Everything about Winkler Manitoba totally explained
Winkler is a small
city with a population of about 9,100 (2006) located in southern
Manitoba,
Canada. As the largest city in the
Pembina Valley, Winkler serves as a regional hub for
commerce,
agriculture and
industry.
It is Manitoba's seventh-largest city (as of
2006) and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the province.
History
Winkler's history dates back to
1874 when
Russian Mennonites began settling in the area. These first Mennonite inhabitants were part of deeply religious communities, for the most part, but didn't establish confessional churches. The first official
Mennonite Brethren congregation was founded in Winkler in
1888 as a result of mission work from the
United States. In
1892, Winkler was officially founded by
Valentine Winkler, a
lumber entrepreneur and
politician who owned and operated his own lumber business in nearby
Morden. Because Winkler's many customers from the Mennonite settlement wanted him to build a market in their vicinity, he persuaded the
Canadian Pacific Railway to build a
spur route on the northeastern edge of the settlement where Winkler had been established.
Winkler was incorporated as a
village on
May 9,
1906. By that time, the flourishing village had become home to a number of
German,
Jewish and
Anglo-Saxon merchants. The Mennonites began moving into the village soon after; by
World War I, they outnumbered all other groups.
During the
1930s, a large number of Jewish and German merchants emigrated from Winkler, causing a decline in population. However, the village's population increased after
World War II, and on
April 7,
1954, Winkler was incorporated as a
town.
Following a halt in growth during the
1960s, the town's rapid growth in population resumed and continued into the
1990s. On April 7,
2002, Winkler was officially granted city status. The city celebrated its
centennial anniversary in summer
2006.
Geography and climate
Located on the western edge of the
Red River Valley, Winkler is located at the corner of provincial highways 14 and 32. It is approximately 100 kilometres southwest of
Winnipeg and 70 kilometres northwest of a 24-hour
United States border crossing at
Emerson.
Winkler is situated on the
prehistoric beaches of
Lake Agassiz. The lake's
shores were formed over 10,000 years ago by the
Pembina Escarpment, located a few
kilometres west of Winkler. A secondary beach known as the Emerado Beach lies to the west of Winkler. This gentle rise in
elevation was formed thousands of years ago when the draining of
Lake Agassiz temporarily stalled. Winkler has an elevation of 272 metres
above sea level.
The rich
soils of the area are separated by the Emerado Beach. Coarser textured
loamy
sand soils, located to the west, are suitable for
irrigation and produce
potato,
corn and
bean crops. To the east, finer textured
clay soils produce
sugar beets,
canola, beans, corn and small
grains.
Winkler's
climate is typically
continental, resulting in dry cold
winters and hot, frequently dry
summers. Summer temperatures typically range from 20 to 30°C, while winter temperatures average between -15 and -25°C. The Winkler area obtains the most heat units for
crop production in Manitoba. Winkler receives an annual average of 416mm of
precipitation (most of which falls during the spring and summer months) and 119.7cm of
snow. Winkler's average frost-free period is 125 days.
Economy
Winkler is the economic hub of southern Manitoba. The retail trading area serves an estimated 17,000 households. 4,380 people are employed in Winkler. Approximately 30% of the work force is employed in the industrial sector. The city's second-largest employer, employing 20% of the work force, is the
health and
education sector.
A number of
industries have grown and developed in Winkler throughout the years. One of Winkler's largest employers is
Triple E Recreational Vehicles, a
recreational vehicle manufacturer and the only class A motor home builder in Canada. Other products manufactured in Winkler include
mobile homes,
houseboats, farm equipment,
windows and
doors. Two foundries, a straw fibre plant and a tire recycling plant are also located in Winkler.
Winkler's agricultural sector is one of the most productive and diversified in Manitoba. The area surrounding Winkler is home to rich, fertile soils which are especially suited to growing potatoes. However, many other crops are grown in the area, including
wheat, canola, corn and beans. The area's livestock operations also continue to grow;
hogs and
cattle are raised, while dairy farms contribute to the making of
cheese.
Business development in Winkler has boomed in the years since incorporation. On average, the city becomes home to 10-20 new businesses per year. In
2002 55 new businesses were established in Winkler. The increase in new businesses can be attributed to low
taxes, reasonably priced
real estate and cooperation between the city and entrepreneurs. One example of this is the recently established
Incubator Mall, a city-owned, five office facility that gives new businesses the opportunity to rent office space at moderate rates. Once those businesses outgrow the space, they relocate, making room for new
startups.
