Canadian Crossing

2019 Manitoba election preview

We went through 3 exhausting provincial elections this spring with Alberta, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We were ready for a long nap before the federal election on October 21.

Then came Manitoba. We didn't have that in our 2019 Canadian politics preview since the province was scheduled to have a 2020 election. The Progressive Conservative government under Premier Brian Pallister wants to avoid a conflict with the province's sesquicentennial in 2020. So we will have a September 10 election in Manitoba.

The original fixed election date was October 6, 2020. The writ has not dropped, so Pallister will have to go to Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon at least 28 days before the election date to dissolve the legislature.

The PC government has 38 seats (down from 40 in 2016) while the opposition NDP has 12 seats (down from 14 in 2016). The Liberals have gone up from 3 (2016) to 4 seats (current). There is 1 Manitoba Party MLA and 2 Independents.

Wab Kinew is the opposition NDP leader. Dougald Lamont is the new Liberal Party leader (since 2017). James Beddome ran for the Green Party in 2016 and will run in 2019. Steven Fletcher of the Manitoba Party was elected as a Progressive Conservative MLA in 2016.

Brian Pallister, Progressive Conservatives end NDP reign in Manitoba

2019 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

The current government will lower the PST from 8% to 7% on Canada Day 2019. The national sales tax is 5% so those in Manitoba will see a drop from 13% to 12%.

Pallister is known for spending a lot of time in his home in Costa Rica. The premier was criticized for sending tweets to "stay warm" in the winter in bad conditions while being in the warmth of Costa Rica. Pallister was also criticized for not keeping up on the property assessment of his Costa Rica bungalow, owing about $8,000 in penalties and back taxes.

Kinew has criticized the Pallister Government for healthcare cuts, including the acceleration of the closure of the emergency room of the Seven Oaks hospital in Winnipeg.

The unions representing workers at Seven Oaks Hospital say staff are frustrated and have many unanswered questions about the closure of the ER.

The hospital's emergency department was supposed to close in September and be replaced with an urgent care centre. But the WRHA says now the timeline has been accelerated to this summer.

The initial polls show the PCs and NDP running close in the city of Winnipeg while the PCs enjoy more of an edge outside the capital.

There is a gamble in calling an early election. Every incumbent government that tries thinks there will get more seats. The last British election and the Quebec election of 2014 shows that strategy can backfire.

We don't if this is Kinew's time but I do remember hearing his story on the night of the 2016 election. His path is a bit unusual but you have to consider that the NDP picked their new leader knowing he had only been a politician for fewer than 18 months.

photo credit: me

Oakland, Green Bay to play NFL preseason game in Winnipeg

We finally have a confirmation of a NFL preseason game in Winnipeg on August 22 at 7 pm CDT with the Oakland Raiders as the home team against the Green Bay Packers. 

The Raiders are in the process of moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. There was a conflict with the Oakland A's over the Week 3 NFL preseason game.

The game at IG Field (formerly Investors Group Field) in Winnipeg will be the first NFL game in the province of Manitoba, and only the second game ever in western Canada. Outside the Buffalo Bills series in Toronto, the last NFL preseason game in Canada was on August 15, 1998 when the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks played at BC Place in Vancouver.

Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 am CDT. Prices range from $75-$340 Canadian. If you are going to the game, the sightlines are rather good there. Even the end zone seats are pretty nice.

NFL exhibition games in Canada used to be more common. Previous NFL exhibition games in Canada have primarily focused on Eastern Canada in Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, and Hamilton.

American fans of a different kind of football will be familiar with what was then called Investors Group Field when the 2015 U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team played in Winnipeg. The stadium got some NHL focus with the 2016 Heritage Classic. IG Field also hosted the 2015 Grey Cup.

See you soon, Canada. 🇨🇦

We’re heading north of the border for the first time ever, hosting the Packers in Winnipeg this preseason.

Release » https://t.co/mSRqNCFJTH
Learn more » https://t.co/tJgQbKrUPb@NFLCanada | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/a6aVF1CoUz

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) June 5, 2019

The Week 11 CFL schedule was a determining factor. Winnipeg is in Edmonton on Friday that week. The Blue Bombers did not want the NFL game to be on the same night as the CFL game.

Oakland's first choice was Mosaic Stadium in Regina, home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Roughriders, hosting Ottawa on Saturday night, felt the field conversion would cut too close. The Raiders then looked east to Winnipeg.

