Completely random brain droppings about Winnipeg

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by zoomer

Bob Odenkirk summed up Winnipeg very elequently - what a classy man.

I concur. Manitobans in general are nice, friendly folks.

[Wigs]

You should be able to find good restaurants on Corydon Ave, James Bond. It was the Little Italy at one time but now is more diverse in its offerings.

There's even a Georgian (Caucasus region) restaurant that's highly rated
https://www.google.com/search?q=rest...r&vssid=dcptpi

[Docere]

Winnipeg population, 1881-1931:

1881 7,995
1891 26,529
1901 42,540
1911 136,035
1921 179,097
1931 218,785

[JManc]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

The effect of the sun being lower in the sky is that you get hot much quicker as the sun is shining on your whole body instead of just your head. I saw something that the actual body feel of the temperature can be like 15-20 degrees warmer at higher latitudes.

I noticed that. I was walking around downtown and had to take sweatshirt off because I was getting hot even though it was about 65-70 degrees.

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

It's 7:18 as I type this, and it's looked like "sunset" for about the last 5 hours

Yes it "looks" like a winter sky even though it's summer. That was my take. I've only been in AK in the winter and mid spring so that was a first for me.

Originally Posted by Wigs

JManc, how many times have you been to Alaska now? I've wanted to visit Anchorage since I was a kid. I think I saw a photo in an encyclopedia. Remember pre Wikipedia days? Microsoft Encarta seemed like a big deal transitioning away from heavy paper encyclopedias

I've been there about 6 or 7 times probably again this fall. My wife has to go for work 4-5x a year and I've been tagging along since I was laid off from my job. Anchorage itself is rather meh as a city but it's surrounded by absolute breathtaking natural scenery.

[James Bond Agent 007]

I just got back from Whiteshell Provincial Park.

All I can say is, there is no damn bloody reason anybody needs to move to Calgary or Vancouver if they want to live near somewhere where they can go hiking or rock climbing or camping or kayaking or boating or whatever. An hour-and-a-half east from Winnipeg on the Trans-Canada Highway and you're at Falcon Lake, which is the gateway to just about everything an outdoor enthusiast could want, short of downhill skiing. And it's gorgeous there, to boot. It even gets hilly by the time you get there and there are rock faces you can climb. I saw one rock face which looked to be about 100 feet tall.

It's pretty much paradise there.

[Wpg_Guy]

EQ3 is a Winnipeg based furniture company their new flagship is the store you visited at Polo Park, there are 14 locations across North America. Their parent company is Palliser Furniture, a family-owned furniture manufacturer based in Winnipeg.

[Docere]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

I just got back from Whiteshell Provincial Park.

All I can say is, there is no damn bloody reason anybody needs to move to Calgary or Vancouver if they want to live near somewhere where they can go hiking or rock climbing or camping or kayaking or boating or whatever. An hour-and-a-half east from Winnipeg on the Trans-Canada Highway and you're at Falcon Lake, which is the gateway to just about everything an outdoor enthusiast could want, short of downhill skiing. And it's gorgeous there, to boot. It even gets hilly by the time you get there and there are rock faces you can climb. I saw one rock face which looked to be about 100 feet tall.

It's pretty much paradise there.

Winnipeg is pretty much at the eastern edge of the Great Plains, and very close to lakes and shield country.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

EQ3 is a Winnipeg based furniture company their new flagship is the store you visited at Polo Park, there are 14 locations across North America. Their parent company is Palliser Furniture, a family-owned furniture manufacturer based in Winnipeg.

Thanks! Interesting. If I ever move to Canada I'll try to buy something from them!

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Did you cross over the river to Osborne Village and Corydon Ave. as well? If not, you definitely should when you get a chance. Osborne is, I believe, the densest neighbourhood on the Prairies (unless Calgary's Beltline has since eclipsed it), and seems like one of Winnipeg's more vibrant parts.

No, I didn't get a chance to go there.

My plane leaves tomorrow at 2, so I'll have a little time to do something before I leave. Maybe I'll pass through there.

EDIT: Looking at Google maps I think I'll drive the entirety of Wellington Crescent. Looks like a nice little drive.

[Kresimir]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

25. There are power transmission lines everywhere. Big, huge ones. Everywhere. Did I say everywhere? Well, everywhere! I've never seen so many power transmission lines for such a relatively small population. Do they ship power to Ontario as well, or something?

Manitoba Hydro, the government owned utility here, makes about 4 billion in electrical exports every year, primary to the Midwest states.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Kresimir

Manitoba Hydro, the government owned utility here, makes about 4 billion in electrical exports every year, primary to the Midwest states.