Government and politics
Winkler is governed by a
mayor and six
councillors who are elected by residents. The current mayor of Winkler is
Martin Harder. The current city councillors of Winkler are
deputy mayor Marvin Plett, Lloyd Thiessen, Henry Siemens, Ron Neufeld, Herb Dick and Ken J. Wiebe.
Winkler is represented in the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (as part of the
Pembina riding) by
Progressive Conservative MLA Peter George Dyck and in the
Canadian House of Commons (as part of the
Portage—Lisgar riding) by
Conservative MP Brian Pallister.
Transport
Winkler's chief transport connection to other communities is the highway system.
Winnipeg is accessible from Winkler either via
PTH 14 and
PTH 3 or via
PR 428 or
PTH 23 and
PTH 75 or
PTH 14 and
PTH 75.
PTH 32 leads directly to the Winkler Port of Entry on the
Canada-U.S. border. A 4-lane
divided highway connects Winkler and the other major town of the region, Morden.
Winkler Airport (CKZ7, ) is located in the city's
industrial park. It has two runways: 08/26, a 2,900 ft (884 m)
turf/
asphalt runway; and 17/35, a turf strip. Aircraft which need a longer runway are advised to use the
Morden Regional Aerodrome which is located 9 km from Winkler and has a 3,937 ft (1,200 km) asphalt runway.
The city has one
taxi service, Pembina Valley Taxi. It is also served by
Greyhound Lines which operates a daily bus service to and from Winnipeg during the week.
Purolator and
DHL courier services also serve Winkler.
Canadian Pacific Railway has a
spur route going into Winkler's industrial park.
Demographics
City of Winkler
Population by year |
| 1991 |
6,400 |
| 1996 |
7,245 |
| 2001 |
7,999 |
Winkler has long been and continues to be one of Manitoba's fastest growing cities. In the previous
census (
2001), Winkler had a population of 7,943. In the
2006 census, Winkler had a population of 9,106, an increase of 14.6%.
As of the
Canada 2001 Census, there are 2,885 households and 2,135
families residing in the city of Winkler. The
population density is 466.7/km² (180.2/mi²). There are 2,890 housing units at an average density of 170.0/km² (65.6/mi²).
The most common ancestries in Winkler (as of
1996) are
German (65.2%),
Dutch (
Netherlands) (24.7%), Canadian (23.0%),
Russian (10.0%),
Ukrainian (2.1%),
French (1.5%),
Aboriginal (1.2%),
Scottish (1.0%),
Irish (0.9%),
Polish (0.8%) and
Icelandic (0.2%). Most Winklerites are of Mennonite descent. The racial makeup of the city (as of 2001) is 98.8%
White, 0.4%
Chinese, 0.38% Aboriginal, 0.1%
Black, 0.1%
South Asian and 0.1%
Southeast Asian.
The
Mennonite faith is the largest faith in Winkler, accounting for 54.8% of the population in 2001. Other religious groupings include other
Christian denominations (21.5%), other
Protestant denominations (7.3%),
Baptist (4.0%),
Lutheran (2.0%),
United Church (1.8%),
Roman Catholic (1.2%),
Evangelical Missionary Church (1.2%),
Anglican (1.0%),
Pentecostal (1.0%) and other faiths (0.8%). 96.4% of the city's residents are Christian. 2.6% have no religious affiliation.
There are 2,885 households out of which 36.2% are married couples living together with children, 30.8% are married couples living together without children, 25.5% are one-person households and 7.6% are multiple-family households,
single parent family households or non-family households other than one-person households. 90.2% of Winkler's 2,135 families are married couple families, while 1.4% are common-law couple families and 8.2% are single parent families. The average household size is 3.0 and the average family size is 3.3.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.6% under the age of 15, 8.5% from 15 to 19, 8.1% from 20 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 12.1% from 45 to 54, 7.1% from 55 to 64 and 17.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The
median age is 34.3 years. For every 100
females there are 94.8
males.
The average
income for a family in the city is $44,227. The average income for all workers is $22,423, with males earning an average income of $27,787 and females earning an average income of $16,061. The average income for full-time, full-year workers is $30,779. Males who work full-time for a full year earn an average of $34,326 while females who work full-time for a full year earn an average of $23,546.
15.9% of Winkler's population is foreign-born. 1,832 immigrants settled in Winkler from 1999 to 2004, with 465 arriving in 2004 alone. Most immigrants to Winkler are
Russian-Germans,
Germans originating from
Germany, or returning
Low German Mennonites from
Latin America due to the city's
German linguistic and religious linkages. Russian-German immigrants are also drawn to the similarity of the region's geography to that of
Russia.
