HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

St Boniface Hospital is Winnipeg’s oldest hospital and one of the largest healthcare facilities in the city, located within the neighbourhood’s borders. The Health Sciences Centre (HSC), Manitoba’s largest healthcare facility, is also only a 10-15 minute drive away.

SHOPPING

You don’t need to go too far to find all the amenities you’ll need, as Saint Boniface features a mix of boutique stores, local bakeries, and larger grocery options. Marion Street hosts Safeway and Dollarama. Goulet Street is home to No Frills and the Dominion Centre Strip Mall, offering Shoppers Drug Mart, banking options, restaurants, and more. For fresh produce, St-Leon Gardens on St Mary’s Road is open from spring to fall, with an outdoor garden center from May to June. The corner of St Anne’s Road and Fermor Avenue houses Real Canadian Superstore and FreshCo. A five-minute drive on Fermor takes you to Southdale Centre, Southdale Square, and Southdale Market, featuring Walmart, Red River Co-op, Dollarama, Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Tire, Giant Tiger, and various restaurants and services.

The neighbourhood is also a short drive away from the major shopping centers Regent Avenue has to offer. Crossroads Station Shopping Centre, Kildonan Place, Kildonan Crossing, and the surrounding areas have retailers like the Real Canadian Superstore, Walmart, FreshCo, Save on Foods, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Michaels, Sport Check, Marshalls, HomeSense, Costco, and plenty more.

ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

St Boniface is one of the best areas in the city for entertainment. It is home to the largest Winter Festival in all of Western Canada, Festival du Voyageur, located at Fort Gibraltar in Whittier Park. This annual 10-day festival showcases snow sculpting, concerts, dance performances for all ages, historical interpretation, family activities, traditional food, and much more. Whittier Park, hosting the festival, is the largest park in the neighbourhood. It includes athletic fields for soccer and baseball, picnic sites, a tree-lined riverside path, toboggan run, and the aforementioned Fort Gibraltar. Journey back in time to the fur-trade era with a visit to the fort, a reproduction of the original fur trade post built by the North-West Company around 1810. In summer, costumed interpreters guide visitors through this historical site.

The Whittier Park baseball facility was built in 1992. It is home to the St Boniface and St Vital Baseball League and has hosted many provincial baseball events. Connected to the park with a multi-use path is Lagimodière-Gaboury Park, which is made up of picturesque walking and mountain biking trails, picnic areas, and playing fields.

Those who enjoy longer walks or bike rides can also follow a path that starts at Tache Avenue by the rail line and runs all the way to the Winnipeg Rowing Club located in Norwood. During your walk, you can enjoy the beautiful river view as you pass through Parc Elzear Goulet, Parc Joseph Royal, Tache Promenade, and behind the St Boniface Hospital. Along this route, you have several other attractions to explore.

The St Boniface Cathedral is one of the most photographed buildings in Winnipeg. The original cathedral, built in 1908, was the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in Western Canada. The original facade was destroyed by fire in 1968. It was then redesigned by Franco-Manitoban architect Etienne Gaboury and reopened in 1972 within the remains of the old basilica. The Cathedral is one of the points of interest on the Loop Walking Trail, a self-guided trail that connects Old St Boniface to the Exchange District and downtown. The trail is approximately 9.5 km and besides the cathedral, it highlights Winnipeg's most iconic landmarks such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Esplanade Riel Footbridge, and Old Market Square.

Adjacent to the Cathedral is Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum, Winnipeg’s oldest building. This oak log building was originally used as the Grey Nuns’ Convent and is currently home to an impressive collection of artifacts and displays. A special exhibit is dedicated to Louis Riel, the “father” of Manitoba.

Next to the Museum is Laverendrye Park, a larger green space just across from the St Boniface Hospital, featuring a walking path and a playground. Many healthcare professionals take their lunch break in this tree-covered area.

