Murals. The vibrant, colourful paintings filling the sides of nearly every building are the first thing that jumps out at you when walking down Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg’s North End.
These wonderfully hand painted works of art by acclaimed Winnipeg painter Richard Manoakeesick are impossible to miss as you stroll down the street that has long been at the very core of North End pride. Each painting tells a story about its buildings history, taking us back to the street’s glory days and while Selkirk Avenue often gets a bad rap now, it’s clear that things are starting to look up in the present as well.
On a sunlit morning, the street shows no signs of the supposed crime problem that exists there. Instead, it is a bustling hub of activity with the low hum of cars failing to fully drown out the sounds of young children playing in the now fully melted fields attached to David Livingstone School.
The presence of kids is hard to miss throughout the blocks, with many parents walking with their children on their way to school or simply to shop. These people don’t seem discouraged by the Selkirk’s reputation; in fact they act carefree and proud of their neighbourhood. Every person passed delivers a cordial “good morning” or “hello” and some even stopped to chat.
Sandy Joseph is a young mother pushing her baby daughter in a stroller past the well known Gunn’s Bakery near Main Street. In between teasing her daughter with a rattle, Joseph was eager to talk about their positive experiences on the street.
“We walk here every day. We live just a few minutes away and she loves to come out here. People stop and talk to her. We love it,” she said.
It’s obvious that the people inside Gunn’s Bakery love it too. The lineup nearly stretched out the door with a mix ranging from elderly couples to toddlers waiting to get their hands on the hundreds of freshly baked items on the shelves.
It’s easy to smell why when you step inside. The scent of cinnamon buns and fresh bread is as overpowering as it is enticing and makes it hard to believe that anyone would be afraid to shop on Selkirk Avenue.
Further down the block it’s clear that other businesses are bustling as well. There was no space to be found at the picnic tables outside the Robin’s Donuts while the newly renovated Merchants Hotel was a hub of activity as usual as patrons chatted over the rattle of construction equipment across the street working on setting up a new green space for the area’s young people to play.
Both the city’s major universities also have a presence on the street with the University of Winnipeg running programs out of the Urban Circle Training Centre Inc. and the University of Manitoba setting up their Inner City Social Work Program building just down the street.
All this activity is music to the ears of North End Community Renewal Corp. Executive Director Robert Neufeld, who was beaming while describing the street’s progress from his office stocked with North End memorabilia.
“Things are looking up more and more here. There are great services and great people here, we want people to come out and give it a chance,” said the enthusiastic Neufeld.
Neufeld described how the murals were seen as a positive change when they started going up nearly a decade ago but how he now wants to see a new set to represent Selkirk’s evolution today.
Indeed, while old church bells still ring out loudly from Holy Ghost School to mark every hour that passes, a walk down Selkirk Avenue reveals that the street is not content with getting back to its former glory but rather looking towards future development. Neufeld summed the positive vibes up best.
“We’re moving forward and things are getting better every day. There’s a new Selkirk Avenue here to see, come see it.”
