In 1881 the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) arrival in Winnipeg enabled the establishment of the city as a major destination. However, this led to the division of Point Douglas into two neighborhoods: North and South.
As the rapid growth continued, in the late 1960s First Nations and Metis community sought to redevelop and redefine the area surrounding Main Street and Higgins Avenue. Known as The Neeginan concept – “our place” in Cree. This visionary concept has continued to support community development in South Point Douglas.
Architecturally SPD is a collection of historic buildings in various states of repair. While many industries have left the neighborhood, SPD remains zoned industrial, preventing redevelopment and restoration of an important part of Winnipeg history.
Current land use in the vicinity
Some of the main property owners include:
- City of Winnipeg
- Gateway Industries Inc.
- Canadian Pacific Railway
- Neeginan Development Corporation
- Centra Gas
- ADM Agri-Industries Ltd
- Manitoba Metis Federation Inc
- Adelaide Investment Ltd.
Source: “South Point View.” 2008. Accessed November 21, 2015. http://www.umanitoba.ca/architecture/cp/Media/Newspaper_v2_LOW_RES.pdf.
Demographics:
When Point Douglas was separated by the railway into two, the North part remained mostly as a residential area whereas the South shifted mostly into an industrial area with a small portion of residential properties left. At a later point, two streets on Point Douglas (Annabella Street and MacFarlane Street) turned into what was called the “Red Light District” where Prostitution became a central problem which led to the decline of population. Eventually, SPD fell into what was referred to as “depression” and substantially resulted in a decrease of employment.
Source: Webber et al. “South Point Douglas Neighborhood.” Neighborhood Inventory, (2008, Winnipeg MB). Accessed December 06, 2015. www.winnipeg.ca.
Source: “2006 Census Data – South Point.” The City of Winnipeg, Planning, Property & Development Department, (2006, Winnipeg MB). Accessed December 06, 2015. www.winnipeg.ca.
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