World Class Winnipeg

[Andy6]

In response to trueviking's shocking outburst in the stadium thread that (and I quote) "nothing in winnipeg is world class...nothing....the CMHR will be the only exception", I started to ponder whether he could possibly be right. Is anything in Winnipeg "world class"? Has anything ever been? Could anything become world class, maybe with addition of a fresh coat of stucco?

First, it is important to define one's terms . To be "world class", I think something has to be an instance or example of a culturally significant class of objects (not something trivial, ephemeral or of recent invention). It could be something natural but ideally it would be something man-made that represents the finest flowering of human cultural or economic aspirations. Secondly, it would need to be something that would impress anyone from anywhere in the world as an exceptional example of its kind of object, whether from a quantitative or a qualitative point of view (and preferably from both points of view simultaneously). Even if it is a purely utilitarian object it should create a sense of wonder in the observer. Any city anywhere would be augmented by the presence of this thing.

I would agree that the Canadian Human Rights Museum could potentially be such a world class thing, although it's by no means certain. But what else?

I can think of some near misses:
St. Boniface Basilica
Esplanade Riel
Exchange District (generally)

Maybe these could be "continental class" as opposed to "world class". Having experienced them a visitor from almost anywhere would remember them as exceptional things, and highlights of the visit, but not really with a sense of wonder.

Anyway, I can think of few possible world class Winnipeg things, but I'll leave it open for the suggestions of others. What do you think is "world class" (if anything) in Winnipeg (or Manitoba generally), and what do you think falls in the "near miss" category?