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The haunting of Winnipeg city
Winnipeg Ghost Walk offers tour to the other side
Grace Paizen, staff
Winnipeg has a long and rich history of paranormal fame.
At the height of spiritualism in post-First World War Canada, carried over from a popular Victorian diversion of attempting to communicate with the dead, T.G. Hamilton, owner of Hamilton House — still standing in the Elmwood area — hosted seances and captured photographs of alleged ectoplasm.
This inexplicably active portal to the other side, conveniently based in Winnipeg, brought followers from all over the country to experience the phenomenon. Even former prime minister William Lyon MacKenzie King and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame participated in the ectoplasmic playground of Hamilton House.
In celebration of our haunted city, author and ghost enthusiast Matthew Komus developed Winnipeg Ghost Walk tours for the brave souls who wish to learn more of the history of Winnipeg and its residents who are no longer viable to be claimed on the census.
For the entire month of October, Winnipeg Ghost Walk will be hosting tours starting in the Exchange District every Thursday through Saturday starting at 7 p.m. in Old Market Square. At $15 a ticket, this activity has lots of bang for students’ buck.
The walking tour highlights stories of the paranormal from Old Market Square to Pantages Playhouse Theatre to the Burton Cummings Theatre.
Tickets for the Ghost Walk can be purchased on site, but with a 25-person tour capacity, online is your best bet to guarantee a night of spooks.
This is an outdoor event, so be sure to dress for the weather and bring snacks. Who knows, maybe a ghost will ask for a bite of your granola bar.
For our city’s beloved cyclists, Winnipeg Ghost Walk and Bike Winnipeg are pairing up to host a Pedal Powered Ghost Tour on Oct. 16 through the Seven Oaks area, complete with visiting Seven Oaks House, whose claim to fame is being the oldest haunted house in Winnipeg — though, whether oldest necessarily means haunted is for the tour group to determine.
With the cycling tour notably on Oscar Wilde’s birthday, if Hamilton’s portal to the spirit realm remains open, perhaps the famous playwright will pay a visit.
The Pedal Powered Ghost Tour starts at 7:30 p.m. and also costs $15.
While on tour, you can pick up your own copy of the Haunted Winnipeg: Ghost Stories from the Heart of the Continent from your tour guide. Written by Komus, the book gives a detailed overview of the city’s most infamous hauntings.
Winnipeg Ghost Walk is a great opportunity for horror genre lovers, ghost enthusiasts and amateur ghost hunters to get to know the city’s rich past of paranormal activity.
Information and tickets for the Winnipeg Ghost Walk tour and Pedal Powered Ghost Tour can be found at winnipegghostwalk.com
arts@themanitoban.com
Bisons soccer splits weekend series
Cavalcanti continues to lead herd in scoring
SPORTS
Matthew Merkel, staff The U of M Bisons women’s soccer team lost their first game of a weekend series against the University of Regina Cougars, only to rebound the next day and win the second.
The first half of game one was a physical affair. Numerous fouls were taken fighting for loose balls, including a Bianca Cavalcanti collision with Cougars goalie Allyson Ford.
There were many chances for both sides in the half. Breakaways from Cougars forward Nicole Klassen and Bison rookie Jordan Cistarelli were stymied by each team’s defenders. In the 13th minute, Bison defender Shaylyn Dyck was awarded a penalty. The fifth-year put too much power behind her kick, sending her penalty sailing over the opponent’s net, a big break for the Cougars.
In the 39th minute, the stalemate was broken as Bianca Cavalcanti finished a dangerous cross in front from Camila Goldsztein, making the game 1-0 for the Bisons.
Cavalcanti’s celebrations were cut short soon after scoring, as a Haylee Evans tackle flipped Cavalcanti in the air, sending the Brazilian national falling to the ground and crashing her neck into the turf. After lying on the field for a few minutes, Cavalcanti walked off with the help of an athletic therapist. The Bisons’ leading scorer remained on the Manitoba sideline for the rest of the game. Cavalcanti’s absence on the field appeared to rattle the Bisons, helping the Cougars swing the momentum in their favour. The Cougars held possession in the Bisons’ end for the majority of the half, relentlessly sending balls at their net.
Although Bison goalie Karina Bagi tried her best to prevent the Cougars from tying the game, the U of R eventually found twine. Fourth- year Cougar forward Kyra Vibert broke through the Bisons’ defence and shot a ball past the left of Bagi, evening the score at 1.
The Cougars continued to amp up the offence. In the 74th minute, Cougar Sally Bachmann was stopped by Bagi on a breakaway from the top of the box. Unfortunately for the Bisons, the resulting corner kick resulted in a Sophia Stevens goal for the U of R, putting the Cougars up 2-1.
The Cougars would continue to dictate the majority of the play by putting the Bisons on the defensive, stifling any hope of a comeback and helping the Cougars walk away with the win.
The impact of losing Cavalcanti for the Bisons can be seen when looking at each team’s shots on net. After putting up ten shots in the first half, the Cougars would keep the Bisons to four in the second, compared to the Cougars’ eight.
Although Saturday afternoon’s game was an inconsistent effort, the Bisons would put on a dominant performance in game two.
Less than four minutes into the Sunday matinee, a rejuvenated Cavalcanti flew through the Cougars’ box, heading in a corner kick to put the herd up 1-0.
Cavalcanti and the Bisons did not let up, holding the Cougars in their end for the majority of the half, tiring out the U of R backline.
In the 41st minute, Bison midfielder Alexandria Paul dribbled the ball uncontested to the Regina net, firing it past Allyson Ford.
In the second half, the Bisons continued to play keep-away from the Cougars. Plugging up the midfield, the Bisons shut the Cougars out of the interior.
Playing in a much more defensive role, U of M’s Jessica Tsai and Tabata Bravo won many one-on-one battles
— Jenna Kunkel, first-year Bison women’s soccer player
and cleared any dangerous loose balls, helping the Bisons secure their fourth win of the season and splitting the weekend series.
Sunday’s win was integral in the herd’s pursuit of the Canada West playoffs. The U of M is one point back of the U of R for the final playoff spot in the east division.
The week prior, the Bisons helped their bid by winning both games of a weekend series against the University of Winnipeg, including a 5-1 win in the Duckworth Challenge game.
Bison forward Jenna Kunkel said she and her team were very motivated to strike quickly against their cross-town rivals. Kunkel had two goals and an assist in the game, helping her garner the title of Bison athlete of the week.
“I think we came into the game very prepared,” said Kunkel.
“We’ve been preparing all pre-season and [the University of Winnipeg] is a huge rival, so we were very, very motivated to win that game.”
“It’s a big derby, and we just came out there and […] got off to a very quick start, and we got a goal early and I think as a team we just kept fighting and we just won every ball.”
Kunkel and her Bison teammates will be looking to add a couple more wins onto their belt at home against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Oct. 15 and 16. The first-year forward said the wins for the Bisons will come if they continue to build on the success they’ve had this season.
“We just got to keep doing what we’re doing, the wins will come and as the season progresses, I think now that we have played a few games we will be able to wrap up the season with more wins than losses if we keep going along the path we are going,” said Kunkel.
