My husband and I no longer live in the North End of Winnipeg. We don't live anywhere in Winnipeg, for that matter. We moved into an RV, a home on wheels.
So, why didn't we just get another house in the City? That's easy to answer. We can't afford to live anywhere else. And I can't live in the North End anymore. But we can afford to purchase an older, used motorhome. And that is what we did.
I am not sure where we are going to 'live' now. I guess we will travel for a while and see what happens. (Follow our new adventures - Freedom at 51).
I would like to apologize to anyone who feels I have let them down with my leaving. But, one has to do what is best for oneself. I can no longer deal with the issues facing me on my street in the North End. It is not just the garbage in my back lane, or the illegal dumpers who think they can leave all their unwanted crap in my neighbourhood. It is not just the sirens, not just the helicopter, not just the constant fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars on my street. It is not just the graffiti now appearing in my lane. It is not just the partying that goes on all night long, and the yelling that we hear on the street. It is not just the drug houses on the street and the youth we see in neighbouring yards where they don't belong, uttering their threats as they look at us. It is not even just because someone broke into my house in the middle of the night when I was sleeping. It's the whole package. And I am sorry, but I just can't do it anymore.
We have left the North End for happier times.
If you want to know the turning point, the day we made the decision to leave, it was the day I wrote the blog post "The Decline And Fall of Civilization". That was the day I realized this City cares nothing of the North End, and will do nothing to fix it's issues.
North End, I wish you all the best going forward. And I pray the City will care enough to save you some day in the future.
Good day and God bless.
