Winnipeg: A Tale of Two Cities

No matter what the weather, you will find me exploring my hometown of Winnipeg on foot. A lifelong resident of this Canadian prairie metropolis, I prefer to uncover new perspectives during my daily walks from my downtown home. My latest fixation is the dramatic Esplanade Riel, a new pedestrian bridge spanning the Red River just north of its confluence with the Assiniboine River.

Named after Louis Riel, the leader of the Métis (people of mixed aboriginal and French-Canadian ancestry) who headed the provisional government that negotiated Manitoba’s beginnings as a province, this striking bridge has managed to redefine Winnipeg’s heretofore ordinary skyline. It’s lit in spectacular fashion every night and at sunset is a sight to behold.

On Esplanade Riel, you will experience a heady case of juxtaposition. As the muddy waters of the Red River flow north beneath the bridge, you overlook St. Boniface Cathedral, Union Station, the chateau-style Hotel Fort Garry, and the city’s other historic attractions. But the cantilevered bridge with all its sharp angles formed by cables and concrete practically shouts modernism. Designed by acclaimed Métis architect Étienne Gaboury, Esplanade Riel also features an aeronautical spire that juts into the sky.

I’m not entirely sure why, but every time I traverse the Esplanade Riel, my mind wanders to Charles Bridge, an ancient gothic structure spanning the Vltava River that connects the heart of Prague. It could be because both bridges were created solely for pedestrians and feature spacious plazas to take in scenic river and city views. Or perhaps it’s the art.

The Charles’s baroque statues are one of Prague’s major attractions. In Winnipeg, architect Gaboury has crafted a visionary black granite mural that weaves along the side of the Esplanade Riel. A fusion of aboriginal, French, and Métis elements—with historical iconography depicting the explorers, voyageurs, fur traders, and missionaries who toiled in the area—it’s an extraordinary piece of public art.

Since the Esplanade Riel opened last year, it has become more than a bridge. It’s a linkage that encourages those afoot to delve deeper into both the city’s French culture on the eastern banks of the Red River and English culture to the west—all within a twenty-minute stroll.

After crossing to the east bank, you say “Bonjour” to the city’s historic French Quarter in the heart of St. Boniface, North America’s largest French-speaking community outside Quebec. A stone’s throw from Esplanade Riel is St. Boniface Cathedral, the fifth reincarnation of the original, said to be the oldest in Western Canada. Apropos, the cathedral’s cemetery includes the grave of Louis Riel. In Riel’s Footsteps, an inimitable theater production staged outdoors in the midst of the cemetery, is a terrific way to learn more about Riel and his time. This summer, the troupe also takes over the cemetery at night with La Chasse de la Galerie, a new bilingual production about legends associated with the graves’ inhabitants.

St. Boniface Cathedral was last ravaged by fire in 1968 and the new building, also designed by Étienne Gaboury, embraces the towering ruined limestone walls (and sacristy) of the 1908 French Romanesque structure. But you have to venture into the cedar-paneled interior to see the pinnacle of Gaboury’s handiwork. The narthex is highlighted by an astounding series of avant-garde stained glass panels featuring The Last Supper; in the main room, floor-to-ceiling windows depict the Stations of the Cross. Gaboury employs a limited color palette of gray, white, and purple, with occasional pops of primary red, green, and blue. The effect is distinctive. No matter how many times I visit, I am awed by the windows. They make me wonder how Gaboury could so radically generate such imaginative masterpieces out of windows and outdoor murals. He is the epitome of the Renaissance man.