I used to live a couple of blocks away from the Manitoba Legislative Building. My apartment didn't face it, but I saw the building often when I went to work downtown. When the weather was decent, I'd walk home and pass by it.
I recently returned to the city to check this building out. It's under construction. The road leading up to the building's steps off Broadway was barricaded on a Monday evening.
This building is roughly three storeys tall and 250,000 square feet. What makes it special is its domed top with a statue called the Golden Boy. He represents Manitoba's eternal youth and progress. This building is a Manitoba provincial heritage site.
The Legislative Assembly is an independent entity, separate from the Government of Manitoba. The 57 members are elected in single-member constituencies to represent the people of Manitoba. They meet in this building. There are also offices for the Premier, the Lieutenant Governor, and the ministers and deputy ministers of all government departments.
When it's not under construction, it's free admission to visit it. When the Legislative Assembly is in session, you can watch the proceedings from the public gallery.
You can do a self-guided tour of the building, to soak in its history and architecture. It has statues of people, bison, sphinxes, and more.
From September through June, on Fridays at 2 pm, minus holidays, public tours are available. The catch is that you have to book an appointment before heading over to this building. I have a feeling that tours may not be as frequent these days with construction going on.
Although the steps up to this building look intimidating and the building is over a century old, it does accommodate those requiring wheelchairs to get around. It's a nice touch.
I'm not sure how long repairs will be happening. It was nice to see the Manitoba Legislative Building from afar, but I'd love to do a tour when the building is open to the public (I was there on Louis Riel Day) and I'm not in town for 1.5 days!
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