Park Extent
Our proposal is, first and foremost, a river park. It would be anchored at the confluence of the Red and Seine Rivers and include Whittier Park, Lagimodière - Gaboury Park, and the tip of Point Douglas. From there, it would reach outward along the city’s three main river branches: northward along the Red River, to St. John’s Park; southward along the Seine River, to the Trans-Canada Highway; and westward along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, towards The Forks and the Manitoba Legislature. The full extent of the park would comprise 430 hectares of land and water areas – more than three times the size of Assiniboine Park, twice the size of Montreal’s Mont Royal Park, and slightly larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
A nature preserve and three river branches
The park’s core area would extend from the Provencher Bridge to the Louise Bridge on the Red River, and to Provencher Boulevard on the Seine River. It would include the tip of Point Douglas; the mouth of the Seine River; Whittier Park and Lagimodière - Gaboury Park in Saint Boniface; Fort Douglas Park and Stephen Juba Park in the East Exchange District; and Ernie O’ Dowda Park on the east bank of the Red River.
The park would then extend along three river branches. Each branch would end at prominent green spaces or public infrastructure, such as bridges, community centres, or recreational facilities, thus allowing access from neighbourhoods on both sides of the rivers.
Northward, along the west bank of the Red River, a proposed trail would connect Point Douglas to St. John’s Park, just north of the Redwood Bridge. As one of Winnipeg’s first three public parks, St. John’s Park is an historically significant landmark, and its proximity to North End neighbourhoods would give it a particularly important role as the northern entrance to the national park.
Southward, along the Seine River, the park would extend to the Fermor Avenue Bridge, on the Trans-Canada Highway. This park branch would incorporate all natural areas currently owned by the City of Winnipeg, as well as Happyland Park, which reaches eastward into the Public Markets, Stock Yards, and Mission industrial areas. At the south end, the Windsor Park Golf Course, the Saint Boniface Golf Course, and the privately-owned Niakwa Golf Course would combine to create an extensive recreational area.
Westward, the park would extend along the Red River to the Norwood Bridge, where the Forks, the Saint Boniface Hospital, the Winnipeg Rowing Club, the Norwood Community Centre, and Lyndale Drive Park would create an institutional and recreational node. From there, the park would continue along the Assiniboine River, to the Osborne Bridge and the Manitoba Legislature, which would offer a symbolic and memorable western entrance to the park.
