Pierce Ford
The majority of information about Manitoba that people outside of Manitoba are familiar with comes from movies, such as the fact that Winnipeg is the Slurpee Capital of the World or that it is colder there than on Mars.
A region of the red planet has recently been awarded the name of our capital by NASA. With its abundance of natural wonders, cosmic phenomena, and high-calibre, Hollywood-worthy festivals, Manitoba is actually a very cool place on Earth, even without those extraterrestrial accolades. These 43 entertaining Manitoban facts will astound you.
- Charles Thorson, the artist of Snow White, grew raised in Gimli. Many people think that the waitress Thorson encountered at a restaurant in Winnipeg’s West End served as the model for the Disney Studios version of Snow White.
- In honour of the city of Winnipeg, a black bear cub named Winnie served as the model for the Winnie-the-Pooh figure.
- James Bond was based on Sir William Stephenson, a well-known WWII spymaster who was born and reared in Winnipeg.
- Actors from Manitoba, like Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers, Suicide Squad), and Anna Paquin, have cultivated the seventh art (X-Men, True Blood). Without a doubt, Guy Maddin is our most well-known filmmaker and producer.
- Famous musicians including Neil Young, Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, Randy Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Weakerthans, Tom Cochrane, Bif Naked, Fred Penner, Bob Rock, and Al Simmons were all born in Manitoba.
- One of the longest skating rinks in the world is something Winnipeg is proud of. Starting in downtown The Forks, it takes skaters six to nine kilometres along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers while being lined with heated huts created by architects from all over the world.
- The oldest outdoor theatre in Canada is The Rainbow Stage. It has been performing Broadway musicals in the centre of Kildonan Park in Winnipeg since 1955.
- The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is both the oldest continually operational dance group in North America and the oldest in Canada.
- The northernmost port in Canada is Churchill, Manitoba. Because polar bears live there and travel to Hudson Bay nearby, it is known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.”
- With 358 hours of sunshine per year, Winnipeg can boast of having the sunniest winters in all of Canada.