Touchdown Atlantic is Sunday so the CFL didn't ideally want a game in Canada opposite the game in Moncton.

The Valour FC Canadian Premier League soccer match for August 22 at IG Field will have to be rescheduled.

After seeing Winnipeg on TV, you should go see for yourself

Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic

The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg

CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines

2015 Women's World Cup notebook: Canada on the world stage

Aaron Rodgers may be the biggest name to play in the game, but the loudest cheers might be for Luke Willson, actual Canadian NFL player. Willson played mostly with Seattle but played for his nearby hometown team Detroit last year. Willson is from LaSalle near Windsor in Ontario. The Oakland Raiders signed Willson in March.

CanadianCrossing.com NFL coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The game will be carried by the Oakland and Green Bay local networks. U.S. fans should get a tape-delayed version of the game via the NFL Network. TSN and RDS will have the game live in Canada.

photo credit: me
Twitter capture: @Raiders

The Northwest Angle is one of several Canada-U.S. border disputes

We talk about the 49th parallel bordering the U.S. and Canada since that is the border from Manitoba west to British Columbia. Everything above the 49th parallel belongs to Canada except for the Northwest Angle.

The Northwest Angle consists of a small land mass jettisoning north separating Manitoba and Ontario via the state of Minnesota. Reportedly, about 120 people live in this extension.

There is a petition in the United States to give that land back to Canada. The petition is called "Give Canada back the Northwest Angle located in Manitoba." The petition is launched under We the People under the White House Web site. If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures, they are reviewed by administration officials for an official response.

During warmer weather, residents of the Angle can access the rest of Minnesota by boat through the Lake of the Woods. During colder weather, the only way for those people to reach the United States is to drive through Manitoba.

If the Northwest Angle were to revert to Canada, that would be a great way to try and claim to be in Canada. Being forced to move just to stay in your country would seem rather unfair.

The other oddity of note is Point Roberts, Washington, a skin flint of an area that hangs below the 49th parallel just south of Tsawwassen in the Vancouver suburbs.

Point Roberts is reportedly used by the United States government as a place for witness relocation since the area is surrounded by 3 sides by water and the fourth side by the Canadian border.

Like the Northwest Angle, you can get to the rest of Washington state via Canada.

U.S. border patrol annoys Canadians by land and by sea

The recent documentary Lobster War focuses on the Gray Zone, 277 square miles of sea off the coast of Maine and New Brunswick.

You might recall this was the area where U.S. border patrol was harassing Canadian seafood harvesters in disputed waters back in July.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian society coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. society coverage

The world is filled with places distinguished by unique geography on the border of countries. Pheasant Island (Ile des Faisans in French; Isla de los Faisanes in Spanish) is shared by France and Spain every 6 months. Gibraltar, owned by the United Kingdom, and Spain had an unique relationship.

The Northwest Angle and Point Roberts wouldn't be as isolated if the United States and Canada had a Schengen relationship like we currently see in the European Union. The likelihood of flipping either place is as slim as getting a borderless system between Canada and the United States but we continue to dream.

maps credit: Google

A trip to Winnipeg and Churchill if The Price Is Right

Lee Norton of Rollingsford, New Hampshire came on down on The Price Is Right, was fortunate to make it to the Showcase Showdown, turned down a trip to Morocco, and won a winter trip to Winnipeg and Churchill in Manitoba.

The trip involved a 6-night stay at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg with a 1-night stay in Churchill. The trip is geared toward winter to take advantage of seeing the polar bears in Churchill. Even though the train is up and running from Winnipeg to Churchill, the prize involved a round-trip flight from Winnipeg to Churchill.

A 1-night stay seems really short but as long as you get to see the polar bears, all might be good. My impression of Churchill is based off the scenery in the reissue of Picture of Light (1994) that I saw at the 2017 Windsor International Film Festival. There isn't a lot to do in Churchill but a 1-night stay doesn't offer an error margin in case the weather turns.

I've been to Winnipeg in the summer and could fill 6 days and nights with ease. Winter might offer a few challenges: a Winnipeg Jets game would help. The Fort Garry Hotel is within walking distance to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights and The Forks and not far from Saint Boniface across the Red River.

After seeing Winnipeg on TV, you should go see for yourself

Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic

The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg

Saskatoon berries a great reason to visit the Prairies

CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines

Finding my own personal Winnipeg

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Unfortunately for Norton and Manitoba tourism, Norton turned down the trip because he said he couldn't afford to pay the taxes on the prize. In his case, the price was not right. Norton could have spoken to the Americans who came up to Winnipeg for the 2015 Women's World Cup soccer tournament.

