Selkirk, Manitoba

Selkirk is a city in the western Canadian province of Manitoba, located on the Red River about 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg. It has a population of 10,278 as of the 2016 census.

For other uses, see Selkirk (disambiguation).
Selkirk
City
City of Selkirk
Selkirk water tower
Nickname(s): 
Catfish Capital of the World
City boundaries
Selkirk
Location in Manitoba
Coordinates: 50°08′37″N 96°53′02″W
Country Canada
Province Manitoba
RegionInterlake
Settled1813 (1813)
TownJune 5, 1882 (June 5, 1882)
City1998 (1998)
Named forThomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
Government
 • City MayorLarry Johansson
 • Governing BodySelkirk City Council
 • MPJames Bezan
 • MLAAlan Lagimodiere
Area
 • City24.86 km2 (9.60 sq mi)
Elevation225 m (738 ft)
Population
 • City10,278
 • Density410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
 • Urban
10,278
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Forward sortation area
R1A
Area code(s)Area codes 204 and 431
NTS Map062I02
GNBC CodeGAYRY
Websitewww.myselkirk.ca

The mainstays of the local economy are tourism, a steel mill, and a major psychiatric hospital. A vertical lift bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of East Selkirk. The city is connected to Winnipeg via Highway 9 and is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The city was named in honour of Scotsman Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, who obtained the grant to establish a colony in the Red River area in 1813.

History
Landing of the Selkirk Settlers, Red River, 1812

The present-day city is near the centre of the 160,000-square-mile (410,000 km2) area purchased by the Earl of Selkirk from the Hudson's Bay Company.[3]The first settlers of the Red River Colony arrived in 1813. Although the settlers negotiated a treaty with the Saulteaux Indians of the area, the commercial rivalry between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company gave rise to violent confrontations between the settlers and the trading companies. In recognition of the Earl's importance in bringing settlers to the region, the town was named Selkirk and incorporated in 1882.

Economy and tourism
The Keenora in the Manitoba Marine Museum.

The Selkirk Mental Health Centre, the largest mental health facility in the province,[4] is a major employer in the city. The Centre's surroundings are a park-like campus on the outskirts of the city.

Gerdau, owned by Gerdau S.A. of Porto Alegre, Brazil, operates a steel minimill in Selkirk. This steel mill (known locally as MRM or "The Manitoba Rolling Mills") is also a major employer.

Chuck The Channel Cat

Selkirk is advertised as the Catfish Capital of the World, due to the large amounts of catfish in the nearby Red River. This nickname was part of an advertising campaign to entice American anglers, who travel to Manitoba to fish for trophy-sized catfish. Selkirk is also home to Chuck the Channel Cat, a fiberglass representation of a catfish that measures 25 feet (7.6 m) long. The name Chuck was chosen to honour local sport fisherman Chuck Norquay, who drowned while doing what he loved best — fishing in the Red River. After Chuck was built in 1986, the town council decided to place Chuck in front of Smitty's Restaurant on Main Street.

The Marine Museum of Manitoba, a collection of historical marine artifacts of Lake Winnipeg and the Red River area, is located in Selkirk. Selkirk is also the site of a Canadian Coast Guard base.

The Selkirk Fair and Rodeo is held annually to celebrate the area's agricultural history. It celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2008.[5]

Selkirk has three community newspapers: The Interlake Enterprise, The Selkirk Record, and The Selkirk Journal.

External video
Amphibious icebreaker in Selkirk
Greg Selinger about 3rd icebreaker

Amphibex excavator icebreakers were at work breaking up ice flows on the Red River in 2009.[6] Ice breakers and backhoes were to be strategically placed along the Red River Floodway, which might have needed to be opened before the ice was fully melted. Officials examined past ice jams and provided contingency plans if the Floodway jammed upstream of bridges or on tight corners.[7]

Sports

Selkirk is home to the Selkirk Steelers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, who play in the Selkirk Recreation Complex. Selkirk is also home to the Selkirk Fishermen of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League.

