BRIGHT OAKS AND MINNETONKA

Bright Oaks and Minnetonka are two small neighbourhoods in the larger, highly sought-after community of St Vital. These two areas share a lot of overlap, creating a family-friendly community. The areas are comprised mostly of residential housing but some portions along St. Mary’s Road offer some commercial spaces and conveniences.

REAL ESTATE TRENDS

Homes in both of these neighbourhoods are in large part single detached homes, mainly bungalows and bi-levels. Most of the construction in the area began in the late 1960’s and continued well into the 80’s. There are a few condominium complexes within the area, most are closer to St Mary’s Road. The lot sizes here are often larger than an average city lot. It is not uncommon for homeowners to have a 6,000+ square foot lot.  River Pointe Drive is a smaller subarea on the Red River and has a selection of custom-built, two-storey options, for those looking for a riverfront masterpiece!

SCHOOLS AND SERVICES

Bright Oaks and Minnetonka are within the Louis Riel School Division and the area is home to two English elementary schools.

Students living on the North side of the neighbourhoods will go to Darwin School from Kindergarten to Grade Eight.  

Minnetonka School offers programs from Kindergarten to Grade Eight for children living on the East side of the communities. To find out which school will be your catchment area, please visit the School Division Website. 

Students who attend Darwin School will follow their high school studies at Dakota Collegiate in neighbouring Old Saint Vital. Children from Minnetonka School will go to Glenlawn Collegiate, in Elm Park.

For French Immersion Elementary school, your child will go to Ecole Marie-Anne-Gaboury in Pulberry. Their high school option will be College Jeanne-Sauve, in River Park South.

POST SECONDARY PROGRAMS

The University of Manitoba is located across the Red River and is approximately a ten-minute commute by car. The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Main Campus is less than seven kilometers away on Kenaston Boulevard.

If your child wishes to stay on the French track, there is a great post-secondary education option at Universite de Saint-Boniface, which is about a 20-minute drive from the neighbourhood.

HOSPITALS

Victoria General Hospital is the most convenient urgent care centre near the area.  This care centre is located on Pembina Highway. St Boniface Hospital is the closest emergency hospital and it is a 15-minute commute into St. Boniface.

SHOPPING

The Minnetonka neighbourhood is made up strictly of residential homes, while Bright Oaks has some strip malls along St Mary’s Road, such as Carmyn Place, St Mary’s Square and Shoppes of St Vital. These shopping venues are home to small independent stores like One Stop Meat Shop, Jones & Company or gourmet grocery stores. There are many restaurants and services including Original Joe’s, Wendy’s, Popeye’s and a good array of banking options.

Just across St Mary’s Road is St Vital Centre. This mall boasts stores such as Walmart, Old Navy, London Drugs, Hudson Bay and Zellers, Marshalls, Indigo, Sport Chek and more. Dakota Village Shopping Centre is also conveniently close - just across Abinojii Mikanah (formerly Bishop Grandin Boulevard). It consists of stores like Dakota Family Foods or Gimli Fish.

The corner of St Anne’s Road and Abinojii Mikanah has a number of big box stores namely Sobeys, Michaels and Home Depot. Just over the Abinojii Mikanah Bridge, you can access Pembina Crossing and Pembina Village Shopping Centre. These areas include stores like Save on Foods, Best Buy, Staples, Toys“R”Us, Safeway, Giant Tiger, JSYK, Winners and more.

The neighbourhoods are also close to the Kenaston Shopping area, which offers robust options including everything from Rona, The Home Depot, Lowes, The Brick, Costco, Marshall’s, Walmart, Safeway, Sobeys, restaurants, banking options and others.

ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

Bright Oaks and Minnetonka have an abundance of parks and trails.  Minnetonka Forest (formerly Minnetonka Woodlot) is a 2.02-hectare green space made up of oak and aspen trees. This protected area sprawls along River Road and is often home to families of white-tailed deer. On the opposite side of the road is River Road Park West, a perfect resting place along the river bank offering beautiful views of IG field and the Red River.