A dream trip for 2 to Winnipeg!!!
😬

pic.twitter.com/lLVzoQ2u8J

— Joanne Wilder (@joannewilder) December 12, 2018

The cold Canada winters change the perspective of what to do in Canada. The awareness of the exposure on the CBS television game show helps to portray an image of a Canadian winter odyssey, even to Manitoba.

The Price Is Right airs on CBS in the United States and Citytv in Canada.

photo credit: Fremantle Media via Global News
map credit: Google
Twitter capture: @joannewilder

Greyhound Canada to abandon western Canadian provinces

An Alberta sunset taken from a Greyhound Canada bus.

I've been to all 10 Canadian provinces, traveling on Greyhound Canada in 4 provinces. Greyhound Canada hasn't been a recent option in the Maritimes or Newfoundland and Labrador.

As of November 1, those travel opportunities of traveling Greyhound Canada in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta will be just memories. Greyhound Canada is also bailing out of British Columbia (the Vancouver-Seattle runs are controlled by Greyhound U.S.) as well as the Trans-Canada route between Winnipeg and Sudbury, Ontario will also disappear, so there will be no Greyhound Canada buses west of Sudbury.

I rode Greyhound from Calgary to Edmonton and back in my 2012 Alberta trip. The only other option was a car that I wouldn't have needed in either city. I got to watch an Alberta sunset where you could see the sun go all the way to the horizon.

I rode a Greyhound overnight bus from Winnipeg to Regina in 2016. The driving alternative would have been problematic for lots of reasons. A plane would have been expensive and I didn't need a car in Regina.

Via Rail is not an option for these and many other routes affected by the cuts. Driving and hitchhiking aren't great for a lot of people but may be the only options remaining.

Saskatoon berries a great reason to visit the Prairies

Going to Alberta? Some cool tips for your journey

Greyhound Canada cancelled the Prince George-Prince Rupert route in British Columbia June 1. That cut reflected the issues with hitchhiking with the history of indigenous girls and women on the Highway of Tears that runs down Highway 16 between the cities.

The best viable solution would be a regional bus system such as Maritime Bus out in the Maritimes. I rode from Moncton to Fredericton to Saint John as well as going to and from Charlottetown. The buses were a lot smaller, not as fancy as Greyhound. There were quite a few packages being delivered as well as people.

The Maritime Bus coverage area is relatively compact compared to the long distances in the Prairie provinces.

The Saskatchewan Transportation Company folded in 2017, but we have seen alternative such as Rider Express take over significant routes.

Calgary-Edmonton and Winnipeg-Regina are likely to be covered by smaller companies with smaller buses. The smaller towns and smaller routes are a bigger concern. There is the tourist angle, but there are many people who simply can't drive 800-1000 km across the vastness of western Canada.

Greyhound Canada cited a 41% ridership decline since 2010. The company also noted bus runs of single-digit ridership at times, which was directly contradicted by numerous examples of buses from half full to almost full.

The company said 415 jobs would be lost with an impact to 2 million consumers.

How Rob Ford spent (part of) my summer vacation

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

We like encouraging Canadians and other people to explore Canada. Cars do have their advantages but not everyone can afford to travel that way. The fact that I could access the bus allowed me to spend more time in Winnipeg before going to Regina. The bus allowed me to mock Rob Ford online for following me on my Alberta adventure.

"I would assume that Ford had more appropriate transportation between Edmonton and Calgary. I took the 8 a.m. Greyhound Express. Extra legroom, electrical outlets, and free wi-fi all included. The scenery is flat between the two cities and you do get to stop over in Red Deer as a bonus."

I wrote that in 2012. Being on the bus allowed me to see the amazing scenery, make notes, and reflect in the middle of an amazing journey. Driving isn't the same. Hitchhiking would have been worse.

Hopefully, smaller transportation companies will rise to the occasion to help out western Canadians in ways that Greyhound was too big and slow to make necessary changes.

photos credit: me; CTV

After seeing Winnipeg on TV, you should go see for yourself

Winnipeg isn't one of the big 3 in Canada (Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver). Winnipeg is often too cold and occasionally too hot. The tourism activities aren't as obvious. But Winnipeg can be a fun travel destination.

