WRA Honoured by our Legislature:  MLA Lisa Naylor

December 1, 2025

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Hon. Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure): "I rise today to celebrate the Wolseley Residents Association, an active and dedicated part of our community for 45 years.

Founded in 1980, the association began when neighbours came together with a shared vision of making Wolseley a vibrant & welcoming place for families, & that spirit of creative co-operation continues to guide their work today.

Preserving Wolseley's beloved elm trees has been a priority from the very beginning, & today, the WRA Tree Committee is also focused on bolstering biodiversity. Their recent projects include enhancing green space at Wolseley School & planting an urban food forest in Halter Park near Omand's Creek.

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The Wolseley Residents Association is also responsible for the Vimy Victory Garden in Vimy Ridge Memorial Park. Now in its fourth season, the garden features 22 raised allotment beds, community beds, a pollinator garden & fruit trees. It has become a gathering place where neighbours grow food, share knowledge & strengthen community ties.

Beyond these initiatives, the WRA hosts town halls on transportation or local politics & workshops on topics such as composting or radon awareness.

They also organize beloved neighbourhood events from Bike Parades & Winter carnivals to this year's post-Halloween Pumpkin Patch Parade.

These projects reflect the values that have guided the Wolseley Residents Association for decades: protecting green space, fostering sustainability & creating meaningful opportunities for connection. Their ongoing work is a powerful reminder of what neighbours can achieve when we work together.

I'm pleased to welcome board members Ross Brownlee, Julie Penner & Aleksandra Osipova, who are in the gallery today.

Please join me in celebrating the Wolseley Residents Association for 45 years of leadership, vision & service to our community.

Thank you, Honourable Speaker."

Membership:

Please reach out to us should you want to get involved on our Board or as part of our individual Committees! 

Come join us in doing some great community building! 

We have several open positions on the WRA board available this season 

• Vice Chair
• Secretary
• Various Committee spots

Succession planning for next season ongoing too!

Please reach out if you are interested in getting involved with the WRA at the Board or at a Committee level.

Community Health & Safety Meeting Winter 2026

Monday, January 12, 6:30 PM

Cornish Library - 20 West Gate -

Who, what where, when, why of 211 Manitoba: Get to know your 211

Join our WRA Health & Safety Committee in tandem with our neighbours at West Broadway Community Organization - Monday, January 2026, 6:30 PM at Cornish Library, 20 West Gate.

We'll be meeting with 211's representative to explore all of the benefits & features of this groundbreaking community outreach & connection tool. 

This is our communities' collective opportunity to get informed, ask questions & provide feedback on this community service initiated by the United Way Centraid Canada.

Come learn about all this essential community service connecting people & resources available 24/7 in +150 languages through phone, web, text & chat format.

See you there neighbours - Monday, January 19, 2026!    

Photo attribution: Colin Corneau

WRA Chair's Message:

Warm greetings to the Wolseley Community,

WRA December Greeting

Warm greetings from your Wolseley Residents Association. As I sit in the warm sun on a cold & sunny December day, it is awesome to think of the many customs, traditions & gatherings that will be taking place around our wonderful Wolseley community this month! It is such a rich & vibrant community with so many cultural, religious & family stories. I find it awesome to think that we can celebrate & share our many and varied & diverse backgrounds in this supportive and welcoming community!

At our house, we have just decorated a tree; it is one of our traditions, & one that elicits memories of the past & allows a platform for new ones! Special music & food brings smiles to faces around our table. We get to spend time with family & friends - something that doesn't always happen in the bustle of our work lives.

The Wolseley Residents Association is slowing for this month to allow much needed time for winter festivities. But it’s been a busy fall, & will be an exciting New Year!

We have a wonderful group of community folks from all walks of life that are keen, enthusiastic & talented at making our neighbourhood a wonderful place to live, work & play! I send a personal thanks to each committee & board member for their creative, patient & careful work. -I also extend a warm invitation to anyone in Wolseley who might like to share their skills & passion for our neighbourhood. We are happy to welcome new members to both our committees & board!

Now, a quick look at this past summer & fall in the community:

The Trees Committee implemented phase 1 of the impressive Dutch Elm Disease inoculation program, & was able to inoculate 56 of the mature Elm trees in the neighborhood. Phase 2 will take place this summer - more information, ways to donate or help your street work to save it’s trees will be upcoming.

