Winnipeg or Québec - 1 Million

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Wigs

For real. The name change was 38 years ago

That's just store branding though, the legal entity is still Brewers Retail Inc.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Good points. I also think that people in general are drinking less, and if they do drink are less likely to drink beer.

yeah, also I don't think Black Star lives in Ontario

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

Hate to be that person but how did a post about what city will reach a million first switch to a discussion about Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton. I’m pretty sure that’s what the stats Can thread is for lol.

Furthermore, it then became a thread about the differences between Costco’s in Ottawa and Gatineau and where to buy beer and gas. It would be nice if that was discussed in the Quebec thread rather than the endless discussion about separatism…

Anyways, just visited QC last week and damn I wish Winnipeg’s city centre was half as nice as Québec’s. I also gotta say it’s hard to believe that Winnipeg and QC have similar population densities. Québec seems way denser and more of a “city feel” outside of the core.. The only area that disappointed me were the blocks adjacent to Maguire. Although Maguire itself is quite a nice high street.

Also, although Quebec has a much more expansive freeway system then Winnipeg, I found the traffic on the freeways quit worse than I expected. It makes sense though because once I got onto the neighborhood arterials there’s much less traffic compared to Winnipeg’s stroads.

One thing I find is that Quebec (the province) has generally fewer stroads than provinces to the west* of it, and the stroads that we do have tend to not be as wide.

(*Atlantic Canada has fewer and narrower stroads as well.)

[urbandreamer]

Although Quebec has a bigger city feel and more high rise construction, the Super Cs are still staffed by locals (randomly I found myself at the one in Saint-Jean-Chrysostome) vs in Winnipeg where the Freshco etc was staffed by SA TFW and the desolate downtown was packed with them waiting for buses. So yeah, if the trend continues, Winnipeg hits 1 million before Christmas 2025.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

well, there's an expression that I have not heard for a long, long time.

Oh I remember these signs:



In Timmins, all three of our Beer Stores have the original orange signs from when the name was changed from Brewers Retail to The Beer Store and are the same shape as the one above.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

One thing I find is that Quebec (the province) has generally fewer stroads than provinces to the west* of it, and the stroads that we do have tend to not be as wide.

(*Atlantic Canada has fewer and narrower stroads as well.)

Yes there do seem to be more stroads in provinces other than Quebec and especially to the West but Quebec certainly does have stroads. I find that many the busier commercial roads in Quebec tend to be boulevards that are divided buy a wide curb or narrow or wide strip of grass. You don't see the centre turn lanes very often (5 lane roads) and when you do see them they are more likely to be on 3 lane roads like this for example: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XsERfUP3adTa9UtS8

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

Anyways, just visited QC last week and damn I wish Winnipeg’s city centre was half as nice as Québec’s. I also gotta say it’s hard to believe that Winnipeg and QC have similar population densities. Québec seems way denser and more of a “city feel” outside of the core.. The only area that disappointed me were the blocks adjacent to Maguire. Although Maguire itself is quite a nice high street.

Also, although Quebec has a much more expansive freeway system then Winnipeg, I found the traffic on the freeways quit worse than I expected. It makes sense though because once I got onto the neighborhood arterials there’s much less traffic compared to Winnipeg’s stroads.

I find Winnipeg's city centre to be quite nice, outside of Portage and Main (which does have potential). The Exchange District's well preserved urban form of the 1920s that has a bit of a mini Old Montreal feel, and the improvements around Union Station really elevate it. Portage around the MTS Centre is also pretty decent (wide road, but plenty of trees and a good variety of architecture).

Of course, Quebec City blows Winnipeg, and nearly every other city in Canada, out of the park. It also has a very urban feel for quite a while as your drive out. Even Boulevard Laurier (wide roadway aside) has a decent modern urban built form.

Winnipeg too I find has a larger urban footprint than most other Prairie City that seems to have a dense core before it drops pretty quickly to sfh. You don't have a huge cluster of towers, but instead a very spread out downtown.

Freeways were always a bad idea. Can't build yourself out of traffic with freeways.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I find Winnipeg's city centre to be quite nice, outside of Portage and Main (which does have potential). The Exchange District's well preserved urban form of the 1920s that has a bit of a mini Old Montreal feel, and the improvements around Union Station really elevate it. Portage around the MTS Centre is also pretty decent (wide road, but plenty of trees and a good variety of architecture).

Of course, Quebec City blows Winnipeg, and nearly every other city in Canada, out of the park. It also has a very urban feel for quite a while as your drive out. Even Boulevard Laurier (wide roadway aside) has a decent modern urban built form.

Winnipeg too I find has a larger urban footprint than most other Prairie City that seems to have a dense core before it drops pretty quickly to sfh. You don't have a huge cluster of towers, but instead a very spread out downtown.

Freeways were always a bad idea. Can't build yourself out of traffic with freeways.

I always thought I was alone in thinking Boulevard Laurier wasn't that bad for a suburban boulevard. Definitely more redeemable than most, which is what is starting to happen very slowly now.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I always thought I was alone in thinking Boulevard Laurier wasn't that bad for a suburban boulevard. Definitely more redeemable than most, which is what is starting to happen very slowly now.