The city of Winnipeg and its people got a lot of notice and publicity from the exciting hockey run this spring for the Winnipeg Jets. The Winnipeg Whiteout inside Bell MTS Place and the even larger crowd outside the arena looked great on television. NBC even carried 2 games in Winnipeg, a first for the Jets in recent memory.

Winnipeg has been on display in recent times from the 2015 Women's World Cup to the 2016 Heritage Classic to the 2015 Grey Cup. The Forks area is really nice. The Canadian Museum of Human Rights was a meaningful stop. St. Boniface has a French twist to the Prairies. Watch a CFL game where the fans are passionate.

So to honour the recent success of Winnipeg in the spotlight, we have a few articles from the archives spotlighting an interesting place that is Winnipeg. And save some room for Saskatoon berry pie.

Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic

The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg

Saskatoon berries a great reason to visit the Prairies

CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines

Finding my own personal Winnipeg

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

We have all different kinds of options for ways to escape to Canada.

Learning more about Guy Maddin and his Winnipeg

Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire reunite for lone NBCSN trip to Winnipeg

2015 Women's World Cup notebook: Canada on the world stage

video credit: NBC Sports
photo credit: me

Karen Kuldys just missed out on $1 million but gets prizes from CFL and sponsors

Just before Rod Smith sends the audience to the site of the game, Smith reads off a potential winner in the Safeway and Sobeys' Touchdown To Win contest. If a kickoff is run back for a touchdown, the contestant wins a Visions $25,000 home theatre package. If a second kickoff is run back, the contestant could win $1 million.

Imagine you are Karen Kuldys of Winnipeg. Winnipeg's Ryan Lankford runs back the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Your team is winning and you win the theatre package. In the second quarter, Toronto's Martese Jackson is running down the field. You're waiting for Chris Cuthbert to mention any flags on the play. Jackson scores. You are set to possibly win $1 million.

But wait. There is a late flag. Toronto Argos receiver Llevi Noel makes contact with the back of Winnipeg's Mike Miller. Miller falls down. The flag goes up.

The penalty didn't affect the play. If this were the NHL, both players would serve 2 minutes. The referee saw the hand on the back, and the other player fell. The call had to be made, even if it potentially cost Kuldys $1 million.

At halftime, Milt Stegall kept repeating "What About Karen?" that inspired a Twitter hashtag #WhatAboutKaren, 

So Karen Kuldys didn't win $1 million, but the parties did help her out:

• CFL — Kuldys and her family will attend this year’s 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa as VIP guests.
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers — Season tickets for the rest of this season and 2018.
• Safeway/Sobey's — Free groceries for one year at any Safeway or Sobeys.
• Air Miles — (through which Kuldys entered in the contest) 500,000 free miles.

New CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie was at the game Thursday night. "I know Karen's a Blue Bomber fan and her son plays football, so we spoke with Wade Miller, the President and CEO of the Bombers, this morning. He immediately pledged to provide Karen with Bombers season's tickets for the rest of this season and next season as well. We all know these things can't compare to a million dollars but we wanted to do something to let her and her family know that we all wished she could have won last night."

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

As Kuldys told Andrew Nichols on CBC News Network, she was appreciative of the other prizes "but it's still not a million dollars."

Not a million dollars, but the CFL and its sponsors did rise to the occasion to do their best. Kuldys also gets the $25,000 home theatre system. Those air miles are worth $50,000. Their generosity felt instinctual, yes, even Canadian.

Canada skill-testing questions are quaint, but not very skillful

Canada has different rules about contests. You have to answer a skills question to win a prize in Canada. The questions aren't usually hard. Prizes are not automatic. The other fine print is that the $1 million is paid out over 20 years at $50,000/year. That could go a long way in Winnipeg.

This has to do with the Canadian Competition Act, Canada's anti-gambling law. Good to know that the CFL contest is available to those in Quebec. Often, contests are void in La Belle Province due to strict and minute rules for contests.

Since others are eager to help out Kuldys, we suggest Kuldys could cut an updated video with the Barenaked Ladies with their hit If I Had a Million Dollars.

The Canadian band sings about dijon ketchup to put on Kraft Dinner. Kuldys mentioned to Nichols on CBC News Network that she would have given her daughter more maternity leave from her job. Maybe she could mention a Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup win since the franchise hasn't won the Cup since 1990.

The last line wouldn't need to change, "If I had a million dollars, I'd be rich."

photo credit: CBC News Network
video credit: YouTube/dicka101

Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic

The 2016 Heritage Classic was delayed by about 90 minutes and the home team couldn't generate a goal. But Winnipeg was the real winner in the 2016 Heritage Classic.

