Rural Municipality of Gimli

Gimli, Manitoba
Rural municipality
Gimli Public School Building, constructed in 1915, and now site of the RM of Gimli's offices.
Motto(s): The Heart of New Iceland[1]
Gimli, Manitoba
Coordinates: 50°39′43″N 97°01′47″W / 50.66194°N 97.02972°W / 50.66194; -97.02972Coordinates: 50°39′43″N 97°01′47″W / 50.66194°N 97.02972°W / 50.66194; -97.02972
Country Canada
Province Manitoba
Region Interlake
Demonym: Gimlungur (singular); Gimlungar (plural)
Founded October, 1875
Incorporated as rural municipality March 15, 1881[2]
Amalgamated with Town of Gimli January 1, 2003[2]
Government
 • Mayor Randy Woroniuk
Area
 • Land 318.75 km2 (123.07 sq mi)
Elevation 222 m (728 ft)
Population (2016)
 • Total 6,181
 • Density 19.5/km2 (51/sq mi)
 • Urban density 319.25/km2 (826.9/sq mi)
Postal code R0C 1B0
R0C 1B1
Area code(s) 204, 431
Website gimli.ca

Gimli is a rural municipality located in the Interlake Region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of the provincial capital Winnipeg. The rural municipality's population in the Canada 2016 Census was 6,181.

The town of Gimli and surrounding districts were once an Icelandic ethnic block settlement, and the area, known as New Iceland, is home to the largest concentration of people of Icelandic ancestry outside Iceland. It also has significant Ukrainian and German communities, at 12% and 6% respectively.

The Town of Winnipeg Beach lies adjacent to its southeast corner, on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, between it and the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews to the south.

Communities

This is a map of the Rural Municipalities of Manitoba with the RM of Gimli highlighted in blue.

History

Gimli Viking statue commemorating Icelandic heritage. The statue was built in 1967 and unveiled by the President of Iceland in the same year. The statue site was then upgraded in 2017, Canada's bicentennial year.

Gimli was founded by a large group of Icelandic settlers who arrived in New Iceland on Lake Winnipeg in the 1870s.[1] Beyond the borders of Manitoba as it was then, this settlement fell within the District of Keewatin, until 1881 when Manitoba was enlarged. In 1876 the community was hit by a severe outbreak of smallpox. Originally organized as a self-administering "Icelandic reserve" directly responsible to Ottawa, the settlers of New Iceland developed a unique constitution of by-laws for local government which remained in effect until they adopted provincial municipal government in 1887. The initial status of New Iceland as a "reserve" remained in effect until 1899.

In the Gimli Glider incident on 23 July 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 en route from Montreal to Edmonton ran out of fuel and made an unpowered landing on a decommissioned runway (converted to a drag strip) at Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a former RCAF base near Gimli with no control tower and no fire trucks available. A reenactment of the incident aired on Discovery Channel's Mayday series and on Syfy's Urban Legends series.

The Town of Gimli amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of Gimli on January 1, 2003.[2][3]

Economy

There are over 100 commercial fishers in Gimli, catching white fish and pickerel.[4] During the summer months, tourism is a major industry, as thousands of summer cottagers fill the town of Gimli, especially on weekends. Hotels, restaurants and stores cater to the summer visitors.

Two of the largest employers in Gimli are the Gimli Distillery and Faroex [5] (a division of Sigma Industries). The Gimli Distillery opened in 1968. The plant employs 72 people with an annual payroll of almost $4 million. The operation is situated on two quarters of land and comprises a production building, barrel filling and dumping, and 46 warehouses to store the maturing whiskies. The plant, the source of Crown Royal whisky, produces the company's global Canadian whisky requirement. Faroex Ltd., established in 1981, produces composite components for use in the agricultural, automotive, consumer and military supply industries. Their first product was a flooring and support framing system made from plastic and fibreglass, used in hog production.

Smaller companies include Interlake Agencies, a local real estate and insurance company that started in Gimli in 1962 and is now the largest seller of real estate in the Interlake region and one of the largest independent real estate companies in Manitoba.[6]

Demographics

Ethnic Origins[7]
Population Percentage
Icelandic 1,510 26.5
English 1,385 24.3
Ukrainian 1,265 22.2
Scottish 1,070 18.8
German 985 17.3
Irish 830 14.6
Polish 830 14.6
Canadian 670 11.8
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19812,237—    
19862,458+9.9%
19963,124+27.1%
20013,501+12.1%
20065,797+65.6%
20115,845+0.8%
20166,181+5.7%

The Rural Municipality of Gimli had a population of 6,181 as of the Canada 2016 Census, an increase of 5.7% since the last census in 2011.[8] The average age of RM of Gimli residents was 51.4 years old, this was well over the provincial average of 39.4 The percentage of the population 65 years or older was 33.5% of the population, this was nearly double the provincial average of 15.6% of the population in the age bracket.[8]

Gimli residents claim Icelandic heritage as the largest part of their ethnic background with 26.5% of the entire rural municipality claiming some Icelandic background, or 1,510 people.[7] Close behind are those that claim English and Ukrainian background at 24.3% and 22.2% respectively.

Arts and culture

The community of Gimli in the rural municipality as seen from above.

Gimli celebrates its heritage with the Icelandic Festival on August long weekend.[9] The first Icelandic festival in Manitoba was held in Winnipeg in 1890; it was held there annually until 1931, and since 1932 has been held in Gimli.

