Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THINK TANK COMMENT EDITOR: RUSSELL WANGERSKY 204-697-7269 ● RUSSELL.WANGERSKY@WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A7 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2025 Ideas, Issues, Insights Finding warmth amid the cold in Selkirk I ’VE not always appreciated the power of a street festival — not until I discovered Holiday Alley in Selkirk. For years, a close friend would invite me out for the four-day November weekend of lights, art, food and music, giving me plenty of notice so I could mark it on my calendar. And for years, I failed to show up. It was always too busy a season, too cold, too far. Then, last year, I finally went. It was cold, of course — that kind of Manito- ba cold that makes you check your scarf twice before stepping outside. But what I found on that stretch of Selkirk’s old downtown — the light, the laughter, the music and the sheer spirit of it all — kept me plenty warm. Every storefront glowed. Families wandered with mugs of hot chocolate. Musicians played in doorways. Local chefs served soup samples to happy strangers. There was a drum parade, an Indigenous dance surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights, lots of arts and crafts, even a dog show with pets wrapped in knitted scarves. And somehow, in the middle of all that joy, I felt my throat tighten. How can a winter street festival choke you up? Well, Holiday Alley did just that. Maybe it was watching a group of school kids beat glow- ing drums they’d built themselves, getting a bead-stringing lesson from the expert or hearing newcomers from Ukraine and Nigeria share their stories at the library’s storytelling café. Maybe it was the volunteers — hundreds of them — running on energy, laughter and commu- nity pride. Whatever it was, something about that night reminded me of the power of people who care enough to show up, to build something bright together and to make their town — and yours — a little better. That’s the real story of Holiday Alley. It’s not just a festival; it’s an act of civic imagi- nation. Nearly 10 years ago, a handful of Selkirk residents, led by my friend and colleague Shirley Muir, started dreaming of a way to bring light and creativity back to a downtown that had gone quiet. Too many storefronts were dark; too few people ventured there after sunset. Shirley and others believed art and light could turn things around — that if you gave people a reason to gath- er, you might just spark something bigger than a festival. And they did. This November marks the 10th anniversary of Holiday Alley, which now draws over 8,000 people in a city of 10,000. That’s nearly the whole town, plus a few thousand visitors who come from Winnipeg and across southern Manitoba just to experience the magic. Every corner of the festival is community-driv- en. Local students fill the streets with public art and messages of reconciliation in a city where nearly one-third of residents identify as Indige- nous. Teenagers on the Selkirk Steelers hockey team try their hand at painting in “Easel Wars.” Amateur chefs compete in the Red River Co-op Soup Cook-Off, serving soups that reflect every culture and kitchen in town. Poets and first-tim- ers hang their verses on clotheslines strung along the street, inspired by a pen of live, woolly sheep. If you head inside to warm up, there are fabulous retail and food choices (including homemade goods), plus hands-on learning options with an impressive array of arts and crafts — and the artisans and makers are ready to chat. And when it’s all done, enormous straw sculp- tures — built with help from visiting artists — are set alight on the frozen riverbank, a symbol of burning away darkness and cold. It’s spectacular, but also deeply moving — a kind of communal meditation in flames and light. The impact of all this goes beyond the festival weekend. Since Holiday Alley began, Selkirk’s downtown has changed dramatically. The city’s revitalization plan — wider sidewalks, new pocket parks and streetscape improvements — interlock- ing with the festival’s energy. Where once there were shuttered shops, there are now cafés, a yoga studio, a candy store, a vintage shop and new businesses that proudly participate in the festival each year. That’s the ripple effect of volunteerism and vision. The more I learned about Holiday Alley, the more I understood just how much unseen work goes into making something like this happen — the months of planning, the grant writing, the business partnerships, the endless phone calls and logistics. But somehow, year after year, the lights go up, the music starts and the streets fill with people. And here’s the thing: Shirley doesn’t even live in Selkirk anymore. But it remains, as she says, her second home. Because when you pour your heart into a community — when you help build some- thing that brings people together — that bond never fades. What I realized standing there that night was that volunteerism isn’t just about giving time or labour. It’s about creating connection. It’s about building belonging. It’s about finding purpose and joy in helping others find theirs. So, this month (Nov. 19–22), I’ll be heading back to Selkirk for Holiday Alley — and this time, I won’t need any