How downtown Winnipeg is being transformed into a winter wonderland
Downtown Winnipeg is set to get a cool makeover next month but first, it needs ice.
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is spearheading the Winter Wonderland initiative, which will once again bring a series of dazzling ice sculptures to the neighbourhood.
To make the icy exhibits possible, Sputnik Architecture harvested ice from the Red River on Wednesday to turn into cool works of art.
“We're going to be pulling blocks of ice that are 90 centimetres by 180 centimetres wide, and they're the depth of the ice, which is 16 inches,” explained Peter Hargraves with Sputnik Architecture.
Harvesters were armed with a loader, chainsaws and shovels to extract the cubes, which weighed over 1,000 pounds.
Harvesters were armed with a loader, chainsaws and shovels to extract the cubes, which weighed over 1,000 pounds. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)
Now that they have the raw materials, sculpting will start in early February and will be done on-site – a process that is open to the public.
“We encourage everybody to come out and take a look,” said Jori Pincock with Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. “They'll be ice sculptures at Hydro Plaza, True North Square, along Graham Avenue, Millennium Library and Holy Trinity Church.”
Harvesters pulled cubes of ice that weighed over a thousand pounds from the Red River Wednesday. Now that they have the raw materials, sculpting will begin in early February. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)
Once the sculptures are finished, Kendrick’s Outdoor Adventures will offer free fat bike tours of downtown Winnipeg.
The BIZ says other events and programming will also be announced in the coming weeks.
“The goal is to bring people downtown and enhance their experience and celebrate our winter city,” Pincock said.
- With files from CTV's Scott Andersson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.