Mighty Morden might not

BILL REDEKOP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Ken Wiebe, mayor of the 'town' of Morden, is keeping his views on whether the community should become a city to himself.

MORDEN -- Will Morden become Manitoba's ninth city? Does Morden want to be Manitoba's ninth city?

When results of the 2011 census come out early next year, town officials expect to be at or near the magic 7,500 population threshold. Any urban community in Manitoba with more than 7,500 people can declare itself a city.

The decision will then be up to Morden.

In a 'street' survey inside Bevin Wiebe's Oldies And Goodies antique shop and café, in the heart of downtown Morden, opinions were mixed on whether council should opt for city status.

There is definitely a sentimental argument. "I'm content with Morden being a town," said resident Wayne Klassen. "I love the idea of being a small town, yet 10 minutes away from the city of Winkler with its shopping, and an hour from Winnipeg (the Perimeter Highway, at least) which, first and foremost, has the Winnipeg Jets."

Across the aisle, a woman seated by herself having coffee is asked the same question, town or city? "Town," she says without hesitation.

"That's my wife (Linda)," explained Mayor Ken Wiebe, who was in the midst of being interviewed on the subject.

In a very informal poll -- a question attached to the town's quarterly newsletter that goes out to households -- over half of respondents said they wanted to remain a town.

"It's a name. There's nothing financial in it. It's a status thing," said the mayor, downplaying the issue.

It was a little different for Winkler, which obtained city status a decade ago, the most-recent Manitoba community to do so. There, it was clearly looked upon as an achievement. A study in the 1960s predicted Winkler was one of the towns in Manitoba slated to die. That prompted people to prove it wrong. Community leaders joined forces and embarked on an amazing plan to develop homegrown businesses to give their young people job opportunities.

Since declaring itself a city, Winkler has continued its rapid growth and is well over 10,000 in population today. It has also attracted a Walmart and a host of other big-box stores.

Like Winkler, Morden has tapped into the immigration nominee program to fill labour shortages and grow its population, increasing by about 1,500 people in the last decade.

The dilemma is that Winkler's success has also created problems for Morden businesses. The big retail chains are going to Winkler. Some are even relocating from Morden to Winkler. Best Sleep Centre recently moved from Morden to the Southland Mall in Winkler.

Putting "City of..." in front of Morden's name wouldn't be a panacea but it could help, some people say.

John Wiebe, who dropped in to Oldies and Goodies to see son Bevin, said city status would help lure investment. "The assumption is you're small if you're a village or town," he said.

(In other words, if Winnipeg decided it was tired of being a city and changed its status to a town, would investment suffer? More than likely.)

Many business people would like to see Morden call itself a city. "It's tougher to attract the national chains (to a town) and national chains are important," said Doug Reichert, a commercial real estate developer, who had also stopped in to grab a coffee. Reichert is a former Mordenite who lives in Calgary but who still invests in commercial real estate in his home town and is a member of the local economic development committee.

As for the mayor's view? As a first-time politician in a town that tends to kick its reeve out every election, he's keeping his cards close to his vest. "Sometimes as mayor, you just have to shut up and keep your thoughts to your self," he said.

Besides, he may not have to make that decision. If the census shows Morden with even a handful fewer than 7,500, it can't become a city. That's even though 40 families emigrated from Kazakhstan this year. They won't count if they arrived after the census. The census is regarded as the only legal, independent population source. That would postpone the decision another five years until the next census.

Current cities in Manitoba, in order of size according to the last census, are Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Steinbach, Selkirk, Winkler, Dauphin and Flin Flon. Although Flin Flon has just 5,600 people, it met criteria for city status under terms grandfathered when the new Municipal Act passed in 1997.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 10, 2011 A8