Manitoba Hydro’s electricity exports have never reached $4 billion annually. The highest recent export revenue was $872 million in the 2023–24 fiscal year. From 2010–19, exports averaged $390 million per year, totaling $3.9 billion over the decade, far below $4 billion in any single year. Even with favorable conditions in 2022–23, no evidence suggests exports hit $4 billion.

[Kresimir]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Manitoba Hydro’s electricity exports have never reached $4 billion annually. The highest recent export revenue was $872 million in the 2023–24 fiscal year. From 2010–19, exports averaged $390 million per year, totaling $3.9 billion over the decade, far below $4 billion in any single year. Even with favorable conditions in 2022–23, no evidence suggests exports hit $4 billion.

Whoops Manitoba Hydro's website claims 3.9bn and i misread thinking that was yearly.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Kresimir

Whoops Manitoba Hydro's website claims 3.9bn and i misread thinking that was yearly.

That would a huge windfall for Hydro, 3.9B annually in exports would be miraculous considering the average yearly fiscal revenue for MB Hydro over the last five years is approximately $2.63 billion.

There is already a lot of concern over powering the future, last year Hydro informed Winnipeg City Council that if every vehicle in Manitoba today were electric Hydro would not have the generating capacity to supply that demand. They have also explicitly warned that they lack the excess power to service even a single new energy-intensive industrial customer, such as those involved in hydrogen production, electric vehicle battery manufacturing, or industries transitioning from fossil fuels to electricity.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

That would a huge windfall for Hydro, 3.9B annually in exports would be miraculous considering the average yearly fiscal revenue for MB Hydro over the last five years is approximately $2.63 billion.

There is already a lot of concern over powering the future, last year Hydro informed Winnipeg City Council that if every vehicle in Manitoba today were electric Hydro would not have the generating capacity to supply that demand. They have also explicitly warned that they lack the excess power to service even a single new energy-intensive industrial customer, such as those involved in hydrogen production, electric vehicle battery manufacturing, or industries transitioning from fossil fuels to electricity.

Sounds to me like they should start building large solar farms. Southwest Manitoba would be best.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

There is already a lot of concern over powering the future, last year Hydro informed Winnipeg City Council that if every vehicle in Manitoba today were electric Hydro would not have the generating capacity to supply that demand.

I love how every new "thing" is always approached with "if every living soul did this brand new thing immediately, the system would collapse!". EV adoption will follow the same curve most other electric tech has followed: TVs, computers, the 900 portable devices every household has these days - they all took decades to go from zero to ubiquitous. Somehow the electric grid managed.

In practical numbers: My household sits around 2000 kWh/month right now, on average. Our EV is not particularly efficient at 16 kWh/100km. Even if we drove it 20,000km annually - which is a common lease value but a lot of people drive much less than that - we're talking 270kWh per month extra. I doubt many households are driving more than 30,000 in total every year, I've seen stats more like half that on average, but sure, let's go with that - 30,000 km = 400 kWh would add 20% to my use. With a not-so-efficient EV.

Could the grid handle 20% more load? Probably not, if we magically converted every single car tomorrow. Could it handle it over the 20+ years it's actually going to take? I'd sure hope so. I hope the province itself grows more than 20% in the next 20 years, without taking down our grid!

There's also the little things: my lighting usage is literally 1/10th of what they used to be, thanks to LEDs, that offset a LOT. A single 60W incandescent being run 8 hours a day consumes like 14 kWh per month. A SINGLE BULB.

Replacing 20 incandescents in my house made up for the EV in the garage. And I have a lot more than 20 bulbs.

[chris08876]

^^^

Damn and here I was thinking I used a lot.

The extra hot summer with the AC on probally spikes it. I keep it at 75 F and its comfortable.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by chris08876

^^^
Damn and here I was thinking I used a lot.

4 kids plus all their devices and likely more house than we strictly need. Electric hot water tank, too, which doesn't help. Oh, and the EV is included in the 2000 (but it's realistically only about 150 of it given our driving).

I think Manitobans average somewhere around 1000 (we don't have a lot of electric heat here). But they also drive about half as much as I put in my estimate. So yeah - 20% is still a reasonable estimate for the average bump in electricity usage.

[Wigs]

James Bond, now that you've had some days to decompress and think about your trip, what are your final thoughts on Winnipeg?

I like detailed responses (that's supposed to be a nerd with huge glasses)

[Docere]

One notable thing about Winnipeg is the strong visibility of the Indigenous population. Winnipeg has the largest urban Indigenous population in Canada. The current premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, is First Nations.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by Wigs

James Bond, now that you've had some days to decompress and think about your trip, what are your final thoughts on Winnipeg?

I like detailed responses (that's supposed to be a nerd with huge glasses)

Not really anything different than what I observed when I was there. See numbered observations, and all those still stand.

I miss the cooler temps already, though. Now that I'm back in KC, my observations about the higher angle of the sun beating down on you here farther south seem more true than ever.