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WCUPPA 2016 - Sustainability in Action


About Winnipeg

Location

Winnipeg is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

Known as the "Gateway to the West", Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy. This multicultural city hosts numerous annual festivals, including the Festival du Voyageur, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and Folklorama. Winnipeg was the first Canadian host of the Pan American Games. It is home to several professional sports franchises, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Canadian football), the Winnipeg Jets (ice hockey), Manitoba Moose (ice hockey) and the Winnipeg Goldeyes (baseball).

History

The name "Winnipeg" comes from the Western Cree words for Lake Winnipeg nearby, referring to muddy or brackish water. The region was a trading centre for Aboriginal Peoples long before the arrival of Europeans. French traders built the first fort on the site in 1738. A settlement was later founded by the Selkirk settlers of the Red River Colony in 1812, the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873.

As of 2012, there are 26 National Historic Sites of Canada in Winnipeg.  One of these, The Forks, attracts four million visitors a year.

Population

As of 2011, Winnipeg is the seventh most populated municipality in Canada.

Environment

Winnipeg's location in the Canadian Prairies gives it a humid continental climate. Summers are hot with long days (light out until well after 10pm in June with dusk that lasts for hours) and with occasionally stretches of heat where temperatures rise above 30 °C (86 °F). Thunderstorms are common as well. Winters are cold and dry; spring and fall are warm. Temperatures occasionally drop below −40.0 °C (−40 °F). Temperatures exceed 30 °C (86 °F) on average 14 days a year. On average there are 317.8 days per year with measurable sunshine, with July seeing the most on average. With 2353 hours of sunshine per year, Winnipeg is the second sunniest city in Canada. Total annual precipitation (both rain and snow) is just over 20 inches (51 cm).