Carnage on Portage

You would think that in 1957, with five kids under the age of six (three in diapers), and an enormous house and yard to tend to, Mom would not have a minute to herself. But it is because of those five kids that she embarked on a safety campaign that would take two years to complete.

The Fraser family in 1957. A handful in every sense.

In 1957 St. Charles was a small village that started at the Assiniboine River and straddled Portage Avenue. Because the area was sparsely populated, Portage Avenue was considered a regular highway right up to Kirkfield Park, well east of St. Charles. The speed limit was a dangerous 60 miles per hour. (The Perimeter Highway was not built until 1959, so there was no obvious signal to motorists that they were entering a city and should slow down.)

Knowing her kids would soon be crossing this deadly highway to go to school, Mom and several other like-minded parents banded together to campaign for a reduced speed limit through St. Charles.

This should have been a quick motherhood-and-apple-pie issue (or at least a motherhood one) for any responsible politician. But, no, it was a battle. Bureaucrats were not willing to inconvenience motorists, they stalled and passed the buck, and it took a stubborn and relentless campaign to force change. The warning cries of parents and editors went unheeded. They raised the alarm, asking "how many people have to die?" Alas, that's what it took; the answer is nine.

So, sit back and marvel at Mom's unwavering patience and persistence as you make your way through the campaign. She put her professional office skills to good use, and led the charge. There is no telling how many lives her campaign to reduce speed limits saved.

And so it begins. The original petition, June 1957

Excerpt from Graham Smith's "Moss I Gather" column, Winnipeg Tribune, July 31, 1957

"Please do not consider this letter as a stall..." August 14, 1957 

Appeal to the Highways Branch, August 16, 1957.

The Province passes the buck to the municipality, August 27, 1957 

Mom appeals to newspaper editors for support, September 1957

Winnipeg Free Press, October 1957

"Accidents have been occurring at an alarming rate." Another letter to the Highways Branch, October 18, 1957

Editors take up the charge. Winnipeg Free Press, Sept. 7, 1958

The point is made, sadly. The lead story in the Winnipeg Free Press, September 12, 1958.

The coroner weighs in. Winnipeg Free Press, September 23, 1958

Winnipeg Free Press, September 26, 1958

Reeve Sansome is sympathetic, but it's "not under Assiniboia's jurisdiction". St. James Leader, October 2, 1958 

After no action from Deputy Minister Collins, a letter is sent to the Minister of Public Works, October 15, 1958.

A decision is promised. Winnipeg Free Press, October 16, 1958.

The point is made - again - by another tragic death. Winnipeg Tribune, October 17, 1958

Gene Telpner's headline says it all, and the police are fed up, too. Winnipeg Free Press, October 1958

The jury admonishes the Province for its inaction. Winnipeg Free Press, October 1958

Hon. Errick Willis is shamed into action and tries to defend himself. Winnipeg Free Press, October 1958

"Must someone always die before a dangerous situation is corrected?" Winnipeg Free Press, no date.

Photo by Gerry Cairns, Winnipeg Free Press, October 1958. The caption read: "We're safe now! It took death and tragedy for St. Charles residents to get this sign but a speed limit was finally imposed through the village Monday. Action came following a highway death last week, as the result of a petition to Hon. Errick Willis, acting public works minister. Here Mrs. K. W. Alderson, of 258 Buchanan Street and Mrs. W. F. Hunt, of 179 Stewart Street, two active agitators for the speed curb, celebrate their victory. 

As you've seen, Mom kept a bulging file of the progress (or lack of progress) of her group's efforts. Her correspondence always remained polite and professional, even when she must have been seething with anger and frustration. She was indeed relentless and a force to be reckoned with.

Mom's logs below help summarize the campaign. She would include these notes with her correspondence, as needed.

Yes, it was a long campaign, and Mom must have reflected on it when the four Fraser girls volunteered as school patrols at St. Charles School. In those days, we stood in the middle of the oncoming lanes of Portage Avenue, puny arms outstretched, wearing our white canvas harness and hoping that truckers and motorists would observe that red light. We kept a close eye on the little kids, and on traffic barreling towards us.

But it was Mom who kept us all safe.