by Fred Morris
21 November 2025
Dominion Street is named after the official terminology of our great nation "Dominion of Canada."
Winnipeg Football Fans fondly remember the Bombers two-day 1962 Grey Cup victory in the Fog Bowl. In the deciding game of the Western Final, the Bombers were trailing Calgary 7-6. Gerry James missed the game-winning last play field goal but the ball got into the end zone. Calgary tried unsuccessfully to kick the ball out of the end zone. Farrell Funston, a Sargent Park School teacher and Bomber Tight End playing with an injured knee, fell on the ball for the winning touchdown. WHAT IF this unusual play had experienced a more predictable outcome? We will conclude this Dominion Street Story with another WHAT IF.
In 1905, Charles Brown, a night watchman, is the first Dominion street resident to be listed in the Henderson Directory.
Between 1942 and 1984, only two people represented Winnipeg North Center in Parliament. Both Stanley Knowles and PC lawyer John MacLean (1958-1962) moved to Dominion Street after being elected. Knowles is remembered for fighting for pensions, Medicare, and social programs. Also, he mastered all the parliamentary rules. He received many honours including the Order Of Canada and the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt. A school and park are named in his memory. Vida Knowles and Majorie Mann, an Ottawa-based family friend, produced a Second World War CCF Cook Book called Canadian Favourities.
In 1960, Bill McGarva began a 20-year political career by being elected Alderman in Ward 2 of the old City of Winnipeg. In 1971, he was elected in the Sargent Park Ward to the first 50-person Unicity Winnipeg City Council. Also, Bill worked for 38 years at Moores Taxi. Between 1961 and 1965, Terry Hind served as a Winnipeg Ward 2 Alderman. Between 1986 and 1992, Ernie Gilroy was a Winnipeg City Councillor.
I found several Dominion Street links to the Falcons hockey program. Slim Haldorson, a Manitoba Hockey Hall of Famer, played for the 1920 Winnipeg Falcons who won Canada's first hockey Gold Medal at the Antwerp Belgium 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1924-1925, Slim played on the Stanley Cup-winning Victoria Cougars. The Cougars are the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup. He scored the first-ever goal for the Detroit Cougars (now known as the Red Wings). After his hockey playing days, Slim worked for the Manitoba Liquor Commission. Prior to their gold medal season, 1919-1920 the Falcons season, Fred Thordarson, a Falcon Executive and Royal Bank Manager, played a pivotal role in the difficult negotiations to secure ice time at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre. The following season, Fred was on the executive of the Winnipeg Junior Falcons (Winnipeg's forgotten championship team). The Junior Falcons defeated Howie Morenz's Stratford Midgets to become the first Western Canadian Memorial Cup champions. Harold McMunn was a player on that 1920-1921 Winnipeg Junior Falcons team. In 1924, he played for the Toronto Granites Olympic champions. He worked for 48 years at Moore Business Forms. On 27 April 2003, Viola Perkins (Slim Haldorson's daughter) dropped the puck for a First Lutheran hockey game commemorating the 1920 Olympic Champion Falcons at the Winnipeg Winter Club. In 2002, Shirley McCreedy (Fred Thordarson's daughter) played an important role in reminding the hockey world that the 1920 Falcons, not the 1924 Toronto Granites, had been Canada's first hockey gold medal team.
Jack Hind, a veteran of the First World War, founded the Rosedale baseball organization. In 1943, Jack, age 51, and son Terry, a super star pitcher age 23, both pitched for the CUAC Senior Baseball championship team. The Howe family in Houston in the mid 1970s were not first two-generational championship team. Terry went on to become one of Winnipeg's greatest sports executives. He was the General Manager of 1957, 1959 and 1960 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Champions. Terry and Jack (posthumously) were both inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1964, Terry was the President of the Winnipeg Maroons Allan Cup hockey championships. He was also involved in the management of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and various amateur sports teams.
Wayne Finucan was a drummer for various bands. He performed at Le Voyaguer Hotel, at Eatons fashion shows, on CBC's Music Hop, and the International Inn's Hollow Mug. He later operated a Sargent Avenue production studio.
Sargent Park School opened on 31 January 1949. Sybil Shack was the first Principal. A writer and broadcaster for CBC Radio's educational programs, Sybil received the Order of Canada and the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt. My uncle Archer Goodridge spent the last four years of his five-decade education career as the Librarian at Sargent Park. Axel Vponfjord had a five-decade education career. During the 1950s, he helped establish Tec Voc Vocational High School.
Many Dominion street residents had long careers. William Capelle was a Winnipeg police officer for 38 years. He was one our City's first motorcycle police officers. Also, he helped organize school patrols. Lawrence Pybus spent 43 years with Winnipeg Electric which became Winnipeg Hydro. Thomas Gardiner worked for 36 years with the CPR. Godfrey Holmes, a fire inspector, worked for 32 years with Western Fire Underwriters.
In 1944, Fred Edwards won the Real Estate Trophy in the Greater Winnipeg Garden Contest. In 1947, Arnold Page and Sherrill Stephen won the Class D District 2 Free Press Vegetable Garden Competition.
Sally McGarva was involved in the Seniors Olympics and was named Mrs Seniors Olympics. Irene and John Hunchak were married for 71 years. At the age of 92, John formed a band which include his daughter Elaine. The band produced a CD that attracted the attention of CBC national news. Lilia Arnason (1989) and Shirley McCreedy ( 1993) were Fjalconas at the Gimli Icelandic Festival.
On the Children's Page of the 25 September 1926 Winnipeg Free Press, Edith Benson's prize drawing called "A Mid Summer Nights Dream" was featured. In April 1940, Rose Cooper and Shelia Hargraves both had entries on the Children Page.
In May 1939, Shirley Thordarson, a student of Daniel Mac, was a member of a 462-member choir that sang for the King George and Queen Elizabeth, during the 1939 Royal Visit.
Between the 1950s and 1980s, Alex Kapitany was a qualified journeyman electrician. On 8 June 1954 at 1:30, Alex and some other Eatons electricians left their work inside Eatons to investigate a small fire in a neon sign in the Time Building kitty corner to Eatons. Alex offered to use his wire cutters to cut the power to BX Cable. Alex's offer was refused. The fire quickly spread, damaging and destroying several buildings. There was almost $3 million in property damage. WHAT IF Alex had been allowed to use his wire cutters?
Next March is the 70th Anniversary of the organization of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church. I am compiling a list of 70 St. Stephens members. I am asking people to vote for who should on this list. More details are available by contacting me at fredmorris@hotmail.com.
Page revised: 12 September 2026
