Revisiting Rooster Town

A University of Winnipeg researcher is looking for stories about Rooster Town, an area of the city more commonly known as Grant Park. Dr. Evelyn Peters, Canada Research Chair of the Centre for Inner-city Research, is looking for stories that may inform a documentary on the settlement around Pan Am Pool. A few decades ago the area was mostly bush and mud tracks. During the Great Depression, Métis families settled in the area in small, self-built houses. Because the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad ran nearby along Grant Avenue, seasonal railroad workers would “roost” in the area and relax between work. Peters is working with Lawrie Barkwell, senior historian at the Louis Riel Institute of the Manitoba Métis Federation. Peters can be reached at 204-982-4811 or via email at [email protected].

Richardson College wins accessibility award

The University of Winnipeg has received the City of Winnipeg’s 2012 Accessibility award. The city awarded the university for the new Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex. The award is presented to certain environments and facilities, and its designers, that portray the perfect example of universal design, according to a university release. The complex was noted for its accessible on-grade entrance with push button entry, its information/security counter, and the elevator system that connects all the floors of the complex. The complex was also awarded for its flooring patterns that allow the visually impaired to see changes in the floor levels.

Ida Albo honoured

The University of Winnipeg’s alumni association honoured hotelier and entrepreneur Ida Albo. At the university’s fall convocation, the association presented Albo, co-owner of the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre and Yoga Public, with its Distinguished Alumni Award. Albo, who graduated from U of W in 1981 with an economics degree, has worked as an economist and as a lecturer at the university. She has also served as a member of the alumni association and the University of Winnipeg Foundation. Her charitable work includes the Health Sciences Centre Research Foundation, CancerCare Manitoba and Citizens Against Impaired Driving. She was presented with the award Sunday, Oct. 21 in the Duckworth Centre.

Arctic discussions come to U of W

The University of Winnipeg hosted the first series of round table discussions on arctic prosperity Oct. 18. Much of the discussion centered on the viability of the Port of Churchill to inform the federal-provincial Task Force on the Future of Churchill, the university said in a release. Representatives from the transportation and trade sectors were included in the discussions. The groups believe the Arctic region of Canada is potentially significant to creating and maintaining a gateway for international trade, if the Port of Churchill remains usable. The roundtable is one of many being held over the next year to help shape the development of the Northern Sustainable Prosperity plan for the province.

Published in Volume 67, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 24, 2012)