Morden-Winkler

This is a brand new riding paying homage to the fast-paced growth of the Morden-Winkler area.

The two communities are among the fasting growing in the province with Winkler growing nearly 15 per cent between 2001 and 2006 and Morden’s population jumping seven per cent. That is almost exclusively due to immigration.

The riding has the largest immigrant population outside of Winnipeg. Nearly one in five residents in the riding is an immigrant, more than a third of them arriving in the last five years.

Morden-Winkler has the second lowest aboriginal population of any riding in the province.

It also has the fifth youngest population of any riding, with half the residents under the age of 34.

Stats

Population: 19,505

median age: 33.7

Immigrants: 19.9 per cent

Aboriginal population: 2.3 per cent

Living in poverty: 15.2 per cent

Median income: $20,317

Politics

This is definitely Conservative country. Although it’s the riding did not exist in the last election, the town of Morden and the city of Winkler contributed heavily to Peter George Dyck’s win in the 2007 election. Newcomer Cameron Friesen secured the nomination for the Tories, having jumped in provincial politics after working as an aide to federal Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner. The old riding of Pembina had very poor electoral turnout – likely a factor of the dominance of the Tories.

2007 results (Pembina)

Peter George Dyck, PC 5,192

Lisa Moore, NDP 960

Ralph Gowan, LIB 570

Turnout: 44.95 per cent