The Edmonton Oilers posted the 3-0 shutout, scoring all 3 goals in the 2nd period. The road team is now 14-4-1 in NHL outdoor games. No goals from Connor McDavid and Patrik Laine. No incredible Winnipeg Jets 2016 comeback.

The effort to showcase Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jets and the team history was a resounding success.

The intense rivalry between these franchises in the 1970s and 1980s was news to a lot of people who didn't know much about hockey in Winnipeg. The perception of a lack of playoff success was explained that the Jets ran into the buzzsaw that was the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. The Jets of the 1970s did enjoy huge success in the WHA.

The Heritage Classic gave us a chance to learn more about the tradition of hockey in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Jets dominated the WHA: in the 7 seasons of the league, the Jets won 3 Avco Cups and lost 2 other final rounds. The Jets won the Avco Cup in 1976, 1978, and 1979. Winnipeg lost to the New England Whalers in 1973 and Quebec Nordiques in 1977.

The Jets teams of the 1980s were rather successful but lost out to the Edmonton Oilers in the Smythe Division playoffs. The team clashed in the playoffs 6 times between 1983-1990. Edmonton won all 6 series ad 5 of those times the Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup. What is even more remarkable is that Winnipeg only won 4 playoff games in those 6 series. 3 of those wins came in 1990 when Winnipeg went up 3-1 on a winning goal in double OT in Game 4.

The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg

CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines

Finding my own personal Winnipeg

The 90-minute delay didn't seem that bad. There were plenty of ways to fill the time. A rerun of After Hours with Wayne Gretzky and Dale Hawerchuk. The interview with Scott Oake wasn't truly live like the traditional After Hours but was a rich interview.

Strumbellas, Sum 41, Tom Cochrane. The music enriched the experience for the fans in person and on TV. Music and hockey go well together, especially in the Canadian versions of NHL outdoor games.

The alumni game was almost as big a draw as the regular game. The players took the event pretty seriously.

Teemu Selanne had a pair of goals, including the game winner on a penalty shot with 3.6 ticks left, to give the Jets alumni the 6-5 win. Though Selanne is associated with Anaheim in the states, the Finnish star got his start in Winnipeg, setting a record of 76 goals in his rookie season in Winnipeg.

A lot of the players involved for both teams were part of that intense rivalry. There were even some players who played for both teams. This was illustrated during the alumni game when Willy Lindstrom played the first 2 periods for Edmonton and then was "traded" to the Winnipeg squad for the 3rd period. Lindstrom was traded from Winnipeg to Edmonton in March 1983 for Laurie Boschman.

The game also featured the top colour analysts in Canada and the United States. Craig Simpson played for the Oilers while Ed Olczyk played for the Jets. Jim Hughson and Kelly Hrudey even got Olczyk to call a penalty shot on the Rogers Sportsnet telecast.

Scott Oake is from Winnipeg. For a lot of years at the CBC, Oake covered a lot of events outside his native city. The 15-year cavern between the Jets 1.0 and Jets 2.0 made a huge difference. True, there might have been some Winnipeg Blue Bombers games in the CFL on CBC, but the Blue Bombers haven't won a Grey Cup since 1990.

Oake was the on-ice host both days and even got to host an After Hours from Winnipeg. He even hosted the look back at great Winnipeg Jets moments in the second intermission of the Heritage Classic.

Oake got to do all of this and didn't even have to sleep in a hotel room.

NBC has a habit of making things a bit hokie in its coverage, but some of that hokie approach would have been helpful. We got very few shots of the crowd, no vantage point of where the sightlines from the seats, no shots of tailgating fans.

The Rogers Sportsnet telecast was thorough on elements on and around the ice and virtually silent about the crowd.

Winnipeg and weather delays hasn't been just alliteration in 2016. The Heritage Classic delay was due to sunshine but Investors Group Field has seen some weather troubles this year. The Blue Bombers season opener against the Montréal Alouettes on June 24 was delayed by an hour due to lightning. The most extreme case was August 3 against Hamilton where the start time of the game was pushed to past 10 pm Central time. The threat of lightning, even as the rain hadn't fallen yet, made for intriguing TV.