For a quieter walking experience, you can also explore the Sentier Gabrielle Roy Trail. It is a 2.6 km loop that starts at the Gabrielle Roy House (375 Rue Deschambault) and follows the trail along the Seine River. As you cross Provencher Boulevard, you will find yourself at Maisonneuve Riverbank. The path runs through the pedestrian bridge that serves as a link between the Riverbank and Dumoulin Park. Here, you can turn right and explore the aforementioned Lagimodière-Gaboury Park, or take a left turn and return to your starting point via Des Meurons Street.

Provencher Park is a larger park in the heart of Central St Boniface built around the Notre Dame Recreational Centre. The centre and the park together offer plenty of indoor and outdoor activities year-round. You will find fields for baseball and soccer, an outdoor pool, a spray pad, a playground, basketball and tennis courts, and an outdoor rink during the winter season. Notre Dame Recreational Centre is the only bilingual community centre in Winnipeg and hosts the St Boniface Minor Hockey Association. The building includes a hockey arena and a community centre.

Additional parks can be found in Norwood. Lyndale Drive Park, with its picturesque walking and biking paths along the winding Red River, features a canoe launch. In March 2023, the City Council approved the continuation of the Enhanced Summer Bike Route Program on five routes, including Lyndale Drive. This means Lyndale Drive, from Cromwell Street to Gauvin Street, has limited motor vehicle traffic annually from May 1st until Thanksgiving Day between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. every Saturday, Sunday, and on holidays. The motor vehicle restriction also applies every day during July and AuguSt For more details, visit Council Decision (I put the link here). Many residents of Norwood use Lyndale Drive and its paths to venture all the way to Whittier Park during the summer.

Coronation Park, a larger park along St Mary’s Road, includes walking paths, benches, an outdoor stage, and a winter outdoor rink. It frequently hosts festivals. Happyland Park, located on the corner of Marion Street and Archibald, features a playground, an outdoor pool, walking paths, and a 9-hole disc golf course. Numerous small parks, including Gauvin Park, Traverse Park, and Falcon Park, scattered throughout the community, provide playgrounds to keep your little ones busy.

There are five community centres serving the area: Notre Dame Community Centre, mentioned earlier; Norwood Community Centre, situated in the Norwood Flats area; Champlain Community Centre in Norwood East; Archwood Community Centre; and Centre St-Louis, a smaller community gathering place that often hosts bingo.

Norwood Community Centre offers baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball and pickleball courts, tennis courts, an off-leash dog park, toboggan run, and outdoor hockey rinks during winter, with a playground featuring a wading pool during summer. Champlain Community Centre provides a variety of year-round activities such as fitness classes, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and more. It offers outdoor hockey rinks during the winter season and a wading pool and playground during summer. Archwood Community Centre, situated on the east side of the Seine River, provides various activities including soccer, hockey, dance, Martial Arts, and more.

Additional recreational facilities within St Boniface include Bertrand Arena, LaVérendrye Bowling Lanes, Winnipeg Rowing Club, and St Boniface Golf Club, a par 72 course with tree-lined fairways.

Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain is a cultural centre providing French-language cultural and artistic activities. It consists of an art gallery, theaters, meeting rooms, and a community radio station.

Walking over the Esplanade Riel Foot Bridge, you will reach the Forks Historic Site, Human Rights Museum, and Blue Cross Park, which is home to the Winnipeg Goldeyes, a minor-league baseball team.

The Forks, where the Assiniboine River and Red River meet, has been a gathering place for Winnipeggers for centuries. Today, it is a bustling location for shops, restaurants, and outdoor trails, including the Nestaweya River Trail, Winnipeg’s largest skating trail. The area is also home to the Manitoba Children's Museum, the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

You don’t need to leave the neighbourhood to experience some of Winnipeg’s best restaurants, including Marion Street Eatery, Chaise Café and Lounge, Inferno’s Bistro, Café Postal, as well as Kilter Brewing Company, bordering the Seine River.

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

Saint Boniface’s location is hard to beat. Situated in the center of the city just south of the downtown core, this friendly neighbourhood is rich in history and has easy access to most of Winnipeg with convenient transit and many routes in and out. Between the Forks, the many restaurants, parks, and shops, there is always something going on in and around St Boniface.

THOUGHTS FROM YOUR NEIGHBOURS