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The Greenway iNaturalist project The greenway now has its own dedicated iNaturalist project and we are inviting you to join us in cataloguing the diversity found along the trail. Take your photos and share through our project page. "Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed" the iNaturalist web site notes. "We share your findings with scientific data repositories like the NatureServe Canada, Canadensys and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe."  Why your photos matter:
- Track invaders: Help us find and manage invasive species. - Support schools: Build a nature database for local educational activities. - Discover wildlife: Find your new favourite type of species. How to join the project: 1. Create an account on iNaturalist.ca. 2. Join our trail project: Head to the Awasisak Meskanow Greenway Project Page and click join. 3. Start snapping: Take photos along the greenway and upload them to your account. Help with the iNaturalist app is available on the website through their Getting Started page. Want better shots? Check out these nature photography tips. Whether you love vibrant wildflowers, soaring birds, strange mushrooms, or cool insects, your photos can help us learn about, build and protect our local ecosystem.
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On July 9th our board members traded the boardroom for bicycles and enjoyed a group tour of Awasisak Meskanow Greenway. Starting at the Home Depot, we all rode Westbound to experience the trail firsthand. While we usually have our meetings indoors, we wanted to get outside, enjoy the weather while being able to see and discuss things up close and in person.  On this date there were dark clouds, rain threatening and many mosquitoes in the grassy areas. But throughout our tour, we only experienced a light sprinkle of rain, and it turned out to be a very worthwhile evening. The ride was especially valuable for our newer board members and volunteers, giving them the opportunity to see firsthand many of the locations we often discuss, if they were previously unfamiliar. While our greenspace is only about 4km long, its winding pathway, hidden corners, and points of interest along the way, make it feel much larger.  Six of us took part in the 90-minute tour which ended near the Red River. We identified several areas that are in need of more attention or repair and we can now use our upcoming meetings to discuss plans for the future of these areas.  Our spring clean-up on May 9 was another good one. Collectively, volunteers on the greenway picked up 690 kg of garbage! That is an impressive feat. That is in addition to extra-curricular clean-up efforts the two weeks prior by Nicole Whyte with her kids and friends (20 garbage bags full) and our friends Chuck and Janet (6 extra large bags).  A cool but sunny day made for good clean-up conditions, continuing our 25 year streak of no rainouts and bringing out about 35 dedicated volunteers. Three of our elected representatives were included among the volunteers: MLA for Riel (and former AMG board member) Mike Moyes, Councillor Brian Mayes, and MLA for St. Vital Jamie Moses, all pictured below.  Mike, Jamie and their team put in a good morning of hard work, along with the other volunteers, resulting in a big improvement to the appearance of the greenway. This collective effort not only helps our green space look better but it helps the environment as well, keeping plastics and other unwanted materials out of our ecosystem.  Our clean-up is an annual event. If you are interested in finding out about next year's clean-up, CONTACT US to be added to our mailing list. It's a great event, and you never know what you're going to find!  This fall, 93 new trees were planted at St. Vital Cemetery as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen the urban forest and enhance biodiversity in the community. The planting introduced nine different species, including native Manitoba Maple, Smokey Saskatoon, and Bur Oak, alongside other resilient varieties such as Japanese Tree Lilac, Okanese Poplar, Prairie Dream Birch, Colorado Spruce, Black Hills Spruce, and Amur Maple.  St. Vital Cemetery, located adjacent to the Greenway at River Road, had lost trees over the years to disease. This year's project helped to refresh and diversify their tree base. The project was funded by the City of Winnipeg through the Home Grown Grant and coordinated by Awasisak Meskanow Greenway Inc.  Thanks to the collaborative work of the City of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Cemeteries, the planting was a major success—bringing long-term ecological benefits and renewed beauty to the cemetery grounds.  A quarter of a century ago, a non-profit organization was created to turn an unused Hydro corridor into a useful community space. Countless hours were spent drawing up governance documents, incorporating the organization, and meeting with the City, Manitoba Hydro and Winnipeg Hydro. "Anything of significance had to hit at least three desks" said Gordon Newton, one of the original co-chairs of the Greenway. To recognize the vision and hard work of the founders of what is now known as Awasisak Mēskanôw Greenway, a new bench has been installed on the Greenway with plaques listing the original board members and the many people who supported the project.  Michael Balshaw, Michelle Meade & Gordon Newton On the evening of Wednesday, August 20, 2025, three of the original board members gathered on the greenway with family, friends and representatives of the current board to unveil the bench. The bench was installed in cooperation with the City of Winnipeg, while the plaques were sponsored by Mike Balshaw, the other original co-chair.  Michael, Michelle and Gordon joined by founding board member Murray Gibson (left) at a later date   Located just off St. Mary's Road near Bittersweet Way, the new installation is highly visible and will give passers-by a place to rest and a chance to ponder the work that made this space possible.  Curious about what we planted in our regenerative food forest? This graphic shows our planting plan for all three sections:  Read our previous blog post Nurturing Nature on the Greenway for more information.