The Blue Bombers also suffered through a weather delay of 30 minutes in Edmonton on July 28. The oddity was that all 3 games were on U.S. television. Weather in the Canadian prairies can be challenging, especially in the summertime.

photos credit: NHL/Rogers Sportsnet

The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg

A lone NBCSN telecast in the first year back in the NHL. A handful of games each year on the NHL Network. 4 playoff games 2 years ago, 2 of them in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Jets haven't made much of an impression south of the U.S. border since the Manitoba capital got the NHL back. The 2016 Heritage Classic on Sunday between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets will give Winnipeg and the Jets some much needed publicity.

The Heritage Classic weekend includes an alumni game on Saturday at 4 pm Eastern/3 pm in Winnipeg and the featured game on Sunday at 3 pm Eastern/2 pm in Winnipeg.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 has the alumni game while Rogers Sportsnet has the main game: both events are simulcast on the NHL Network in the United States.

A hockey-themed, family-friendly fan festival will happen before each game. Bands will spotlight the festival: Winnipeg cover band Almost Famous on Saturday and Sum 41 on Sunday.

For the alumni contest, Canadian music legend Tom Cochrane will warm up the crowd. Original Winnipeg Jets anthem singer Jennifer Hanson will perform the anthem.

Brett Kissel and Doc Walker will handle O Canada for the main event. The Strumbellas will perform during the first intermission. Winnipeg Jets hockey will be the focus for the second intermission.

CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines

2015 Stanley Cup playoffs notebook: Ottawa stays alive; Winnipeg done

Finding my own personal Winnipeg

NHL notebook: Leafs out of gas; Jets looked great on NBCSN

Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire reunite for lone NBCSN trip to Winnipeg

The games will be at Investors Group Field, the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The stadium is more famous in the U.S. for the 2015 Women's World Cup when the U.S. team played in that stadium.

I made my first trip to Winnipeg this summer, including a Blue Bombers game. The sightlines are really good in the stadium. The sound dynamic allows for a loud crowd, something the Winnipeg Jets are known for having indoors.

Hopefully, Rogers Sportsnet will get some really good camera angles into the coverage.

Any shot of the Winnipeg skyline will be a few kilometres away as the stadium is well south of downtown. In an overhead shot, the area outside the stadium is the University of Manitoba campus.

There are a huge variety of eating options at the stadium. The fresh vegetables may not what was available in July. You can find perogies, butter chicken and naan, as well as shawarmas. Bring your appetite.

If you are going to the game and don't want to drive to the stadium, you can find transit information here. I had good success with the #160 bus but there are several good options.

Winnipeg was supposed to get the Heritage Classic last season but the NHL forced a early December date shortly after the 2015 Grey Cup. The league knew that wasn't going to work but pushed for the date anyway. After all that grief, the NHL scheduled the Heritage Classic for late October. The forecast is for 8°C/47°F with a low of 2°C/36°F. The temperature hasn't gone below freezing lately. Not a very cold Heritage Classic in a city that can get really cold.

At least the forecast doesn't call for rain.

February would not have worked but December, after the Grey Cup, would have given the audience a winter wonderland. Now we'll wonder why they didn't wait until winter.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers last played at Investors Group Field on October 8, so the crew has had plenty of time to get the stadium ready for the Heritage Classic. The Blue Bombers will have the week off this week so they could come out to support the Jets in person.

The Blue Bombers will play at home on October 29 against Ottawa.

The NHL received a load of grief for requiring a couple to pay $400 for a seat at the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg for an infant who is being breastfeed. The 6-month-old child can't sit up in the seat, but the NHL says the ticket is required for safety reasons. 

Common sense says a small child that literally can't sit in the seat in question shouldn't have the parents be required to pay for an empty seat. But when hundreds of dollars are at stake, common sense is overruled.

A Vancouver Canucks family had the same issue with the 2014 Heritage Classic. This policy isn't in place in regular games that are indoors, just for the outdoor games at inflated prices. 

logo credit: NHL/Winnipeg Jets; 
photos credit: me

Saskatoon berries a great reason to visit the Prairies

The visits to Manitoba and Saskatchewan were more about football and provincial legislatures, but the legacy of the trip definitely involved Saskatoon berries.

By themselves, the Saskatoon doesn't have much flavor. Inside a pie or a shortbread cookie, they were the taste of the Prairies.

They were all around farmers markets, alone and in delicious baked goods.

This beautiful pie came from the Regina Farmers Market in Victoria Park. Tasting even better than the looking, the pie was simple and magical all at once.

For more of this eating adventure in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, click here to read our story in BalanceofFood.com.

photos credit: me