Community activist.
Born at Toronto, Ontario on 21 September 1947, son of Noach Podolak, he moved to Winnipeg in 1968 and attended the University of Manitoba. After a two-year absence from the city, he returned and was founding artistic director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival (1974) and founder of Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre. In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt (1986) and Order of Manitoba (2015). He also received a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (1986) and an honorary doctorate from Brandon University (2015). He died at Winnipeg on 24 August 2019.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Matthews Anglican Church / Elim Chapel / St. Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church / West End Cultural Centre (586 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg)
“Podolak's last hurrah,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 July 1986, page 37.
“Mitch Podolak, founder of Winnipeg Folk Festival and West End Cultural Centre, dies,” CBC News, 26 August 2019.
We thank Sheila Grover, Mark Podolak, and Belle Jarniewski for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 11 July 2026
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