Windsor Park has been my home for as long as I can remember. It is located in east Regina and has a young and friendly neighbourhood feel. The area feels me with cheer everyday upon reminiscing on my childhood memories. It brings me daily deja vu of being at the park with my brother, walking around the lake with my family, going to swimming lessons at the near by pool, and countless runs trying to beat the bell after lunch with my friends. To me this area holds great value and will forever be my home.
History
Windsor Park is in Regina, but was not official until 1986. Prior to its formation it was a home too many Indigenous peoples, who often refered to the land as “oskana ka-asastēki” translating into the nickname Pile of Bones (City of Regina). The used the area to make large stacks of buffalo bones that were collected after hunting to honour the animals killed before it was shipped off. Which is where the name derived from.
The area was an important place to them, because of the buffalo hunting grounds but it was not long before the animal became over hunted by non Indigenous folks who did not respect their boundaries. Leading to a rocky start on what turned out to be an unsettling relationship with the Europeans. Regina now claims many traumatic historical moments such the hanging of Louis Riel, and Residential Schools.
Years later, as the city continued to grow rapidly, new subdivisions were born, Windsor Park being one of them. It was announced in 1986 and flourished until 2014 (City Of Regina), since then the neighbourhood has seen growth through condo buildings and but most had been accounted for by that time. The area is filled with many families because of the many child friendly amenities the neighbourhood presents and according to Saskatchewan Geographic Perspectives the neighbourhood “possesses high socio-economic status” (p. 312).
I believe one of the most important parts of this community is the school which happens to be the first dual K-8 school in Regina. Jack Mackenzie Elementary was my school, and the other side was St. Gabriel school. This school was a place that valued its community and created a very safe feel to the neighbourhood. In fact my best-friend is from the other school that was connected! Had it not been for the conjoined events and recesses who knows if i’d even know her. This was partially due to the man himself Mr Jack Mackenzie because he made school feel like family. He is someone every student and parent of that school will remember and who the sign is wishing happy birthday too. The schools motto was his words… “Where effort and kindness counts”(Jack Mackenzie) and you can see this reflected into the community engagement. Due to the location of this school and it presenting both a public and catholic option it brought in many families with children to the area. Making it a fairly young populated area, regardless of it roots being formed decades of years ago.
Photobook
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Chart Analysis
| TYPE OF SIGNAGE | English | French | Bilingual | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road signs | 1 | N/A | N/A | 1 |
| Storefronts | 2 | N/A | 1 | 3 |
| Building signs | 3 | N/A | N/A | 3 |
| Advertisements | 1 | N/A | 1 | 2 |
| Street signs | 4 | N/A | N/A | 4 |
| Totals: | 11 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
Reflection
While exploring my area I was able to look at the place I have been living in for the last 16 years through a different lens. I became hyper aware of my surroundings and noticed details like the sign about keeping your dog on a leash that would typically go unseen because of the business of my life. It forced me to look at things that were new and those that had remained the same from my childhood. My first step to this assignment was to take my dog for a walk around the lake near my house and pay attention to the conversations from those passing. I kept count… out of the 8 pairs/families I came across, 7 of them were speaking English and only 1 spoke what sounded to me like Korean. It was something I never paid attention to previously because English is my normal but, I had come to the realization that my zone is a primarily English speaking community. This is reflected on the street signage, information boards, school names, and even the people you see walking. Someone foreign to my area would drive up and see the giant brick sign reading “Windsor Park ” and come to the same conclusion that we are a middle class, English speaking neighbourhood.
After my walk with my dog I began to dig deeper into my memory and ask questions. Has my community always been this way? Did any of my friends speak a different language? Did I have any neighbours from another part of the world next to me? Unfortunately my answers were not what I was hoping for, yes my community’s signs are in english, all of my friends only spoke english and until last week everyone on my street that I know is from this country. Not to say there is not any bilingualism, the mailbox was the only place I saw French and the store sign Kumon originated from the Japanese language even though it has been anglicized.It was a start but very minimal effort to a multicultural community.
This analysis of my neighbourhood proves that even though we welcome newcomers we need to learn to be more inclusive in our daily sights. Change could be made by writing French translations on our stop signs or setting a goal to incorporate at least 3 bilingual signs in every neighbourhood, regardless of what the majority of people speak. We do not need to take away English, we simply need to make our subdivisions feel as welcome as our country says we are. These goals may be directly out of our reach, but we as communities can use our voices to advocate towards the government for this change.
Lastly, it shed light on my own language barrier. I am someone who never thought twice about seeing different languages on signs because my whole world is English, everyone I frequently associate with and all my relatives only speak English. I am someone who would be defined as a white English female, who lives in a good community and I think that blinded me to the changes I now want to make. My community defines me, but who’s to say it can not also show some representation to the family that just moved to Canada before the pandemic and are now my next door neighbours.
Citations
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/history/EPISCONTENTSE1EP10CH4PA4LE.html
Regina History & Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.regina.ca/about-regina/regina-history-facts/
Regina History & Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.regina.ca/about-regina/regina-history-facts/
Saskatchewan.(n.d.).Retrieved from https://books.google.ca/books? id=J18N8Py8nqgC&pg=PA312&lpg=PA312&dq=definition+of+windsor+park+regina&source=bl&ots=YNgL_y5V7p&sig=ACfU3U0sStkX2ZtAs7j4NfN3sHKxiIUx8g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjxuMKytbHzAhXSm-AKHU9EBAEQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=definition of windsor park regina&f=false