Selkirk has hosted major events in conjunction with the city of Winnipeg, such as select games of the 2007 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships. In 2009, Selkirk was host to the Telus Cup, Canada's national midget hockey championship, with the Winnipeg Thrashers as the host team. The Notre Dame Hounds defeated the Calgary Buffaloes 4–0 in the gold medal game, which was broadcast live from Selkirk on TSN.

Selkirk is also the home of the Selkirk Curling Club which has hosted numerous curling events, including the Masters Grand Slam of Curling in 2014, Canadian Junior Curling Championships in 1997 and the Viterra/Safeway Select Manitoba Men's Provincial Curling Championships.

Geography
Downtown Selkirk.

Selkirk is located in the Interlake Region of Manitoba, about 22 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River. A vertical lift bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of East Selkirk. The city mostly borders the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, except to the east, where it borders the Rural Municipality of St. Clements across the Red River. The terrain is extremely flat with fields of wheat and canola surrounding the city.

Climate

Due to Selkirk's position on the edge of the Canadian Prairies, there is a moderate 510.4 mm (20.1 inches) of precipitation annually.[8] Selkirk has a climate with four very distinct seasons. A general year will include warm (sometimes hot) summers, cold winters, and a comfortable spring and autumn. Selkirk has recorded a temperature as high as 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) in June 1995 and a temperature as low as −45.6 °C (−50.1 °F) in February 1966. Selkirk has 21 days with snowfall per year, from about November (sometimes as early as September or October) to around April (sometimes as late as May).[8]

General seasons

  • Winter: November to March
  • Spring: April to May
  • Summer: June to August
  • Autumn: September to October
Climate data for Selkirk, Manitoba (1971–2000 Data)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 6.1
(43.0)		 8.5
(47.3)		 17.5
(63.5)		 34
(93)		 36.5
(97.7)		 38.5
(101.3)		 36.1
(97.0)		 38
(100)		 37.5
(99.5)		 28
(82)		 22.2
(72.0)		 9
(48)		 38.5
(101.3)
Average high °C (°F) −12.8
(9.0)		 −8.4
(16.9)		 −1.1
(30.0)		 9.7
(49.5)		 18.5
(65.3)		 22.9
(73.2)		 25.5
(77.9)		 24.6
(76.3)		 18
(64)		 10.3
(50.5)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 −9.8
(14.4)		 8
(46)
Daily mean °C (°F) −17.5
(0.5)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −5.9
(21.4)		 4.1
(39.4)		 12.4
(54.3)		 17.3
(63.1)		 19.3
(66.7)		 18.7
(65.7)		 12.5
(54.5)		 5.5
(41.9)		 −4.9
(23.2)		 −14.1
(6.6)		 2.9
(37.2)
Average low °C (°F) −22.1
(−7.8)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −10.7
(12.7)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 6.2
(43.2)		 11.6
(52.9)		 14.1
(57.4)		 12.8
(55.0)		 7
(45)		 0.7
(33.3)		 −8.5
(16.7)		 −18.5
(−1.3)		 −2.3
(27.9)
Record low °C (°F) −41.1
(−42.0)		 −45.6
(−50.1)		 −33.3
(−27.9)		 −23.9
(−11.0)		 −10
(14)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 2.8
(37.0)		 2
(36)		 −6.7
(19.9)		 −18
(0)		 −35
(−31)		 −37.8
(−36.0)		 −45.6
(−50.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 16
(0.6)		 11.3
(0.44)		 21.8
(0.86)		 26
(1.0)		 56.6
(2.23)		 93
(3.7)		 79.6
(3.13)		 74.5
(2.93)		 57.5
(2.26)		 35.6
(1.40)		 23.7
(0.93)		 14.7
(0.58)		 510.4
(20.09)
Source: Environment Canada[9]

