West End, Winnipeg

According to the 2021 census, the population of the West End was 35,075.^[3] The population was composed of 44.6% White, 24.9% Filipino, 17.8% Indigenous, 3.7% Black, and 9% from other visible minority groups.^[3]

Historically, the area was home to significant German, Scandinavian, and Icelandic communities.^[3]

Armstrong's Point is among Winnipeg's most affluent neighbourhoods, with a median household income of $89,887. In contrast, West Broadway, located directly north of Armstrong's Point, has a median household income of $25,877^{[citation needed]}.

Municipally, the West End falls within both the Daniel McIntyre and Fort Rouge–East Fort Garry city council wards, represented by Cindy Gilroy^[4] and Sherri Rollins, respectively.

Provincially, Manitoba's electoral boundaries were redrawn in 2019.^[5] The West End is now divided into four electoral districts, all represented by Manitoba NDP members: Wolseley (Lisa Naylor), St. James (Adrien Sala), Notre Dame (Malaya Marcelino), and Union Station (Uzoma Asagwara).^[6][7]

Federally, the West End is part of the Winnipeg Centre electoral district and is represented by Leah Gazan (NDP).^[8]

The development of the West End as a residential area occurred during two of Winnipeg's major growth periods: 1890–1895 and 1900–1912.^[9] Originally part of the Parish of St. James-Assiniboia, the area became part of the City of Winnipeg in 1882 when the city's boundary was extended to St. James Street from Maryland Street (formerly Boundary Road). The development of the area as a working- and middle-class residential neighbourhood began in the late 19th century and continued through the 1920s, by which time the area was fully developed. Due to its proximity to Downtown Winnipeg, the area grew quickly. Unlike Winnipeg's North End, the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway does not create a physical barrier between the West End and Downtown. Additionally, the area has access to the city's street railway system, with lines running along Portage Avenue, Sargent Avenue, Sherbrook Street, and Arlington Street. Many West End residents are employed in the industrial area adjacent to the railway spur between Wall and Erin Streets.

In the old City of Winnipeg, the West End was considered Ward Two. It was viewed as the "swing riding" between the affluent and conservative Ward One and the socialist Ward Three, which encompassed the North End and Elmwood.

Following World War II, parts of the West End began to decline as many families moved to the suburbs. Some housing units were converted into rooming houses and became dilapidated. By the 1970s, crime had become an issue in some areas of the West End.^{[citation needed]}

However, since the 1980s, the neighbourhood has experienced a revitalization efforts. Numerous urban beautification projects have taken place, and in 1987, the West End Cultural Centre was founded in an old church at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street.

Between 2000 and 2011, the average home price in the West End increased about 31% faster than Winnipeg's overall average. During this period, the average value of a home in the West End rose 12.4% year-over-year.^[10] In comparison, the value of an average home in the City of Winnipeg increased 9.5% year-over-year during the same time frame.^[11]

The West End includes the following neighbourhoods:

• Armstrong's Point
• Colony
• Daniel McIntyre
• Minto
• Sargent Park
• Spence
• St. Matthews
• West Broadway
• Wolseley

Colony takes its name from one of its main roads, Colony Street, which was named for Colony Creek. In the early days of Winnipeg, Colony Creek drained a section of the prairie from near what is now Notre Dame Avenue to the river.^[12]

Named after Daniel McIntyre, a public official and educator credited with developing Winnipeg's school system. It is bounded to the north by Notre Dame Avenue, east by Victor Street, to the south by Ellice Avenue, and to the west by Ingersoll Street.^[13]

Named for former Governor-General of Canada Gilbert John Elliott Murray, Fourth Earl of Minto (1845–1914).^[12][14]

The Spence neighbourhood derives its name from James Spence (1815–1900), a former cooper for the Hudson's Bay Company. Arriving at the Red River Colony in 1841, Spence bought land near the site of Fort Garry and was subsequently incorporated into the limits of the City of Winnipeg. The property included the section of the city north of Armstrong's Point and west of Colony Street.^[12]

The Spence neighbourhood has the following boundaries:^[15]

• To the north is Notre Dame Avenue, from Victor to Balmoral Street.
• To the west, the boundary runs along Victor Street from Notre Dame to Portage Avenue.
• The boundary extends eastward from Notre Dame to Ellice Avenue along Balmoral. On to Ellice, it continues west until Young Street, from where it goes south until Portage.
• To the south is Portage Avenue, from Victor and Young Street.