Culture
The Pembina Thresherman's Museum is situated on Highway 3 between Winkler and Morden. It includes a number of historical buildings in a village setting and a collection of agricultural machinery, tools and household items, as well as a meeting hall.
Winkler's main festival is the Harvest Festival and Exhibition. Held at the Winkler Parkland in mid-August, it features a
parade, midway, live stage entertainment, fireworks,
rodeo and more.
Canada Day celebrations are held at the Winkler Parkland on
July 1 of each year, although in 2007 the celebrations were held on July 2, since July 1 fell on a Sunday. The Cripple Creek Music Festival takes place on the fourth Sunday in July.
Residents of Winkler are known as Winklerites.
Education
Winkler's
public school system is the Garden Valley School Division, which consists of four
elementary schools - Winkler Elementary School, Parkland Elementary School, J.R. Walkof School, Emerado Centennial School and one
high school, Garden Valley Collegiate-(GVC). As of July 2005, it had a total enrollment of 4,121 students. A junior high school Emerado Centennial School opened in October 2006. There are no
private schools operating within the city.
Garden Valley Technical School (gvctec) is the new vocational campus that has opened in Winkler.
Red River College operates a regional campus in Winkler, serving 1,500 students each year. The Red River College-Winkler Community Learning Centre is located at 100-561 Main Street.
According to the
Canada 2001 Census, 42% of Winkler residents between the ages of 20 and 34 don't have a high school education. According to the same census, 93% of Winkler residents between the ages of 20 and 34 don't have a university certificate, diploma or degree. Winkler has approximately twice as many people on average who don't have a high school or university education than the average Manitoban population within this age group.
Media
Winkler's local newspaper is
The Winkler Times, published weekly and distributed to more than 17,000 households. The
Southern Shopper & Regional Review, published in
Darlingford twice a month, targets southern Manitoba and is distributed to over 15,000 households. The
Winnipeg Free Press and
Winnipeg Sun are available daily.
Winkler is home to two
radio stations of its own, both of which are owned and operated by
Altona-based
Golden West Broadcasting.
CKMW, a
country music station, was established in
1980 and broadcasts at 1570 kHz on the
AM dial.
CJEL, an
adult contemporary music station branded as The Eagle 93.5, launched in
2000 and is the only
FM radio station in the Pembina Valley.
Though they're not based in Winkler, several other radio stations are notable in the Winkler area. The signal from Golden West's
easy listening radio station in Altona,
CFAM 950 AM, reaches the Winkler area. Two
North Dakota stations near the Canada/U.S. border also reach Winkler:
KAOC 105.1 FM (Maverick 105), a country music station in
Cavalier and
KYTZ 106.7 FM (Z-106.7, Today's Best Hits), an adult contemporary music station in
Walhalla. The former station sells advertisements targeting the Pembina Valley region and maintains an advertising sales office in Morden. Radio stations from
Winnipeg and
Grand Forks, North Dakota can also be received sometimes.
Cable television service is provided by Valley Cable Vision. Most Winnipeg-based
television and radio stations can be picked up from Winkler.
WDAZ-TV and
KNRR-TV can also be received in Winkler via antenna.
Sports
Winkler's primary
ice hockey team is the
Winkler Flyers, who compete in the
Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Flyers play their home games at the Winkler Arena. Perhaps the best known alumni of the team is
goaltender Ed Belfour, who played with the Flyers during the
1985-
86 season and recorded a 2.58
goals against average that year. Belfour went on to play in the
NHL and win a Stanley Cup with the
Dallas Stars. There is also a minor league hockey in Winkler. The local high school has a hockey team named the Zodiacs. The Zodiacs draw hundreds of high school students to there home games.
Winkler has been selected as host city for the 2008 edition of
CBC Sports' day-long
Hockey Day in Canada, which took place on February 9, 2008.
(External Link
)
Notable Winklerites
- Di Brandt, poet and literary critic
- Arnold Brown, politician
- Howard Dyck, conductor and broadcaster
- Jacob Froese, politician
- Don Kuhl, politician, former councillor and former deputy mayor
- Dustin Penner, NHL player for the Edmonton Oilers
- Cornelius Wiebe, physician and politician
- Eric Fehr, AHL player for the Hershey Bears
- Benjamin De Fehr, soldier executed during World War I
- Martin Harder, current mayor of Winkler
Neighbouring communities
Further Information
Get more info on 'Winkler Manitoba'.
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