
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The Manitoba Festival
Winnipeg Folk Fest, we love you, but you're bringing us down. Let's hope that 2013's yawn of a lineup was only a celebration of the past and not an indication of the years to come.
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The New Thing
A few years ago I was looking for a space to do a music video for the band Federal Lights.
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The Activist
As the global economy lacks stability, proper nutrition is becoming more difficult to access due to high costs of whole and natural foods.
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The Young Achiever
When asked what he does, Ian Bawa laughs and replies that he does “a little bit of everything”.
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The Visual Artist
“Visual art” is a broad term that shouldn’t be taken strictly. It can describe anything from paintings to ceramics to the applied arts like industrial design and architecture. But for 25-year-old Fabián Velasco, its definition is only limited by a creative and free-thinking imagination.
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The Local Blog
Five years ago, local photographer Bryan Scott decided to move pictures off of his Flickr page and start a photo blog called Winnipeg Love Hate, which is still updated regularly with various shots taken throughout the city.
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The Gallery
The Winnipeg Art Gallery has been an integral part our downtown core and our city’s appreciation of the arts since its establishment in 1912.
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Ink/Piercing Shop
An eccentric playlist of varying musical genres fills the waiting area of Soul Survivors.
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The Sex Shop
Our readers' favourite adult boutique is Winnipeg's newest—they opened in April last year.
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The Clothing Shop
Located in the heart of the Osborne Village is Out of the Blue, a local mainstay specializing in women’s vintage, indie and retro clothing, accessories, jewelry and footwear.
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The Coffee Shop
Nils Vik opened Parlour in September, 2011 when he was looking for the kind of coffee experience that he created for friends and family at home.
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The Bookstore
McNally Robinson was founded in Winnipeg in 1981, and is the largest independently run bookstore in Canada.
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The Record Store
26-year-old Into the Music was voted reader's favourite—and store owner Greg Tonn demonstrates attentiveness to people's needs.