Wolseleyites battling it out at our very first Winter Carnival Trivia

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Our Gardens and Greenspace team has made terrific progress in planting new trees in parks, boulevards & in our community parks. A particular highlight is the gorgeous new food forest planted at Halter Park at Omands Creek, on the south west side. -What a gift to our current and future generations! The community gardens had another wonderful growing season at Vimy Park, & the community orchard continued to mature and grow.

The Transportation Committeecontinues to work with the City of Winnipeg to find the best and safest ways for all types of transportation through our neighborhood. Many projects are under study or are being tweaked based on collected data.

There is a newly reformed Community Health and Wellbeing committee that will be working to enhance elements of the community, & our Housing Committee is actively working with the City and residents with all aspects of our diverse existing and future housing.

At the executive level, we are pleased to have hosted the first annual Pumpkin Patch Parade in which families brought their carved pumpkins to RA Steen for a stunning parade of artfully carved orange squash! It was great fun, & even offered organic composting by Hinterland Cooperative for the pumpkins following the parade!

We were also thrilled to host a Town Hall with our elected City Councillor, Cindy Gilroy, and our National MP, Leah Gazan. A large group of neighbours gathered to hear news from our officials, & had a wonderful chance to ask questions, share concerns & encourage further work. Huge thanks to everyone for such a wonderful evening!

In the new year, we have a full slate of activities! Please take note of events, & look for full details on whatever catches your interest. We will spread the word through all available means:)

Here are your upcoming events:

• January 19 at 7pm -Environment & Climate Change Town Hall with MLAs Cindy Gilroy and Mike Moyes. An event to examine the recently released Path to Net Zero document for the Province. Location to be confirmed
• February 6 at 7pm - Second Annual Trivia Event at RA Steen
• March - Housing Retrofit Workshop
• April - History of Wolseley Institutions (Part 1) featuring schools, Businesses and Institutions
• April - Annual Wolseley Spring Clean Up
• April or May - Water and Sewage in Wolseley with Jocelyn Thorpe
• June 8 - Wolseley Residents Association AGM with guest lecturer (TBA)

We are so honoured to work with & for our wonderful community! We wish everyone a wonderful December, whatever your background, tradition or belief. May you find a few special moments in our darkest month, & find a moment to share them with neighbours, families & friends. We also hope to see you at some of the exciting, community oriented events upcoming in the New Year.

Warmest greetings!

Ross Brownlee & the many folks of the Wolseley Residents Association

Learn about Manitoba's Path to Net Zero: MLA Lisa Naylor & MLA Mike Moyes 

Save the date: Monday, January 19, 2026

Link to the PDF of Manitoba's Path to Net Zero released October 2025 can be found at the end of this article

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There will be a Q & A at our community engagement event, - a chance for you to ask & clarify your understanding.

For more information, & an opportunity to deep dive into this initiative, please also visit the fill length PDF document below:

Manitoba Path to Net Zero

Save the date, Friday February 6, 2026

Wolseley Residents Association & R.A. Steen C.C. invite you to celebrate the launch of Wolseley Winter Carnival 2026 with us!

Join us at RA Steen Community Centre Friday, February 6th 8 PMfor Annual Winter Carnival -gathering our neighbours & our minds together!

Gather your tables, create your group names & get prepare to claim the title of top Wolseley Trivia team!

RA Steen canteen will be open with tasty treats & the best of bevies.  

We shall of course feature our fabulous silent auction full of the flavours of our neighbourhood.

Please consider donating to the silent auction supporting our beloved Robert A Steen Community Centre & WRA's extended community programming.

Wolseley Health & Safety Image Competition:

Know a sinkhole the size of a hot tub? Caught up by that same piece of cleaving sidewalk? Keep bracing yourself at that same crumbling curb?

-We want your community safety pet peeves!

Please forward your images of health & safety concerns in our neighhbhood you'd like us to send to 311!

Some examples include but don't define

• Sink holes
• Potholes
• Cleaving sidewalk
• Crumbling curbs - accessibility issues
• Burnt out lightstandards
• Missing street signage
• Missing community garbage cans
• Mangled bike stands

We want them all!

All entries will be eligible for an entry to win a community prize.

All entries must be submitted by Thursday, February 5, 2026.

Entries to Facebook here!

Draw to be held at the WRA Trivia Night Friday, February 6, 2026