reminders. I’ll go for the food and music, the lights and laughter — and yes, may- be even the dog show. But mostly, I’ll go for the reminder that the warmth of a community can outshine even the coldest Manitoba November night. Because what started as a festival has become something much bigger — proof that a few people with vision, courage and heart can light up an entire town. Check it out at www.holidayalley.ca. And if you see Shirley, give her a hug! Stephen Borys is president and CEO of Civic Muse, and former director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Better ways to deal with the U.S. and tariffs BRAVO to Ontario Premier Doug Ford in his efforts to stand up for Canada. The Ontario government’s advertisement — which aired in the U.S. during the World Series — was brilliant. It spoke directly to American cit- izens and was quintessentially Canadian: nothing but polite. It was effective, too. It did catch U.S. President Donald Trump’s ire, using wise words by well-respected former president Ronald Rea- gan to raise serious concerns about tariffs. Ford’s aplomb contrasts starkly with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who can be generously described these days as “elbows down.” Despite all the budget hubbub, Carney’s tactics with the U.S. appear protracted and ineffective, with “backing down” becoming his hallmark. The European Union has a deal. Mexico has at least a partial deal. We do not. Some have blamed Ford for the suspension of talks, but U.S. officials confirmed the ad alone was not the cause, further indicating progress was slow. This undermines Carney’s claim that a deal had been imminent. The situation also perfectly suits Trump as we face a constant drip of job-loss announcements going south. Carney’s apology to Trump is also at odds with fiery rhetoric he employed during the election. In a broadly aired story last March, including on BBC, he stated, “My government will keep tariffs on until the Americans show us respect.” That did not transpire. He also disparaged, “the person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.” Except, unfortunately, that best characterizes Carney himself, ready to do anything to avoid annoying Trump. No one need, nor should ever apologize when standing up on behalf of Canada. Remember, it was bourbon bans, not compliance, that got Republican Kentucky to see our side, with their senators both recently voting against Trump. If Carney can be successful, that would be great, but we are running out of time. Our busi- nesses and economy need a deal, not promises. U.S. attention also appears strongly shifting else- where, notably China. We cannot wait forever, and thus, cannot depend on Carney. Everyone needs to start digging deep to find new solutions and new opportunities. Some are pretty straightforward, while others can be unexpected. One pretty obvious example involves European markets and shippers. Canada is much smaller than the U.S. To maintain adequate volumes and keep costs reasonable, it had often been better both ways to include Canada goods as parts of larger shipments to and from North America via the U.S. Except, this formerly intelligent approach now just means tariffs. Some co-ordination with European countries would be worthwhile to help streamline shipping directly to and from Canada, away from via the U.S., avoiding excessive tariffs. On the unexpected front, graduate students in my logistics class recently undertook what was supposed to be a theoretical modelling exercise, but discovered it to have larger policy implica- tions. The Canadian Prairies represents a major food production area, but it turns out what we make is not exactly what we eat. One notable item is fresh produce. The numbers for the Prairies are signif- icant. Produce in the past came largely from the U.S., predominantly California. Two years ago, students undertook modelling to determine what would be a suitable distribution centre location to receive these materials and redistribute them to five major Prairie cities, also calculating total logistics costs. This year, we switched out to look at something different. As described in media, a significant impact of trade disruptions has been on Canadian greenhouse operators, primarily in southwest On- tario and Lower Mainland B.C., now restricted on sales of fresh produce to U.S. cities. It also turns out their production capacities could reasonably match Prairie requirements. This year, students undertook the same modelling exercise, but instead of U.S. sources, switched to considering a distribution centre location based on Canadian greenhouses. Impor- tantly, it turned out that total logistics costs were not very different. This realization meant the idea took on broader significance from a national perspective: we could meet a significant portion of Prairie fresh-produce needs from Canadian greenhouses with costs not much different than from the U.S., an idea that up until now few peo- ple likely considered. Two promising distribution centres were also identified: our own CentrePort Canada, just outside Winnipeg or the Global Transportation Hub, just outside Regina. This idea is by no means certain, but warrants closer examination. We can no longer be content to rest on our laurels. We