Winkler, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Winkler is a small city
with a population of about 9,900 (2009 estimate; but 2006 federal census shows a population of 9,106) located in southern Manitoba
, Canada
in the Rural Municipality of Stanley
. 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.
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.
, 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 beach
es of Lake Agassiz
. The lake's shore
s were formed over 10,000 years ago by the Pembina Escarpment
, located a few kilometre
s 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.
The rich soil
s of the area are separated by the Emerado Beach. Coarser textured loam
y 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 grain
s.
Winkler's climate
is typically continental
, resulting in dry cold winter
s and hot, frequently dry summer
s. 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.
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 home
s, houseboat
s, farm equipment, window
s and door
s. 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 tax
es, 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 startup
s.
and six councillor
s who are elected by residents. The current mayor of Winkler is Martin Harder. The current city councillors of Winkler are deputy mayor
Henry Siemens, Herb Dick, Don Friesen, Ron Neisteter, Marvin Plett 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
Candice Hoeppner
.
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
(KZ7, 49°10′N 097°55′W) is located in the city's industrial park
. It has two runways: an 2900 ft (884 m) grass/paved runway (08/26), and a 1540 ft (469 m) grass runway (17/35). Aircraft which need a longer runway are advised to use the Morden Regional Aerodrome which is located 9 km (5.6 mi) from Winkler.
The city has one taxi
service, Pembina Valley Taxi. It is also served by Greyhound Lines
which operates a bus service to and from Winnipeg several days during the week. Purolator
and DHL
courier services also serve Winkler.
Canadian Pacific Railway
has a spur route
going into Winkler's industrial park.
Winkler has long been and continues to be one of Manitoba's fastest growing cities. Thus, although the most recent census
(2006) states that Winkler has a population of 9,106 it is estimated that, as of 2010, the population is closer to approximately 10,000. The city had a population increase of 14.6% between 2001 and 2006.
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 Iceland
ic (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 Asia
n and 0.1% Southeast Asia
n.
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 female
s there are 94.8 male
s.
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. Due to the city's German linguistic
and religious linkages, most immigrants to Winkler are ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union
, Germans
originating from Germany
, or returning Low German
Mennonite
s from Latin America
. Ethnic German immigrants from the former Soviet Union are also drawn to the similarity of the region's geography to that of Russia
.
According to Statistics Canada's 2006 census data for Winkler residents over the age of 25, 66% have high school diplomas, of which 9% also hold university certificates, diplomas or degrees.
.
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. The Cripple Creek Music Festival takes place on the fourth Sunday in July.
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
also operates a regional campus in Winkler, serving 1,500 students each year.
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 are 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.
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 their home games.
Winkler was selected as host city for the 2008 edition of CBC Sports'
day-long Hockey Day in Canada, which took place on February 9, 2008.http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2007/09/26/hockey-day.html
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
with a population of about 9,900 (2009 estimate; but 2006 federal census shows a population of 9,106) located in southern 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...
, Canada
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...
in the Rural Municipality of Stanley
Stanley, Manitoba
Stanley is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It is located in the southern part of the province, along its border with the state of North Dakota in the United States. The municipality had a 2006 Census population of 6,367, a 24.3% increase from the 5,122 reported...
. As the largest city in the Pembina Valley
Pembina Valley Region, Manitoba
The Pembina Valley is the name given to the south-central region of the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is named for its major geographical feature - the Pembina Valley which runs through the southwestern part of the region....
, Winkler serves as a regional hub for commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
.
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 did not establish confessional churches. The first official Mennonite BrethrenCanadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
The Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches is an association of Mennonite Christians with origins in southern Russia. It is part of the larger Mennonite Brethren Church and shares some common history with the US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.-Background:A small group of...
congregation was founded in Winkler in 1888 as a result of mission work from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1892, Winkler was officially founded by Valentine Winkler
Valentine Winkler
Valentine Winkler was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Liberal from 1892 to 1900, and again from 1900 to 1920. Winkler was a cabinet minister in the government of Tobias C. Norris...
