Background: 
On September 1st, the City of Winnipeg will take over setting all speed limits within the City. In preparation for the changeover, the Public Works department has recommended the continuance of all existing speed limits. On June 25th, the Public Works Committee of Council considered this recommendation. Submissions proposing reduced speed limits were made by a number of groups, including Winnipeg Trails, Bike Winnipeg and Safe Speeds WPG. The Committee chose to accept the recommendation of continuing all existing speed limits, 4 to 1.

Come out on Tuesday July 9th and Make your Voice Heard if you want lower speed limits in Winnipeg: 
The next step in the process is the Executive Policy Committee (EPC) meeting on Tuesday July 9th at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall.   Among the members of that Committee is our councillor, Cindy Gilroy.  Come out to the EPC meeting on July 9th and make your voice heard. 

After that, the proposal goes to City Council on July 18, at 9:30 a.m.

Safe Speeds Winnipeg .. Sign the On-line Petition: 
 Check out Safe Speeds WPG ,  is a volunteer, grassroots organization that is urging the City to set default speed limits at 30 km/hr for residential roads and 40 km/hr for collector roads, together with a dedication of the $2.5 million in the Road Safety Budget (2019), along with any additional available funding, to support infrastructure for these new default speeds. The Safe Speeds website includes an online petition for Winnipeg residents. It also encourages us to contact our councillor  (with a downloadable letter) to support this change.

On June 10th , The Tree Town Hall in Wolseley brought together members of Winnipeg’s Urban Forestry Department (UFD) and Trees Winnipeg to deliver some good news, as well as a warning, to a large audience of Wolseley residents: the fight to preserve our urban forest isn’t over yet.

While UFD has caught up on the backlog of boulevard tree re-plantings in our neighbourhood, and promises to stump and replace those taken down this summer within two years, Winnipeg is now facing serious threats to its ash trees. Two pests, cottony ash psylid and the emerald ash borer, may well result in the loss of almost half-a-million ash
trees citywide.

Wolseley is fortunate. Only a small portion of our urban forest, 17%, is made up of ash trees, while 50% is composed of Elms. As a result the primary focus here will continue to be on the fight against Dutch Elm Disease. For more information on Wolseley’s forest, Winnipeg’s urban forest as a whole and the current threats to ash trees see the power point presentations below.

So what does it all mean?
In response to the continuing problem of Dutch Elm Disease and the looming crisis with our ash trees, UFD’s aim is to diversify Winnipeg’s urban forest as quickly as possible, to ensure, that in future, no one pest can wipe out a huge swath of our forest.

That plan is already underway, with a wide variety of trees now being planted on boulevards, parks and public land across the city. As a result, our neighbourhood and others across Winnipeg will feature a very different tree canopy in the future – one that is as bio-diverse as our human community. For more information on the tree varieties UFD is now planting on city land click here.

What You Can Do:

• Consider Protection for Your Ash Tree:
  • If you have an ash on your property that’s not yet infected, you may be able to extend its life for up to ten years by inoculating your tree. For more information about ash tree inoculations consult your local arborist. For more information on the emerald ash borer click here. 
• Plant Trees on Your Property:
  • One way we can ensure that our neighbourhood stays green is by planting more trees on our own properties. So the Wolseley Greenspace Committee and Trees Winnipeg are planning to host a ReLeaf Tree Planting workshop in 2020, right here in Wolseley. Not only will you learn the best way to plant a tree, you’ll receive one or two trees for your property, all for the low price of $55.00. For more information on the Releaf Program.  And stay tuned for an announcement about the Wolseley ReLeaf workshop in January 2020.
• Join Forest Watch:
  • A “citizen scientist” project launched by Trees Winnipeg, Forest Watch offers you and your family a role to play in monitoring the health of our urban forest. You’ll receive training on how to spot a tree that’s under attack and report it to the city. 
• Adopt a Boulevard Tree:
  • If a new boulevard tree has been planted on your block consider adopting that tree with your neighbours. New trees need lots of water and by banding together with two or three neighbours, you can offset the water costs and keep your new tree healthy and thriving!

The Wolseley to West Alexander Corridor project and the Wolseley to Downtown Walk Bike project are exploring  options to encourage walking and cycling for people of all ages and abilities through

1. The creation of a neighbourhood greenway along Ruby Street and Banning Street to link the Wolseley and West Alexander neighbourhoods. Ruby Street and Banning Street provide an important north-south connection between Palmerston Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue and beyond.  The Public Engagement and Recommended Design options are available here. 
2. The development of options to improve travel choice, accessibility and connectivity via Wolseley Ave/WestMinster Ave, Balmoral Street and Granite Way.  

​
​Opportunities for public engagement / input into the design are occurring on the following dates:  

• Workshop:   View design options, speak with members of the project team, and provide feedback. Presentation followed by small group discussion.
  • Date: Tuesday June 11, 2019
  • Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Location: St. Margaret’s Anglican Church (in the basement hall), 160 Ethelbert St.
  • RSVP by June 7, 2019 by online registration form, by email at WolseleyDowntown@intergroup.ca or by phone at (204) 942-0654.
• Engage at a pop-up event:  Come drop by and meet the project team at one of three pop-up engagement events where you can provide your feedback. 
  • Date: Wednesday June 12, 2019
    • Time: 10 a.m. - noon
    • Location Tall Grass Prairie, 859 Westminster Ave.
  • Date: Wednesday June 12, 2019
    • Time: 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
    • Location: Balmoral Hall School (outside the gates at the corner of Westminster Ave. and Young St.), 630 Westminster Ave.
  •  Date: Wednesday June 12, 2019 
    • Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
    • Location: Mulvey School Field, 750 Wolseley Ave.

• Join a Guided Walk/Bike Tour
  • Date: Thursday June 13, 2019
    • Time: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
    • Location: Tour begins at the corner of Raglan Road and Wolseley Ave.
    • RSVP by June 7, 2019 by online registration form, by email at WolseleyDowntown@intergroup.ca or by phone at (204) 942-0654. In case of poor weather, the RSVP list will be updated with an alternative date.

 For more information or for those who require alternate formats or interpretation in order to participate, please contact WolseleyDowntown@intergroup.ca or 204-942-0654.

​The times, they are a changing!!!

For 13 years, 898 Westminster Avenue-near the corner of Ruby and Westminster Streets, was known as The Neighbourhood Bookstore and Café. It was run by Bill Fugler and frequented by many locals. It was a popular meeting place where people could chat over coffee and a snack, work on their computer, read, or even buy a book or board game.  Fugler decided to close the shop in August of 2018 to spend more time with family and to pursue other interests. 
 
Last fall, Wolseley residents Erin Keating, husband Peter, and another couple, Laura and Jamie Hilland got together and decided they would like to open a locally owned and operated restaurant in that location. As with any new venture, there were growing pains – making a business plan, and the more difficult task of getting a permit to open and operate the restaurant. There was an immense amount of support for this new venture, but also some opposition.

After six months of discussion with the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba, and with neighbours both pro and con, progress was made. There was give and take. In the end, the restaurant was granted a liquor licence, but without the ability to serve alcohol on the patio, as was the original plan.  The four owners all have previous experience in the restaurant business in Winnipeg.

Extensive renovations are currently being made and the group hopes to open in mid-August of 2019.  It will operate as The Ruby West Restaurant (so named for its location at the corner of Ruby Street and Westminster Avenue) “A Little Gem in Wolseley”.