Winnipeg ranks among the lowest of the country’s large urban centres in terms of greenspace, and our tree canopy is under threat from urbanization and insect damage. For the last 23 years, Awasisak Meskanow Greenway Inc (AMG) and community volunteers have been working on naturalizing the 4.5 km vacant corridor between the Red and Seine Rivers, running parallel to Abinojii Mikanah Boulevard. Our vision is to enhance this linear greenspace and to develop a nature corridor. Community consultations and open house events generated ideas on what the public wanted to see. Prominent on their list was a return to a natural environment that promoted biodiversity. Those thoughts gave berth to the conceptual plan that became known as Bittersweet Way, featuring a retaining wall and berm hosting native flowers, grasses and hardy wild rose bushes; and a secondary walking path that meanders through an urban forest, and past a historical commemorative circle. A site was selected next to St. Mary’s Road that could support permaculture and an urban food forest using native plant species. In the fall of 2019, the hardscape was completed and and our thoughts turned to developing the natural landscape.  Our critera for selection included native or hard working trees/shrubs, that were drought tolerant, and suitable to soil and growing conditions for that area. Equally important were their contributions as food sources, shelter and nesting sites for birds and animals; and as attractions for pollinators. The urban forest area was to be conceptually divided into 3 sections: Native trees and shrubs (section A); mixed native vegetation with plants brought over by early settlers (Section B) and an urban fruit and nut food forest (section C). In 2023 Awasisak Meskanow Greenway received one of 77 grants awarded by Tree Canada. Tree Canada is a national non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments across our country. Foremost in their minds, is a plan that is viable and will be properly nurtured to ensure success. The grant covers the cost of purchasing and installing trees and shrubs for sections A and C as well as tree guards, soil, mulch and a very important 2-year watering and maintenance contract to help ensure the survival of the plantings.  We spent the summer preparing, and then on September 23, 2023, 14 volunteers planted 80 trees and shrubs, applied tree collars and spread 25 yards of mulch – all in less than 4 hours! With 40 trees and shrubs planted in section B in 2021, Bittersweet Way’s new urban forest now consists of 120 newly planted trees and shrubs providing a foundation for the future tree canopy and sub canopy. Over time we will adding the understory with taller perennials and cover layer. If you are interested in participating in this project and want join fellow community minded citizens please do not hesitate to reach out!   It was a pleasant morning on May 13 for our annual spring clean-up. And the turn-out was outstanding! 60 volunteers of all ages signed in on Saturday morning and helped to spruce up the Greenway, collectively filling over 200 garbage bags.  The community embraced our event as families, individuals and businesses came out to support the effort. Special thanks to the Marin family for coming out and bringing Dakota Family Foods with them to hand out free hot dogs to volunteers! 50 free dogs were served by the time the event wrapped up. A large group of 14 volunteers from Celero turned this into a multi-day event, coming out on Friday to clean up a section of the Greenway. Their effort is very much appreciated, as they tackled a section of the Greenway quite far from the "home base" at St. Mary's Rd and one that sees a lot of traffic. The United Church in Meadowood and All Saints Kinsmen added to the effort, among many others. It was truly a group effort.
At the end of the day, the Greenway team delivered an amazing 490 kg of garbage to the landfill! That does not include the truck-full that the City of Winnipeg picked up from the folks who came out on Friday. It was possibly our most productive clean-up ever! Thank you to everyone who came out!  On Monday, March 13, the City of Winnipeg made important progress in its pledge to rename Bishop Grandin Boulevard.
Abinojii Mikanah is the proposed name for Bishop Grandin Boulevard. It is an Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) phrase that translates to "Children's Roadway," representing the journey of all children, including residential school survivors, towards reconciliation. Awasisak Mēskanow is the proposed name for the Bishop Grandin Trail. It is an Ininimowin (Cree) phrase, also meaning "Children's Roadway." The names for these parallel paths were chosen to represent the unity between Ojibwe and Cree Nations. On Monday, March 13, the City of Winnipeg's Executive Policy Committee voted 5-1 in favour of the proposed renaming. The proposed names would contribute to the renewal of Indigenous languages targeted by residential schools. Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin was an architect of this school system on the Canadian prairies. According to the City of Winnipeg's Indigenous Relations Division, the names are intended to "honour Indigenous experience, culture, and history." "What we are wanting to do is honour all the children, survivors that came before us, the children that never made it home."
What's Next? On March 23, the city council will vote on the motion to rename the trail, to endorse the renaming of boulevard, and to prepare an estimate of the associated costs. The estimated costs would later be presented to the next budget review process for consideration. The Bishop Grandin Greenway is a charity distinct from the Bishop Grandin Trail. We continue to support the city's renaming process. As it advances, we are engaging with city officials to inform how we proceed. Rocks on the Greenway is back and bigger than ever!  Friends and volunteers have painted rocks and hidden them away on the Greenway between the Seine River and the Red River.  Explore the Greenway and keep an eye out for a flash of colour. It might be one of the rocks!  If you find one, let us know! Email us, Tweet us @BishopGrandin, or let know on Facebook at "Friends of Bishop Grandin Greenway"
Happy searching! |