, a lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who owned and operated his own lumber business in nearby Morden
Morden, Manitoba
Morden is a small town with a population of 6571 located in the Pembina Valley region of southern Manitoba, Canada. Morden is less than ten minutes west of neighbouring Winkler, and a relatively short distance to Pembina Valley Provincial Park...
. Because Winkler's many customers from the Mennonite settlement wanted him to build a market in their vicinity, he persuaded the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
to build a spur route
Spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
on the northeastern edge of the settlement where Winkler had been established.
Winkler was incorporated as a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
on May 9, 1906. By that time, the flourishing village had become home to a number of German, Jewish and Anglo-Saxon
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
merchants. The Mennonites began moving into the village soon after; by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 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
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and on April 7, 1954, Winkler was incorporated as a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
.
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
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
in summer 2006.
Geography and climate
Located on the western edge of the Red River ValleyRed River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. It is significant in the geography of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba for its relatively fertile lands and the population centers of Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, and Winnipeg...
, Winkler is located at the corner of provincial highways 14 and 32. It is approximately 100 kilometres southwest 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...
and 70 kilometres northwest of a 24-hour United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
border crossing at Emerson
Emerson, Manitoba
Emerson is a town in south central Manitoba, Canada, with a population of 655. The town is named after writer Ralph Waldo Emerson.Emerson is located on the east bank of the Red River, just north of the border with the United States at the point where Manitoba, Minnesota, and North Dakota meet. ...
.
Winkler is situated on the prehistoric beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es of Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz was an immense glacial lake located in the center of North America. Fed by glacial runoff at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined, and it held more water than contained by all lakes in the world today.-Conception:First...
. The lake's shore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
s were formed over 10,000 years ago by the Pembina Escarpment
Pembina Escarpment
The Manitoba Escarpment is a scarp that marks the boundary of glacial Lake Agassiz. It occurs in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Manitoba....
, located a few kilometre
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
s west of Winkler. A secondary beach known as the Emerado Beach lies to the west of Winkler. This gentle rise in elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
was formed thousands of years ago when the draining of Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz was an immense glacial lake located in the center of North America. Fed by glacial runoff at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined, and it held more water than contained by all lakes in the world today.-Conception:First...
temporarily stalled.
The rich soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
s of the area are separated by the Emerado Beach. Coarser textured loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
y sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
soils, located to the west, are suitable for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
and produce potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
crops. To the east, finer textured clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
soils produce sugar beets, canola
Canola
Canola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or Field Mustard . Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R...
, beans, corn and small grain
Caryopsis
In botany, a caryopsis is a type of simple dry fruit — one that is monocarpelate and indehiscent and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat....
s.
Winkler's climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is typically continental
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
, resulting in dry cold winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
s and hot, frequently dry summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
s. 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
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
production in Manitoba. Winkler receives an annual average of 416mm of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
(most of which falls during the spring and summer months) and 119.7cm of snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
. 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 healthHealth
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
sector.
A number of industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
have grown and developed in Winkler throughout the years. One of Winkler's largest employers is Triple E Recreational Vehicles
Triple E Recreational Vehicles
Triple E Recreational Vehicles, a division of Triple E Canada, is a Canadian recreational vehicle manufacturing company located in Winkler, Manitoba. It is the only Canadian-owned Class-A RV builder in Canada...
, a recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
manufacturer and the only class A motor home builder in Canada. Other products manufactured in Winkler include mobile home
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
s, houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
s, farm equipment, window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s and door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
s. 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
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, canola, corn and beans. The area's livestock operations also continue to grow; hogs and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
are raised, while dairy farms contribute to the making of cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
.
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 tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es, reasonably priced real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and cooperation between the city and entrepreneurs. One example of this is the recently established Incubator
Business incubator
Business incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by incubator management and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts...
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 startup
Startup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
s.
Government and politics
Winkler is governed by a mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and six councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s who are elected by residents. The current mayor of Winkler is Martin Harder. The current city councillors of Winkler are deputy mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
Henry Siemens, Herb Dick, Don Friesen, Ron Neisteter, Marvin Plett and Ken J. Wiebe.
Winkler is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
(as part of the Pembina riding) by Progressive Conservative
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:...
MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Peter George Dyck
Peter George Dyck
Peter George Dyck is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is currently a member of the Manitoba legislature.Before entering provincial politics, Dyck was a public school music teacher...
and in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
(as part of the Portage—Lisgar
Portage—Lisgar
Portage—Lisgar is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.-Demographics:-Geography:...
riding) by Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Candice Hoeppner
Candice Hoeppner
Candice Hoeppner is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the electoral district of Portage—Lisgar in the 2008 and 2011 federal elections. She is a member of the Conservative Party.-Background:...
.
Transport
Winkler's chief transport connection to other communities is the highway system. WinnipegWinnipeg
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...
is accessible from Winkler either via PTH 14 and PTH 3
Manitoba Provincial Highway 3
Provincial Trunk Highway 3 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from the Saskatchewan boundary to the west limit of the city of Winnipeg...
or via PR 428 or PTH 23 and PTH 75
Manitoba Provincial Highway 75
Provincial Trunk Highway 75 is a main route from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the U.S. border, where it abuts U.S. Route 75 near the community of Emerson, Manitoba...
or PTH 14 and PTH 75
Manitoba Provincial Highway 75
Provincial Trunk Highway 75 is a main route from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the U.S. border, where it abuts U.S. Route 75 near the community of Emerson, Manitoba...
. PTH 32
Manitoba Provincial Highway 32
Provincial Trunk Highway 32 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from PTH 14 in Winkler to the U.S. border ....
leads directly to the Winkler Port of Entry on the Canada-U.S. border. A 4-lane divided highway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
connects Winkler and the other major town of the region, Morden.
Winkler Airport
Winkler Airport
Winkler Airport, , is located southeast of Winkler, Manitoba, Canada....
(KZ7, 49°10′N 097°55′W) is located in the city's industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
. It has two runways: an 2900 ft (884 m) grass/paved runway (08/26), and a 1540 ft (469 m) grass runway (17/35). Aircraft which need a longer runway are advised to use the Morden Regional Aerodrome which is located 9 km (5.6 mi) from Winkler.
The city has one taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
service, Pembina Valley Taxi. It is also served by Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
which operates a bus service to and from Winnipeg several days during the week. Purolator
Purolator Courier
Purolator Courier Ltd. is a Canadian courier that is 91% owned by Canada Post Corporation, 7% owned by Barry Lapointe Holdings Ltd. and 2% by others....
and DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
courier services also serve Winkler.
Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
has a spur route
Spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
going into Winkler's industrial park.
Demographics
| City of Winkler Population by year |
|
| 1991 | 6,400 |
| 1996 | 7,245 |
| 2001 | 7,999 |
| 2006 | 9,106 |
Winkler has long been and continues to be one of Manitoba's fastest growing cities. Thus, although the most recent census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(2006) states that Winkler has a population of 9,106 it is estimated that, as of 2010, the population is closer to approximately 10,000. The city had a population increase of 14.6% between 2001 and 2006.
As of the Canada 2001 Census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
, there are 2,885 households and 2,135 families
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
residing in the city of Winkler. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
(65.2%), Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
(Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) (24.7%), Canadian (23.0%), Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(10.0%), Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
(2.1%), French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
(1.5%), Aboriginal (1.2%), Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
(1.0%), Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
(0.9%), Polish (0.8%) and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic (0.2%). Most Winklerites are of Mennonite descent. The racial makeup of the city (as of 2001) is 98.8% White, 0.4% Chinese
Chinese Canadian
Chinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...
, 0.38% Aboriginal, 0.1% Black
Black Canadian
'Black Canadians is a designation used for people of Black African descent, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The term specifically refers to Canadians with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin...
, 0.1% South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n and 0.1% Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n.
The Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
faith is the largest faith in Winkler, accounting for 54.8% of the population in 2001. Other religious groupings include other Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
denominations (21.5%), other Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
denominations (7.3%), Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
(4.0%), Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
(2.0%), United Church
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
(1.8%), Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
(1.2%), Evangelical Missionary Church
Evangelical Missionary Church
The Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada is a Canadian family of churches with historical roots in the pioneer settlement of Ontario and the Canadian West, earlier European migration to the eastern seaboard of the USA, and the Reformation in Europe...