all need to start expanding our horizons to look at diverse opportunities, big and small. Not everything may pan out, but some will make sense. These represent a positive future. Robert Parsons teaches in the Asper School of Business at the Univer- sity of Manitoba. Reading and homelessness PREVENTING and addressing homeless- ness needs to include learning disabilities. Jino Distasio (Canada’s failing grade on homelessness, Sept. 3) correctly bewails the large increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg, which has increased from 1,256 to 2,469 in the latest count. He provides five concrete suggestions for actions. Missing are important actions for the early diagnosis and help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. In 1996, researchers reported that about 80 per cent of youth who were homeless had a learning disability. The most recent count of people who were experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg found that 46 per cent had a learning disability or cognitive impairment (53 per cent for those under 30 years of age). These numbers are almost certainly low because self-reporting of learning disabil- ities tends to be much lower than results from actually testing learning ability. ADHD is also common in those experienc- ing homelessness. Up to 64 per cent of youth experiencing homelessness have ADHD (found in a study in Quebec). In 2022, the street census found that more than half of those experiencing homelessness had not completed high school, another potential indicator of a learning difficulty and/or ADHD. Undiagnosed and untreated learning disability and/or ADHD are almost certainly a significant underlying cause of homeless- ness. People with a learning disability or ADHD — which are not identified — too often struggle in school, develop low self-es- teem, develop mental-health problems and substance-abuse issues, then drop out of school and become homeless. The homeless- ness may result from poverty and unemploy- ment, secondary to their low literacy levels and/or ADHD. In Winnipeg, too many with dyslexia are not identified early on and too many are not adequately helped. While the problem was identified 25 years ago, it has been high- lighted in the last two years in a community forum and in recent Oct. 8 presentations to a legislative committee on Bill 225 — The Public Schools Amendment Act (Universal Screening for Learning Disabilities). Many presenters to Bill 225 echoed the sentiment of Laura Jones when she told the standing committee on social and economic development that “many kids are leaving school without the level of literacy that they really need to flourish in life.” She contin- ued, “the problem is not dyslexia. The prob- lem is when dyslexia remains unidentified and not accommodated, resulting in a child not meeting their full potential in literacy.” As Tianna Voort noted “reading difficul- ties, including dyslexia, can be prevented for most children when needs are identified early and targeted instruction begins right away.” And as Karen Sharma, the executive director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission said, “the long-term conse- quences of low literacy are significant. It can impact employment opportunities and result in lower income, poverty and home- lessness.” It has long been known that children who struggle in school are more likely to end up homeless. The best protection against home- lessness is an education, yet in Manitoba too many children are not getting the education they need. Passing Bill 225 will help because it provides measures for universal screening of children. It will also ensure parents are informed of test results and that children are taught effectively. It is possible that the increase in home- lessness since COVID could be as a result of decreased help for those with learning dis- abilities and/or ADHD during the pandemic. As Allison Guerco said at the hearings on Bill 225, “there could be something consid- ered to also capture kids that were missed.” Indeed, there needs to be help for youth and adults who are homeless today who have low literacy skills and/or ADHD, and it needs to use an approach which is effective in individuals with learning disabilities. The Manitoba Human Rights Commission has recently called for transformative change in disability services, so that individuals with learning disabilities who have an IQ over 70 (most do) or are diagnosed after age 18, can receive the assistance they need and deserve. Much evidence shows there is tremendous potential in those with dyslexia, ADHD and other forms of learning disabilities, and that individuals with dyslexia who are diagnosed and helped are often successful entrepre- neurs, artists, engineers or scientists. The tremendous loss of human potential from undiagnosed and untreated dyslex- ia and/or ADHD leading to homelessness means addressing literacy and ADHD in children and adults needs to be a top priority for the provincial government if it is to effectively decrease homelessness. Jon Gerrard is the former MLA for River Heights. ROBERT PARSONS LIZ TRAN / SUBMITTED Holiday Alley in Selkirk is a longstanding four-day community festival that is still blazing bravely against the dark. STEPHEN BORYS JON GERRARD ;