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By
Bartley
Kives
Winnipeg
Free
Press
Saturday,
May
4,
2002
Last
Spring,
Free
Press
photographer
Phil
Hossack
and
I
paddled
the
lower
14
kilometres
of
Omand's
Creek,
following
the
waterway
from
bucolic
farmland
in
the
R.M.
of
Rosser,
past
the
industrial
wastes
of
Dublin
Avenue
and
the
big-box
stores
of
Empress
Street
on
the
way
down
to
its
mouth
at
the
Assiniboine
River.
We
were
shocked
to
find
an
abundance
of
wildlife
sharing
space
with
an
even
more
shocking
mess
of
garbage
on
what
has
to
be
the
most
abused
of
Winnipeg's
eight
waterways.
The
illuminating
four-hour
trip
got
me
hooked
on
the
concept
of
urban
canoeing-the
idea
that
any
sliver
of
water
is
navigable
if
you
pick
the
right
time,
and
choose
a
bulletproof
boat.
Omand's
Creek
is
only
navigable
for
about
two
weeks
out
of
every
year.
This
moisture-deprived
spring,
you
couldn't
paddle
it
at
all.
So
my
attention
turned
to
Winnipeg's
most
picturesque
waterway,
the
Seine
River,
especially
after
property
developer
Ladco
enraged
conservationists
last
month
by
cutting
a
swath
through
riverside
forest
in
southern
St.
Vital.
The
issue
is
pretty
simple:
The
developer
wants
to
build
a
bridge
connecting
future
homes
on
the
east
side
of
the
Seine
to
Southglen
Boulevard
on
the
west.
Conservation
group
Save
Our
Seine
is
against
the
structure,
especially
since
another
new
bridge
is
set
to
cross
the
Seine
only
half
a
kilometre
to
the
south,
at
Warde
Avenue.
One
properly
built
bridge
at
Warde
Avenue
should
be
able
to
satisfy
everybody.
But
to
get
a
handle
on
the
meandering
river
that
inspires
so
much
passion,
I
had
to
paddle
it.
Underground
From
headwaters
south
of
Marchand,
MB,
the
Seine
snakes
about
70
kilometres
from
southeastern
Manitoba
and
through
Winnipeg
before
it
drains
into
the
Red
River,
just
east
of
Whittier
Park.
It
is
interrupted
by
the
Winnipeg
Floodway,
which
forces
the
Seine's
water
underground
for
an
entire
kilometre,
which
prevents
fish
and
paddlers
from
enjoying
its
entire
length.
Last
Sunday,
I
canoed
most
of
the
Seine's
run
within
city
limits,
beginning
just
north
of
the
Floodway
at
Prairie
Grove
Road.
Despite
warnings
from
other
paddlers
about
endless,
time-consuming
meanders
the
25-kilometre
trip
took
only
six
leisurely
hours.
The
first
stretch
of
Winnipeg's
portion
of
the
Seine,
from
Prairie
Grove
to
the
Perimeter
Highway
and
on
up
to
Bishop
Grandin
Boulevard,
is
almost
pristine.
This
time
of
year,
Canada
geese
protect
their
young
at
every
bend,
while
mating
pairs
of
mallards,
wood
ducks
and
solitary
muskrats
are
very
common.
Evidence
of
beaver
activity
is
everywhere,
but
the
Seine
is
remarkably
passable.
Over
the
course
of
25
clicks,
fellow
paddler
Shaun
Murphy
and
I
only
had
to
jump
out
of
our
aluminum
Grumman
six
times
for
small
carry-overs.
Otherwise
we
didn't
encounter
a
single
portage.
The
weight
of
history
also
is
tangible
on
the
Seine,
as
the
area
near
John
Bruce
Road
used
to
be
Louis
Riel's
old
stomping
ground.
But
as
soon
as
you
cross
underneath
Bishop
Grandin,
the
river
demystifies
and
urbanizes,
winding
alongside
middle-class
backyards
and
three
unnaturally
green
golf
courses
on
its
way
to
Fermor
Avenue
and
Marion
Street.
This
stretch
of
the
Seine
is
clearly
enjoyed
by
its
human
residents,
many
of
whom
sport
canoes
on
riverside
yards
fortified
with
erosion
barriers.
But
it's
also
home
to
plenty
of
garbage,
from
the
usual
urban
detritus
of
plastic
bags
and
liquor
bottles
to
more
obnoxious
blocks
of
concrete
and
discarded
furniture.
Abused
North
of
Marion
is
where
the
Seine
is
really
abused,
as
scrap
metal
is
strewn
along
the
riverbank,
a
rusted
vintage
car
pokes
out
of
the
bush
and
some
undetermined
industrial
venture
has
deliberately
dumped
a
pile
of
wood
chips
and
tree
stumps
right
into
the
river!
Even
worse,
the
riverbank
just
south
of
Provencher
Boulevard
is
polluted
with
an
ugly
and
pungent
mass
of
coal
tar
on
land
adjacent
to
shingle
company
IKO
Manitoba
Ltd.
This
mess,
which
dates
back
more
than
50
years,
predates
the
company's
acquisition
of
the
plant
and
will
be
cleaned
up
as
soon
as
an
engineering
firm
completes
a
soil
remediation
study,
IKO
spokesman
John
Stefaniuk
says.
But
even
some
sludgy
black
stuff
doesn't
destroy
the
Seine
experience
near
the
bottom
of
the
river.
This
close
to
the
mouth,
you
finally
can
see
the
splash
of
catfish
or
carp.
By
the
time
you
enter
the
wider
windy
Red
River
at
Whittier
Park,
you'll
be
sorry
to
leave
the
intimate
confines
of
the
Seine.
From
a
recreational
travel
standpoint,
this
is
a
gimme
of
a
daytrip.
Just
make
sure
you
take
a
tough
canoe,
(ABS,
kevlar
or
aluminum
will
do),
prepare
to
get
your
feet
wet
on
the
carry-overs
and
put
aside
your
claustrophobia
for
passages
through
two
narrow
culverts-one
at
[Prairie
Grove]
Road,
the
other
at
a
contemptuously
low
bridge
at
Windsor
Park
Golf
Course.
And
be
wary-if
you
attempt
narrow
culvert
passages
after
a
heavy
rainfall,
you
might
get
stuck!
To
shorten
your
trip
you
can
put
your
canoe
in
at
Bishop
Grandin.
Wherever
you
start,
get
someone
to
shuttle
your
vehicle
to
Whittier
Park,
right
next
to
Fort
Gibraltar.
You
also
can
continue
the
trip
an
additional
2.5
kilometres
by
paddling
along
the
Red
River
to
The
Forks,
where
you
can
dock
your
canoe
and
grab
a
latté.
Finally,
a
note
of
caution:
The
Seine
is
only
one
metre
deep,
but
you
still
need
to
regard
it
as
a
waterway.
Take
lifejackets,
a
bailer
and
an
extra
line
of
rope,
along
with
a
rainshell,
drinking
water
and
plenty
of
carbs.
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