(1.2%), Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
(1.0%), Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
(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
Single parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
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
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
age is 34.3 years. For every 100 female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
s there are 94.8 male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s.
The average income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
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. Due to the city's German linguistic
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and religious linkages, most immigrants to Winkler are ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union
History of Germans in Russia and the Soviet Union
The German minority in Russia and the Soviet Union was created from several sources and in several waves. The 1914 census puts the number of Germans living in Russian Empire at 2,416,290. In 1989, the German population of the Soviet Union was roughly 2 million. In the 2002 Russian census, 597,212...
, Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
originating from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, or returning Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
s from Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Ethnic German immigrants from the former Soviet Union are also drawn to the similarity of the region's geography to that of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
According to Statistics Canada's 2006 census data for Winkler residents over the age of 25, 66% have high school diplomas, of which 9% also hold university certificates, diplomas or degrees.
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. Public culture is dominated by the church and religious belief, the city also lacks consumption-led regeneration. Public space is limited, and obscured by extreme lack of civil inattentionCivil inattention
Civil inattention is the process whereby strangers who are in close proximity demonstrate that they are aware of one another, without imposing on each other...
.
Winkler's main festival is the Harvest Festival and Exhibition. Held at the Winkler Parkland in mid-August, it features a parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
, midway, live stage entertainment, fireworks, rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
and more. Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
celebrations are held at the Winkler Parkland on July 1. The Cripple Creek Music Festival takes place on the fourth Sunday in July.
Education
Winkler's public schoolPublic education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
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
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, 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
Red River College
Red River College of Applied Arts, Science and Technology is located in Winnipeg. The College offers degree, diploma, certificate, and apprenticeship programs in the applied arts, applied sciences, and various trades. The university press, The Projector, is a member of CUP.-Campus:It has a number...
also operates a regional campus in Winkler, serving 1,500 students each year.
Media
Winkler's local newspapers are The Winkler Times, published weekly and distributed by carrier to Winkler area households, and The Winkler-Morden Voice, also published weekly and distributed by mail to households in both Winkler and Morden and many surrounding smaller communities. The Winnipeg Free PressWinnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
and Winnipeg Sun
Winnipeg Sun
The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid-sized newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism...
are available daily.
Winkler is home to two radio stations of its own, both of which are owned and operated by Altona
Altona, Manitoba
Altona is a predominantly Mennonite town in southern Manitoba about 100 km south-west of Winnipeg and 133 km north of Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. Much of the surrounding area is devoted to farming and agriculture-based business. Its...
-based Golden West Broadcasting
Golden West Broadcasting
Golden West Broadcasting is a Canadian radio broadcasting company based in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. It currently owns and operates a number of radio stations in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba....
. CKMW
CKMW (AM)
CKMW is a Canadian radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Morden, Manitoba, it serves the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba...
, a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station, was established in 1980 and broadcasts at 1570 kHz on the AM dial. CJEL
CJEL-FM
CJEL-FM is a radio station broadcasting a soft adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Winkler, Manitoba, it serves the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba.-History:On October 19, 1999, Golden West Broadcasting Ltd...
, an adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
station branded as The Eagle 93.5, launched in 2000 and is the only FM radio station in the Pembina Valley.
Though they are not based in Winkler, several other radio stations are notable in the Winkler area. The signal from Golden West's easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
radio station in Altona, CFAM
CFAM (AM)
CFAM is a radio station broadcasting a community-oriented full service format of classical music, talk radio with a community focus, agricultural and financial reports and inspirational/religious programming...
950 AM, reaches the Winkler area. Two North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
stations near the Canada/U.S. border also reach Winkler: KAOC 105.1 FM (Maverick 105), a country music station in Cavalier
Cavalier, North Dakota
Cavalier is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Pembina County. The population was 1,302 at the 2010 census. Cavalier was founded in 1877 and became the county seat in 1911....
and KYTZ
KYTZ
KYTZ is a radio station broadcasting a Hot AC format. Licensed to Walhalla, North Dakota, it serves Langdon, North Dakota and Morden, Manitoba. The station is currently owned by Simmons Broadcasting. All four Simmons Broadcasting stations share studios at 1403 Third Street in Langdon, ND...
