Rural Municipality of Gimli
| Gimli, Manitoba | |
|---|---|
| — Rural municipality — | |
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| Motto: The Heart of New Iceland[1] | |
 Gimli, Manitoba
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| Coordinates: 50°40′0″N 97°3′0″W / 50.666667°N 97.05°WCoordinates: 50°40′0″N 97°3′0″W / 50.666667°N 97.05°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Region | Interlake |
| Demonym: | Gimvestitian |
| Founded | October, 1875 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lynn Greenberg |
| Area | |
| • Land | 326.3 km2 (126.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 222 m (728 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Density | 18.2/km2 (47/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,797 |
| • Urban density | 319.25/km2 (826.9/sq mi) |
| Postal code | R0C 1B0 R0C 1B1 |
| Area code(s) | 204 |
| Website | gimli.ca |
Gimli is a 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 2006 Canada census was 5,797.
The town 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.
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[edit] History
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 (having been used as 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 has aired on Discovery Channel's Mayday series.
In December 2002, the town of Gimli was dissolved as a legal entity.[2]
[edit] Economy
There are over 100 commercial fishers in Gimli, catching white fish and pickerel.[3] 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 Gimli Distillery and Faroex. 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. Faroex's 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. It is the largest seller of real estate in the Interlake region and one of the largest independent real estate companies in Manitoba, employing 18 real estate and insurance agents and selling more than $30 million of real estate a year.[4]
Mid June 2011 saw the arrival of CJ 107.5, a local radio station featuring a mixture of both country and classical rock. The station is located in the Lakeview Hotel, broadcasting in Gimli and the surrounding Interlake area.
[edit] Arts and culture
The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba (Icelandic: Íslendingadagurinn) is held on the long weekend in August.[5] 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 Gimli Film Festival is held annually;[6] 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;[7] its Sunday afternoon air show includes jets with miniature turbine jet engines, warbirds, aerobatics, R/C combat and a kids' candy drop.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Gimli, Manitoba | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −12.8 (9.0) |
−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 (30.0) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
7.1 (44.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −23.5 (−10.3) |
−20.3 (−4.5) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−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 (32) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−20.3 (−4.5) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 22.2 (0.874) |
17.3 (0.681) |
30 (1.18) |
30 (1.18) |
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) |
| 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[8] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Notable people
- David Arnason: writer and English professor born in Gimli.
- Leo Kristjanson: economist and president of the University of Saskatchewan from 1980 to 1989.
- Gunnar Thorvaldson: Conservative senator, Senate of Canada.
- John MacDonald: Canadian musician.
- Vilhjálmur Stefánsson: ethnologist and explorer.
- Eric Stefanson: retired Manitoba Progressive Conservative politician born in Gimli.
- W. D. Valgardson: writer and professor.
- George Johnson: physician and former minister of Education and Health in Manitoba.
- Hans Wuthrich: curling ice technician.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13732410
- ^ http://www.gimli.ca/prof/default.asp
- ^ http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sch/Forum/foru111_e.pdf
- ^ http://www.interlake.mb.ca
- ^ Icelandic Festival of Manitoba
- ^ Gimli Film Festival
- ^ Gimli Model Fest and R/C Airshow
- ^ "Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000". Environment Canada. http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=MAN%20&StationName=&SearchType=&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&CityName=&ParkName=&LatitudeDegrees=&LatitudeMinutes=&LongitudeDegrees=&LongitudeMinutes=&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=3736&. Retrieved November 04, 2010.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Map of Gimli R.M. at Statcan
Subdivisions of 
