My relationship to Winnipeg is not uncomplicated, but is dominated by genuine love for this place. I love it here. That’s been my response to everyone back in Toronto asking how it’s going in Winnipeg: a heartfelt “I love it here”. And I do. I haven’t always loved it here. I knew from a very young age that I was going to leave. At 17, I couldn’t get out of here fast enough after finishing high school (Dakota Collegiate, 1999). I wanted to be somewhere bigger and livelier, where I could meet new people and reinvent myself. Weather was not part of my motivation; fear of inertia was. I didn’t want to be one of the people that never went anywhere. What’s so wrong with never going anywhere? Nothing, really; there’s a huge diversity of experiences to be had right here in Winnipeg. But my horizons were always wide, distant, and irresistible. I had to follow that incredible pink and purple sunset - not knowing that it would never be as beautiful as it is right here. That’s what’s struck m...