St Germain Park is the largest green space in the area. It features a playground, pickleball courts and tennis courts.  Oak Leaf Park is also a spacious park and offers a great playground. Adjacent to Darwin School is Wayne Ruff Park that has athletic fields for baseball and soccer. River Pointe Park is a great place to walk your dog or enjoy an afternoon walk along the Red River.

There are several other smaller parks where you can enjoy the fresh air including Twin Pine Park, Golden Willow Park and Avalon-Bishop Grandin Community Garden, where neighbours can come together and grow their own vegetables.

Both communities offer an easy connection to Awasisak Mēskanow (formerly Bishop Grandin Trail). These biking and walking routes navigate along and under Abinojii Mikanah, making it safe to explore along the paths and green spaces that abound along the trail or to get you to St Vital Park.

Awasisak Mēskanow is a multi-use trail running beside Abinojii Mikanah. The Trail is continuously expanding and currently spans from Waverley West to Sage Creek. It features three retention ponds, Apakway, plenty of wildlife scouting locations and fun benches and resting spots along the way. Apakway is an Ojibwe word meaning cattails, and refers to the tall sturdy plants encircling the ponds in the area.

St Vital Park is a highly south-after park that is part of the Pulberry neighbourhood. This 47.75-hectare green space is within walking distance from Minnetonka and has so much to offer year-round. You can walk the paths in the forested area or enjoy the river views. Open spaces provide opportunity to play soccer, beach volleyball or just gather around a BBQ during a summer afternoon. It has a playground with a variety of structures for kids, and outdoor fitness equipment for those looking for an outdoor workout. The floating dock system makes the Red River accessible for boaters, kayak and canoe enthusiasts, too. The duck pond is busy with wildlife in the summer and turns into a huge skating rink in the winter. The toboggan run is a popular Winterpeg place, just like the cross-country ski-trail winding along the river.

Grendell Park Community Centre is located at the overlapping part of the two communities. It consists of a gymnasium, a multipurpose room, two outdoor rinks, a playground and a nursery school. There is a wide variety of activities you can enjoy here including pickleball, taekwondo, badminton, jiu-jitsu, baseball, basketball, hockey, ringette, indoor and outdoor soccer, softball and more.

Minutes away from Bright Oaks border is the Dakota Community Centre, one of the most impressive community centers in the city. It is made up of the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex, where you will find two indoor rinks.  Also, part of this centre is the Dakota Fieldhouse, which is home to a 200-meter 2 lane indoor track.  There is also a multipurpose court space, that offers recreational programs for all ages. It also has the Jumpstart Community Rink and Beach Volleyball Facility.

Minnetonka is also home to the Riel House National Historic site. The building today is functioning as a museum that commemorates the life of Louis Riel. It demonstrates the lifestyle of Métis families in the Red River Settlement.

The Institute of Dance of Manitoba is located on the border of the Bright Oaks community at 1604 St Mary’s Road. The school provides dance education for all ages - children to adults, and contemporary Pilates workout classes.

Dakota Bowling Lanes is a family-run, 24 lane bowling-alley located in Dakota Village Shopping Centre. It’s a popular destination in the evenings!

Are you a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan? Minnetonka and Bright Oaks are only a ten-minute drive from the Princess Auto Stadium (officially known as IG Field until April 2024), but you can often see people walking from the area on game day.  The Stadium is also home to Winnipeg’s Professional Soccer team – Valour FC that play in the Canadian Premier League.  This is a world-class stadium, that was a host stadium during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

WHY WE THINK THIS IS A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD TO LIVE IN?

Our favourites are the oversized City lots, the accessibility from this area to many other areas of the city, and also the small, hometown feel the community has. Because the neighbourhoods are mostly residential, it makes for quiet living within the community while having great access to conveniences a quick drive away. As you walk down St Mary’s Road you can find an abundance of gourmet stores where you can try out all kinds of cuisines. Alsham Food Market offers a variety of Middle Eastern food and Spices. La Pampa Empanadas is an Argentinian restaurant. Visit Frescolio for quality oil products, or stop by at Jones & Company for a great bottle of wine.

THOUGHTS FROM YOUR NEIGHBOURS

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