Water

The City of Selkirk gets its water from four carbonate aquifer wells in the City and two in the R.M. of St. Andrews.[10][11] Water is then cleaned at the Selkirk Water Treatment Plant before being sent out to distribution lines. Five of the six wells are deep, while the Tower well is shallower. Because of this water from the Tower well needs more maintenance. McLean Well (drilled in 1959), Christie Well 1 (drilled in 1968. used only in emergencies), Rosser Well (drilled in 1987), Tower Well (1997), Christie Well 2 (drilled in 2015), Render Well North (drilled in 2017), Render Well South (drilled in 2017).[11]

The Selkirk Water Tower is a prominent feature of the area. It was constructed in 1961 as a replacement for a previous tank built in 1909. The current water tower has a maximum storage capacity of 946,000 litres.[12] In March 2020 the City announced a local design competition that would see the repainting of the 40 m (130 ft) structure.[13]

In August 2016 the City of Selkirk partnered with the Province and Federal governments to cost share upgrades to the water treatment and distribution infrastructure in the City.[14] The Selkirk project was estimated to cost C$35.2 million and would include a new Water Treatment Plant. The expanded system would be large enough to serve St. Andrews and the Lower Fort Garry Historic Park

Construction began in August 2018 to replace the aging wastewater facility built in 1976. The new one would cost C$35.9 million, the largest capital works project in the City's history, with construction expected to be completed by January 2020.[15]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19012,188—    
19112,977+36.1%
19213,726+25.2%
19314,486+20.4%
19414,915+9.6%
19516,218+26.5%
19618,576+37.9%
198110,037+17.0%
198610,013−0.2%
19969,881−1.3%
20019,752−1.3%
20069,515−2.4%
20119,834+3.4%
201610,278+4.5%
[16][17][18]

Selkirk had a population of 10,278 people in 2016, which was an increase of 4.5% from the 2011 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Selkirk was $42,502, which is below the Manitoba provincial average of $47,875.[19]

Canada 2006 CensusPopulation% of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[20]		 Black550.6%
Filipino500.6%
South Asian300.3%
Latin American150.2%
Southeast Asian150.2%
West Asian100.1%
Other visible minority100.1%
Total visible minority population2002.2%
Métis1,70518.9%
Aboriginal group
Source:[21]		First Nations7107.9%
Inuit00%
Total Aboriginal population2,46027.3%
European6,35070.5%
Total population9,010100%

Places of interest
Selkirk Park in February 2012.
Gary Theatre.

Notable people

Sports

Politicians

Other

References
  1. Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census – Census subdivisions
  2. "Elevation of Selkirk". earthtools.org.
  3. "History". cityofselkirk.com. Archived from the original on 2006-08-21.
  4. Selkirk Mental Health Centre. - Province of Manitoba.
  5. History Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine. - Selkirk Fair and Rodeo.
  6. Ice Hammer Archived 2010-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Discovery Channel. Accessed: 8 January 2011.
  7. Skerritt, Jen (2009-04-04). "Flood fight ramps up as Red's crest approaches". Winnipeg Press. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  8. "Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  9. "Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  10. "Drinking Water". City of Selkirk. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  11. "Public Water System Annual Report 2018" (PDF). City of Selkirk. April 1, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  12. "The story of Selkirk's water tower". www.winnipegrealestatenews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  13. DePatie, Mason (2020-03-01). "Design competition for Selkirk water tower". Winnipeg. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  14. "Selkirk, Gimli getting new water treatment plants". Winnipeg Sun. August 5, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  15. "$39.5-million wastewater plant marks largest capital project in Selkirk history". Journal Of Commerce. March 11, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  16. , Censuses 1871-1931
  17. , Census 1941-1951
  18. , Census 1961
  19. "Selkirk, Manitoba - Detailed City Profile". statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  20. , Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
  21. , Aboriginal Peoples - Data table
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