106.7 FM (Z-106.7, Today's Best Hits), an adult contemporary music station in Walhalla
Walhalla, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,057 people, 452 households, and 271 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,004.4 people per square mile . There were 556 housing units at an average density of 528.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 89.78% White, 5.96%...
. The former station sells advertisements targeting the Pembina Valley region and maintains an advertising sales office in Morden. Radio stations from 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...
and Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
can also be received sometimes.
Cable television service is provided by Valley Cable Vision. Most Winnipeg-based television
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
and radio stations can be picked up from Winkler. WDAZ-TV
WDAZ-TV
WDAZ-TV, channel 8, is an ABC affiliate located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The station serves the northern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market. The station also has significant viewership in southern Manitoba, Canada including Winnipeg and Steinbach as it is carried on cable. WDAZ is...
and KNRR-TV
Red River Broadcasting
Red River Broadcasting is a television and radio broadcasting company based in Fargo, North Dakota, which operates a network of Fox affiliates in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The company also owns TV and radio stations in South Dakota and Minnesota...
can also be received in Winkler via antenna.
Sports
Winkler's primary ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team is the Winkler Flyers
Winkler Flyers
The Winkler Flyers are a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team playing out of the Winkler Arena in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. The Flyers entered the MJHL as an expansion team for the 1980-81 season. Famous NHL players to have played on this team include Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour...
, who compete in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Manitoba Junior Hockey League
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The MJHL is one of eleven Junior 'A' Hockey Leagues in Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League ....
. The Flyers play their home games at the Winkler Arena. Perhaps the best known alumni of the team is goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
Ed Belfour
Ed Belfour
Edward John Belfour is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.Belfour was born in Carman, Manitoba and grew up playing hockey. He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the NCAA championship in the...
, who played with the Flyers during the 1985-86 season and recorded a 2.58 goals against average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....
that year. Belfour went on to play in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and win a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
. 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 their home games.
Winkler was selected as host city for the 2008 edition of CBC Sports'
CBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, with some additional broadcasts on bold, CBC.ca, and occasionally CBC Radio One...
day-long Hockey Day in Canada, which took place on February 9, 2008.http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2007/09/26/hockey-day.html
Notable Winklerites
- Di BrandtDi BrandtDi Brandt is an award-winning Canadian poet and literary critic. Despite the similarity of their names, she should not be confused with poet Dionne Brand.-Biography:...
, poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and literary criticLiterary criticismLiterary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals... - Arnold BrownArnold Brown (Manitoba politician)Peter Arnold Brown was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1973 to 1988, representing the riding of Rhineland for the Progressive Conservative Party.Brown worked as a businessman and a farmer before entering political life...
, politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making... - Benjamin De Fehr, soldier executed during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- Howard DyckHoward DyckHoward Dyck, CM is a Canadian conductor and broadcaster. He was born in Winkler, Manitoba. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, he has a long and distinguished career in classical music...
, conductor and broadcaster - Eric FehrEric FehrEric Fehr is a Canadian ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. Fehr was a first-round draft pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals, chosen 18th overall....
, NHL player for the Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg JetsThe Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972, moving to the National Hockey League in 1979 following the collapse of the WHA... - Jacob FroeseJacob FroeseJacob Froese was a politician in the Canadian province of Manitoba. He was the province's only Social Credit MLA between 1959 and 1973, and was the party's leader for most if not all of the period from 1959 to 1977....
, politician - Don Kuhl, politician, former councillor and former deputy mayor
- Dustin PennerDustin PennerDustin Penner is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League . Penner was never drafted by a team in the NHL. He was discovered and signed as a free agent by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after playing college hockey for the...
, NHL player for the Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... - John SawatskyJohn SawatskyFerdinand John Sawatzky is a Canadian author, journalist and expert on interviewing techniques.-Early career:Born in Winkler, Manitoba, he graduated from Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford and attended Simon Fraser University in the late 1960s. Graduating in political science, he...
, award winning author and journalist - Cornelius WiebeCornelius WiebeCornelius W. Wiebe, was a Canadian physician and politician.Wiebe was born to a Mennonite family in Altona, Manitoba. He was educated at Wesley College, the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Medical College, receiving his MD in 1925...
, physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and politician