For sure. Impressive densities. A few ground level retail and restaurants. Even remember seeing a grocery store in a mid-rise apartment block. It's not a typical stroad of exclusively big box stores and surface parking lots. Not the best urban environment, but pretty decent for a suburb.

The tram would have made it even better, but alas.

[harls]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Ottawa and Calgary keep switching places while Edmonton lags behind ever so slightly. As of the 2021 census, Ottawa's ahead of both. Who knows how it stands today.

They are all pretty close right now, and who knows how the next decade will go.

[harls]

I think that Winnipeg actually being 900K means they need a damn freeway.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by harls

I think that Winnipeg actually being 900K means they need a damn freeway.

My biggest gripe with Winnipeg is the traditional heart of downtown aka Portage & Main already feels like a surface level highway and is not just hostile to pedestrians but prohibitive to anyone not in a vehicle.
Also confusion corner is the worst
• Video Link


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It should be more like this, like Edmonton is adding, including the ice district (not shown) where traffic lanes are hella wide
• Video Link


Then again QC is progressive and getting light rail, and Winnipeggers apparently love their cars too much

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Then again QC is progressive and getting light rail, and Winnipeggers apparently love their cars too much

From what I've read, the QC tramway is no longer proceeding due to exorbitant costs. So no, they are not building light rail transit.

[ToxiK]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

From what I've read, the QC tramway is no longer proceeding due to exorbitant costs. So no, they are not building light rail transit.

The Caisse de dépôts, who just successfully build the REM, is looking at ways to make the tramway (or any other major system) happen. They might even be the ones to build it. So the tramway is not dead yet.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by Wigs

It should be more like this, like Edmonton is adding, including the ice district (not shown) where traffic lanes are hella wide
• Video Link


Then again QC is progressive and getting light rail, and Winnipeggers apparently love their cars too much

I’m not sure if you’ve been to QC but most of the streets in the city centre actually run using a scramble crossing method. It was also really interesting to see that there’s a countdown for how long pedestrians get to cross as soon as the light changes to red for cars. I love seeing the pedestrian crossings on Honoré-Mercier running for 60 seconds.

However, I think what really sets Québec apart from every city in Canada is not the freeways or scramble crossing, but the bike share system àVélo. Starting next May there will be 115 bike stations and 1,300 E-bikes plastered throughout the city. Imo it’s better than Toronto and Montreal’s bike share systems because you can use E-bikes for $30 a month. An unbelievable bargain and really wish Winnipeg had something remotely equivalent considering all the impressive strides Winnipeg has made with its bike network.

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by ToxiK

The Caisse de dépôts, who just successfully build the REM, is looking at ways to make the tramway (or any other major system) happen. They might even be the ones to build it. So the tramway is not dead yet.

I'm guessing it will be BRT at best, due to cost.

[ToxiK]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

I'm guessing it will be BRT at best, due to cost.

Not sure. BRT might be less costly to implement but it can cost more to operate. The Caisse looks at the best deal not only for construction but also for operations during the next decades.

[J.OT13]

I absolutely love Quebec City's traffic light systems where pedestrians have their own light. Takes a lot of stress out of walk and driving and makes everything much safer.

I don't believe Ottawa has any scrambles however, quite a few intersections Downtown (Rideau/Colonel By/Sussex in particular) could use them.

It's mind blowing that Winnipeg's Portage and Main is still closed to pedestrian. This is a pretty basic accessibility issue. A pedestrian scramble would work well there.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I don't believe Ottawa has any scrambles however, quite a few intersections Downtown (Rideau/Colonel By/Sussex in particular) could use them.

I might not have been paying close enough attention earlier this week when I was in Ottawa, because I wasn't thinking about it, but I thought there was an intersection right near Rideau Centre that had a pedestrian only signal. I didn't see people going diagonally like a scramble, but the cars had red in all directions and pedestrians were crossing both ways.

We used to have a scramble in downtown London but I'm sure it was taken out before I started driving. I know when I crossed when I was a kid, it felt like forever waiting for the walk signal. Most times, since traffic wasn't busy very often, people would just cross with the traffic instead of waiting for the pedestrian signal.

[Wigs]

I haven't been to QC since the late 90s. Glad to hear they have pedestrian scrambles

Originally Posted by J.OT13

It's mind blowing that Winnipeg's Portage and Main is still closed to pedestrian. This is a pretty basic accessibility issue. A pedestrian scramble would work well there.

The city literally made a deal with downtown developers so the underground tunnel shopping area could get built and everyone that wanted to cross this intersection had to go underground and walk by the shops. On -35 degree winter days it might be a welcome respite, but April-October seems ridiculous.

In the heart of the city you want cars to have to slow down and multimodal traffic to exist.
Not a pedestrian prohibitive dead zone. Vibrancy, retail shops, patio restaurants/bars should be here.

If I recall it was a 40 year deal from 1979-2019. 4 decade deals to the private sector