Welcome

The Sir John Franklin community of Winnipeg is located on the western edge of River Heights. This website is growing to serve residents and businesses in this area with relevant information, and provide an opportunity to get to know and get involved in your community.

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Academy Road festival today

Remember to visit the Academy Road festival today. The event is great for families, entertainment and visiting all those shops. Many merchants and businesses have special sales and promotions. The weather today is terrific, too, so it’s one of the best days of the year on Academy Road.

It all kicks off at 11  am Saturday.

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SJF school site development meeting June 10

The former Sir John Franklin School site is slated for development and several designs have been presented to the public by the developers through their 386beaverbrook.com website. There have been two public meetings, the second of which presented a significant change to the initial design similar to the existing bay character of Lanark Street. Continue reading →

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Academy Road Festival

June 7th, 2014 Academy Road will be bustling with outdoor sidewalk sales, extended patios, demonstrations, kid’s activities and music from East to West in a way like no other. From Centennial to Oak Street, Academy Road will come alive with feature parking lot markets, kid’s bouncers and activities, live music stages, and extended patios. Horse drawn wagons will even escort those that wish to take a more scenic tour of the festival from one end to the other. The east bound south lane will be closed to traffic for added space for sidewalk sales and patios. A variety of FREE activities will be provided to engage all ages! Families can take in the patios while children can bounce in bouncers and take part in a variety of activities. While all that is happening both stages will entertain with music and dance.

Come experience Winnipeg’s best neighbourhood!

More details here: http://academyroadbiz.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=24

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Rezoning for Beaverbrook development – March 11, 2014

386BeaverbrookSt-DASZ58-13

The city will have a PUBLIC HEARING to deal with the application for rezoning the ‘SJF Park’ land between Lanark and Beaverbrook Streets bordering Grosvenor Avenue for a residential development. The details for this meeting are posted along Grosvenor Ave opposite Westworth United Church.

  • Public Hearing
  • Tuesday, March 11, 2014
  • Council Building, 610 Main Street, Winnipeg
  • 6 PM

Continue reading →

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Community Mailboxes

Canada Post says that our community, like everyone else in Canada, will eventually be receiving mail through community mailboxes. Indeed, some of the in-fill housing developments in our neighbourhood are already receiving their mail this way.

We should think ahead about where we would like these mailboxes to be located. Here is the newest design announced by Canada Post, as reported in the National Post article.  Continue reading →

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Christmas shopping locally

As shoppers brace themselves for last minute gifts and the crowded malls, this is a great time to remember that our own local collection of retail merchants provide a convenient and superior shopping experience.

Most of our shopping opportunities are conveniently focussed along Academy Road and Corydon Avenue. Most of the shops are clustered, allowing you to easily walk from shop to shop.

Another strength of the shops in the Sir John Franklin area is that they are not typically part of large chain stores, and so offer a more interesting array of options and products you are less likely to find duplicated in major shopping malls.

Here are some good reasons to buy your gifts locally this year:

  • more unique selection of gifts
  • support owner-ooperated small businesses
  • eco-friendlier shopping by walking to shops
  • courteous and relaxed atmosphere
  • personal attention to your needs

Also consider asking local retail and service providers whether they offer gift certificates or gift cards. These are perfect for local residents who can easily take advantage of shopping close to home, and bring people from elsewhere to our area to continue supporting our neighbourhood.

Ideas for gift certificates/cards include:

  • coffee shops and restaurants
  • massage therapy and chiropractic services
  • clothing, shoes, fashion and accessories
  • gift shops
  • knick-knacks
  • specialty foods
  • beauty services
  • activities like bowling
  • convenience stores
  • and more!

Let’s make the shops in Sir John Franklin an important part of our shopping for this season and throughout the year. What are your favourite shops, and why? Share your thoughts with a comment.

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Second proposed design, first impressions

The developers of the property between Beaverbrook and Lanark Streets at Grosvenor presented a second design at another open house on Saturday, December 14th. It represented significant changes from the first design, while retaining the focus on single-family dwellings.
The most significant changes apparent in the second design include:
  • elimination of public bay and green space on Lanark Street
  • enlarging green space in south west corner between back lane and Beaverbrook
  • introducing a short avenue connecting Lanark and Beaverbrook mid-way through the property, crossing a back lane
  • seven houses facing Grosvenor Avenue
  • twenty-seven 120 foot deep lots vs thirty 100-foot lots
  • loss of public wooded area in north east corner
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Postal delivery to end

Typical community mailbox

Canada Post announced today that they plan to end of postal delivery as most of us know it in our Sir John Franklin community area.

Daily home delivery to our door will convert to community mailboxes, known to many as ‘super mailboxes’ or other names. This will present a big adjustment for people, especially those with mobility issues or tight schedules. The steady decline in reliance on postal services has already seen a higher proportion of unwanted mail to ‘real’ mail and the removal of some of our local places to drop items to be posted.

Because ours is a long-established urban neighbourhood, we are amongst the third of Canadians who may be unfamiliar with including going somewhere beyond our front door to get our mail. Rural customers and new neighbourhoods throughout the country have had to do this for years.

Continue reading →