The celebration showcases the work of local artists in downtown Gimli. Tourists are able to purchase anything from jewellery to paintings and Viking and Icelandic memorabilia. A popular sight in the town is the pier which extends from the downtown shoreline out onto Lake Winnipeg and features the Gimli Seawall Gallery, a cement wall 977 feet (298 m) long featuring 72 murals which depict the history and stories of the community.[10]

The Gimli Film Festival is held annually;[11] it features a 11-metre (36 ft) outdoor screen on Lake Winnipeg. The Gimli Model Fest and R/C Airshow is an annual R/C hobby showcase, the largest in mid-Canada;[12] its Sunday afternoon air show includes jets with miniature turbine jet engines, warbirds, aerobatics, R/C combat and a kids' candy drop.

Mid-June 2011 saw the arrival of CJ 107.5,[13] a local radio station featuring a mixture of both country and classical rock. The station is located in the Lakeview Hotel,[14] broadcasting in Gimli and the surrounding Interlake area.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Gimli has a humid continental climate with vast temperature differences between summer and winter, owing to its relatively northerly latitude and distance to coastlines. As a result, summers are warm and sometimes hot, with winters sometimes being bitterly cold.

Gimli has a sunny climate, with an average of 318 days with measurable sunshine per year.[15] The municipality has warm summers; however, the close proximity to Lake Winnipeg cools the summer temperature compared to locations further inland. Winter moderation from the lake is eliminated because Lake Winnipeg freezes over in winter due to the cold continental tendencies. Spring and autumn are short seasons, but contain comfortable temperatures.

Climate data for Gimli, Manitoba
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)		 8.1
(46.6)		 15.0
(59)		 29.2
(84.6)		 36.1
(97)		 36.7
(98.1)		 35.0
(95)		 37.5
(99.5)		 36.5
(97.7)		 26.1
(79)		 22.8
(73)		 6.3
(43.3)		 37.5
(99.5)
Average high °C (°F) −12.8
(9)		 −9.3
(15.3)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 8.2
(46.8)		 16.3
(61.3)		 21.6
(70.9)		 24.9
(76.8)		 23.2
(73.8)		 16.9
(62.4)		 9.5
(49.1)		 −1.1
(30)		 −10.5
(13.1)		 7.1
(44.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −18.2
(−0.8)		 −14.8
(5.4)		 −7.3
(18.9)		 2.7
(36.9)		 10.6
(51.1)		 16.1
(61)		 19.2
(66.6)		 17.5
(63.5)		 11.6
(52.9)		 4.8
(40.6)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −15.4
(4.3)		 1.8
(35.2)
Average low °C (°F) −23.5
(−10.3)		 −20.3
(−4.5)		 −12.8
(9)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 4.7
(40.5)		 10.5
(50.9)		 13.5
(56.3)		 11.8
(53.2)		 6.3
(43.3)		 0.0
(32)		 −9.2
(15.4)		 −20.3
(−4.5)		 −3.5
(25.7)
Record low °C (°F) −41.2
(−42.2)		 −39.4
(−38.9)		 −34.4
(−29.9)		 −25.6
(−14.1)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 2.8
(37)		 0.5
(32.9)		 −15.8
(3.6)		 −16.4
(2.5)		 −34.3
(−29.7)		 −39.4
(−38.9)		 −41.2
(−42.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 22.2
(0.874)		 17.3
(0.681)		 30.0
(1.181)		 30.0
(1.181)		 49.8
(1.961)		 94.1
(3.705)		 69.7
(2.744)		 64.2
(2.528)		 66.7
(2.626)		 38.3
(1.508)		 27.6
(1.087)		 22.5
(0.886)		 532.5
(20.965)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.3
(0.012)		 0.3
(0.012)		 8.8
(0.346)		 19.8
(0.78)		 47.6
(1.874)		 94.1
(3.705)		 69.7
(2.744)		 64.2
(2.528)		 65.6
(2.583)		 30.3
(1.193)		 5.3
(0.209)		 1.8
(0.071)		 407.8
(16.055)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 27.6
(10.87)		 21.7
(8.54)		 24.1
(9.49)		 11.4
(4.49)		 2.2
(0.87)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1.1
(0.43)		 8.4
(3.31)		 26.6
(10.47)		 25.0
(9.84)		 148.1
(58.31)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 12.3 9.2 9.5 8.1 9.9 12.7 11.7 11.6 11.1 10.0 9.4 12.4 127.6
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.30 0.35 2.5 5.6 9.5 12.7 11.7 11.6 10.9 8.2 2.3 0.53 76.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 13.9 9.7 8.5 3.7 1.0 0.05 0 0 0.45 2.6 8.6 13.6 62.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 119.3 141.2 190.3 247.5 284.4 289.6 319.1 271.8 174.8 141.1 94.9 102.4 2,376.4
Source: Environment Canada[15]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Close-Up: The Canadian town known as 'New Iceland'". BBC News. 11 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Manitoba Communities: Gimli (Rural Municipality)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
  3. ↑ "Gimli: The Evolution of a Community". Rural Municipality of Gimli. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  4. ↑ http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sch/Forum/foru111_e.pdf (broken link)
  5. ↑ Faroex
  6. ↑ Interlake Agencies
  7. 1 2 "RM of Gimli Demographics". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  8. 1 2 "RM Gimli Census profile". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  9. ↑ Icelandic Festival of Manitoba
  10. ↑ Seawall, Gimli Art Club
  11. ↑ Gimli Film Festival
  12. ↑ Gimli Model Fest and R/C Airshow
  13. ↑ CJ 107.5
  14. ↑ Lakeview Hotel
  15. 1 2 "Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
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