As its name suggests, West Broadway encompasses the western portion of Winnipeg's Broadway area, as well as the western edge of downtown Winnipeg overall.^[16][17]

As with Broadway in general, West Broadway is one of Winnipeg's oldest neighborhoods, with its original homes being built between 1890 and 1913.^[18][16][17] West Broadway was originally a largely middle-class neighborhood, located to the north of a small, wealthy enclave of Armstrong's Point. During the post-war years, however, the once mixed-income community was met with poverty, crime, and a deteriorating housing stock from the 1960s onward.^[16]

The area includes a Commemorative Plaza and Commemorative Mural on Valour Road, which honours World War I heroes Corporal Leo Clarke, Sergeant-Major Frederick William Hall, and Lieutenant Robert Shankland, who all grew up on the same city block of Valour Road (then known as Pine Street) and each received a Victoria Cross for bravery.^[19]

The Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex, named after local 6-time Olympic medalist Cindy Klassen, is a community fitness centre. It includes a swimming pool, water slide, sauna, weight room, fitness equipment, aerobic studio, indoor running track, outdoor skatepark, lawn bowling, sports fields, and a library, as well as a speed-skating oval in the winter.^[19]

The West End also includes more than 1,000 businesses and organizations in the area, including over 150 restaurants.^[20][21] Ellice Avenue, Sherbrook Street, and Sargent Avenue, east of Arlington, have a wide variety of ethnic restaurants and markets and are home to many Philippine, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Chinese, East Indian, Somali, Ethiopian, and Thai restaurants.^{[citation needed]} Polo Park, the city's largest mall, is also considered part of the West End.^[21] Since the 1990s, the commercial area in the Polo Park district has expanded rapidly by building of big-box retail outlets, restaurants, and a major hotel. It has now supplanted downtown Winnipeg as the city's main commercial area.^{[citation needed]}

Other attractions in the area include the University of Winnipeg, Vimy Ridge Memorial Park, Omand's Creek and Park, Westview Park, and the Sargent Park Recreation Complex, as well as many houses, apartment buildings, schools, and an armoury with significant architectural merit. In the summer months, Portage Avenue is the site of the "Sunday Night Cruise" by automobile enthusiasts, which, while delighting participants, has raised complaints from many West End residents due to the noise and frequent drag racing.^{[citation needed]}

West End Cultural Centre
General information
Location	586 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Coordinates	49°53′34″N 97°09′30″W / 49.8927821°N 97.1584511°W / 49.8927821; -97.1584511
Opened	January 10, 1909 (building) 1987 (WECC)
Renovated	2008
Cost	$15,000 CAD (1909)
Renovation cost	$4 million
Design and construction
Architect	Herbert E. Matthews
Main contractor	B. Pattinson and Thomas Eilbeck
Renovating team
Architect	Prairie Architects
References
[22]

The West End Cultural Centre (WECC), established in 1987,^[23] is the area's main hub for live music and home to Winnipeg Pro Wrestling.^[24] It is located on Ellice Avenue in an 80-year-old church building and is one of the "greenest live performance venues in Canada."^[19] It receives support from the federal Department of Canadian Heritage, the Government of Manitoba, the Manitoba Arts Council, the Winnipeg Arts Council, Assiniboine Credit Union, and the University of Manitoba's radio station, 101.5 UMFM.^[23]

Prior to the WECC, the building was occupied by:^[22]

• St. Matthew's Church (1909–1912)
• Elim Chapel (1914–1928)
• St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church (1931–1969)
• The Portuguese Association of Manitoba (1973–1987)

The Portuguese Association sold the building for CA$131,000 to Winnipeg Folk Festival founder Mitch Podolak and Ava Kobrinsky, who had the vision of opening a community performing arts space modelled on the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Podolak and Kobrinsky's project is what would become the West End Cultural Centre.^[22]

The West End has one of the largest collections of outdoor murals in Winnipeg, exceeding 50 in number.^[25]