River Heights is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and formally came into existence in the 1958 provincial election

Manitoba general election, 1958

Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...

. The riding is located in the south-central region of the City of Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

.

River Heights is bordered on the east by Lord Roberts

Lord Roberts (electoral district)

Lord Roberts is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba, located in the south-central section of the City of Winnipeg. It was created by redistribution in 1999, and consists primarily of territory taken from the now-defunct ridings of Osborne and Crescentwood...

 and Fort Rouge

Fort Rouge (electoral district)

Fort Rouge is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and formally came into existence in the general election of 1958. The riding was eliminated in 1989, and re-established in 1999. It is located in the central section of the...

, to the south by Fort Whyte

Fort Whyte

Fort Whyte is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1999, after the provincial electoral boundaries commission determined that southwestern Winnipeg had experienced enough population growth to deserve an extra seat. Fort Whyte was created from...

, to the north by Wolseley, and to the west by Tuxedo

Tuxedo (electoral district)

Tuxedo is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1979, and has formally existed since the provincial election of 1981. The riding is located in the southwest section of the City of Winnipeg....

.

The riding's population in 1996 was 19,950. The riding's character is middle-class and upper-middle class. As of 1999, the average family income was $77,701, and the unemployment rate was 5.90%. River Heights includes many of Winnipeg's oldest and most stately homes: the average value of dwelling house in the riding in 1999 was $117,937.

River Heights has a significant Jewish population, at 9% of the total. 38.5% of the riding's residents have university degrees, the highest percentage in the province. Voter turnout also tends to be extremely high in this riding, usually at over 80% of the eligible population.

The service sector accounts for 15% of the River Heights's industry, with educational services following at 14%.

From 1958 to 1986, River Heights was represented by members of the Progressive Conservative Party

Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...

. Since that time, however, it has generally been represented by leaders of the provincial Liberal Party

Manitoba Liberal Party

The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...

. Sharon Carstairs

Sharon Carstairs

Sharon Carstairs, PC is a Canadian politician and former Senator.-Early life:Carstairs was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of former Nova Scotia Premier Harold Connolly and his wife Vivian...

 represented the riding from 1986 until her appointment to the Canadian Senate

Canadian Senate

The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...

 in 1994, and current leader Jon Gerrard

Jon Gerrard

Jon Gerrard, PC, MLA is a politician and medical doctor in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state in the government of Jean Chrétien...

 has represented the riding since 1999.

The Liberal Party has many prominent backers in this riding, including members of the Asper family (see Izzy Asper

Izzy Asper

Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper, , Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate, was the founder of the now defunct CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO and President Leonard Asper, former director and corporate secretary Gail Asper, as well as Executive Vice President David Asper...

).

List of provincial representatives

Name	Party	Took Office	Left Office
W.B. Scarth	PC Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...	1958	1962
Maitland Steinkopf Maitland Steinkopf Maitland B. Steinkopf was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1962 to 1964, and again from 1964 to 1966...	PC Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...	1962	1966
Sidney Spivak Sidney Spivak Sidney Spivak was a Manitoba politician. He was a Cabinet Minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin, Walter Weir and Sterling Lyon, and was himself leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1971 to 1975.Spivak was born to a Jewish family in Winnipeg, and was educated at...	PC Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...	1966	1979
Gary Filmon Gary Filmon Gary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM is a Manitoba politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier from 1988 to 1999.-Early life and municipal career:...	PC Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...	1979	1981
Warren Steen Warren Steen Warren Steen is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1975 to 1986, as a Progressive Conservative.- Biography :...	PC Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...	1981	1986
Sharon Carstairs Sharon Carstairs Sharon Carstairs, PC is a Canadian politician and former Senator.-Early life:Carstairs was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of former Nova Scotia Premier Harold Connolly and his wife Vivian...	Lib Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...	1986	1994
Mike Radcliffe Mike Radcliffe Michael Frederick Carrington Radcliffe is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1995 to 1999, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Premier Gary Filmon from 1997 to 1999.Radcliffe was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and holds a...	PC Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...	1995	1999
Jon Gerrard Jon Gerrard Jon Gerrard, PC, MLA is a politician and medical doctor in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state in the government of Jean Chrétien...	Lib Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...	1999	present

Electoral results

Previous boundaries