A Tale of Two Cities
Having now spent a few months in Halifax, one can’t help but notice the contrasts between Winnipeg and my new home. Some of my initial impressions are as follows:
1) Halifax has a stronger cultural identity. The Maritimes have a greater sense of history and embrace a common culture. Even my East Indian friends out here know and play East Coast ditties. Winnipeggers seem quicker to embrace their multicultural background at the expense of embracing the fact they are all Manitobans. Maybe that’s why Spirited Energy was the best the NDP could do – is there anything that uniformly defines being a Winnipegger or Manitoban?
2) Which city was supposed to be the transport hub? Winnipeg’s only roadway that could be considered a freeway (albeit with red lights at numerous locations) is the 101 Perimeter Highway. Halifax has many more – 102, 103, 107, 118 to name just a few. With a fraction of Winnipeg’s population, how is it that Halifax can outmuscle the ‘Peg when it comes to the efficient movement of people and goods?
3) And Justice for All – a Nova Scotia judge recently sentenced some teenage girls for LONGER than recommended by the defence AND the prosecution. Contrast that with the constant attempts to encourage judges to make anything but laughable sentences in Manitoba.
4) Haligonians love their home town. We have met so many people that are happy to be here and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I personally know individuals that left higher paying jobs in Toronto so they could live in Nova Scotia. Winnipeggers seem to make a sport of dumping on their home city.
I love my home town and it has presented me with boundless opportunity. That’s why it pains me to see it slowly and steadfastly slip into decline. Did the NDP really do anything to actually merit the overwhelming show of support that voters gave them? Or are Manitobans like frogs in a slowly boiling pot of water not realizing that the more they tolerate petty and serious crime, infrastructure deficiencies, debacles such as Crocus, the Floodway and now the Bipole 3 issue (not to mention other such problems), the more they move away from making Manitoba the beautiful and great province it once was and still deserves to be?
Nova Scotia has never elected an NDP government to power and it shows. The Schreyer, Pawley and now Doer dynasties have had an indelible effect on Manitoba – if the differences between Manitoba and Nova Scotia are any indication, this wasn’t necessarily for the better.
posted by Unapologetic Ex-Winnipegger @ 4:58 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Good post.
I would say the French Canadian part of our community has a fairly strong sense of identity (or maybe I'm just in the Festival du Voyageur spirit). As a city/province though, you're right ... we don't have much of an over-riding cultural identity.
One thing I will say about the transportation issue: I love driving in Nova Scotia, but I hate driving in Halifax. I am sure if I knew the city better it wouldn't be so bad, but holy smokes it's hard to get around if your a visitor.
Don't get me started on crime and Crocus and bipole3...
Nova Scotia's road signage is worse than Manitoba's - my wife and I have missed countless turns and turned too early because where the signs direct you and where the actuals turns are seem to be two different places.
Great point - Les Franco-Manitobains are indeed the most "plugged into" Winnipeg's past.
Interesting comparisons. Did you post any observations where Winnipeg beats Halifax?
This is my first critical look at the differences - I hope to make this an ongoing analysis. Cherenkov's right about trying to get around - while the roads are way better, the signage makes it difficult for someone from "away" to navigate the streets.
Surely Winnipeg's "Metro Route" street numbering system takes the cake as the most baffling wayfinding invention in the entire universe. It is a bit better now that they sometimes allow the actual street name to sit on the sign with the number (à la "42 Pembina Hwy" or "85 Portage Av"). But it is still confusing for come-from-aways who are trying to find streets by the names that the helpful Winnipeggers have supplied them with, without ever having mentioned these weird numbers.
I wonder how many Winnipeggers could match more than two or three route numbers to the street(s) they designate, under controlled conditions.
Anyway, welcome to the world of unapologetic ex-Winnipeggerhood. Perhaps Haligonians will be more generous to you than I've found Torontonians to be.
Thanks. Toronto was a bit of an adjustment for me too, although it was fun at the time - hope things change for the better for you!
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