Morden, Manitoba


Morden is a city located in the Pembina Valley region of southern Manitoba, Canada near the United States border. It is about west of the neighbouring city of Winkler. Morden, which is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Stanley. Morden is the eighth largest city in Manitoba. The city is located south of Winnipeg. The communities of Morden and Winkler are often referred to as Manitoba's Twin Cities, due to their extremely close proximity, shared services, and economic ties. According to Statistics Canada, the city had a population of 8,668 in 2016. Morden, along with the neighbouring city of Winkler, form an urban area with a population exceeding 22,000.

History

Morden was founded in 1882, when the Canadian Pacific Railway built a railway line crossing the Dead Horse Creek at a place then known as. This spot became a popular resting place as it was ideal to provide water for drinking and locomotives. The settlement was renamed "Morden", after Alvey Morden, on whose family's land the community was established. Morden was incorporated as a municipality on January 1, 1882. The Manitoba government granted Morden town status in 1903 and later city status in 2012.

Climate

Morden has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The average high in July is and the average low is. Since the Morden area experiences some of the warmest temperatures in Manitoba, it has become a centre for agricultural and horticultural research. Since 1915, the city has been home to the Morden Research and Development Centre, which is operated by the Government of Canada. The average high in January is and the average low is. The highest temperature ever recorded in Morden was on 11 July 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 16 January 1993.

Access

Morden is located at the intersection of Provincial Road 432 and Manitoba Highway 3; the latter provides the shortest route from Winnipeg, the provincial capital. Access to the city is also possible by way of PTH 14, which ends at PTH 3 near Morden and links the city with the neighbouring city of Winkler and PTH 75, the primary commercial route between Manitoba and the United States. PTH 75, which turns into Interstate 29 at Pembina, North Dakota, provides southern Manitobans with direct access to the cities of Fargo, Omaha and Kansas City. Travelers from the U.S. can also reach Morden by taking PTH 32 through Winkler. Morden is located about 34 kilometres northwest of the United States border crossing at Walhalla, North Dakota and 40 kilometres northeast of the United States border crossing at Maida, North Dakota.
Morden is served by a small rural airport, Morden Regional Aerodrome; however, it is not serviced by major airlines. The city has one taxi service, Boundary Trails Taxi. Greyhound provides a courier service called Package Express to Morden, but passenger service has been discontinued. Morden is bisected by a Canadian Pacific railway south of Stephen Street, running east–west. The Boundary Trail Railway interlines with the Canadian Pacific in Morden.

Morden-Winkler Corridor

The Morden-Winkler Corridor is a stretch of four lane highway that separates the cities of Morden and Winkler. Over the past decade, new retail, offices, and housing developments have been constructed between the two cities. At the western edge of the corridor lies The Pembina Connection retail development. Since 2006, both national and local businesses have expanded into this development. Restaurants, clothing stores and sport/leisure dealerships make up the majority of businesses. At the eastern edge of the corridor, service stations/travel centres and restaurants dominate the retail scene. The Boundary Trails Health Centre is also located in the corridor, approximately halfway between Morden and Winkler. BTHC is a major acute care hospital that serves the residents of Morden-Winkler as well as much of south-central Manitoba. Planning is currently underway to construct a walking/cycling path in the corridor that will connect the cities of Morden and Winkler.

Government and politics

Morden is governed by a mayor and six councilors who are elected by residents. The current Mayor of Morden is Brandon Burley, who won the 2018 Municipal Election with 1,334 votes. Councilor Gord Maddock currently serves as Deputy Mayor. Also serving on City of Morden Council are Councilor Doug Frost, Councilor Garry Hiebert, Councilor Hank Hildebrand, Councilor Jim Hunt, and Councilor Nancy Penner. The City of Morden City Manager is currently Nicole Enns in an interim capacity.
Morden is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba by Progressive Conservative MLA Cameron Friesen and in the House of Commons of Canada by Conservative MP Candice Bergen.

Education

Morden's public school system is the Western School Division, which consists of two elementary schools - Maple Leaf Elementary School and Minnewasta Elementary School, one middle school, École Morden Middle School, one high school, Morden Collegiate Institute and an Adult Education centre.
Red River Technical Vocational Area has partnered with Western School Division to provide further opportunities to its Secondary-level students. The Campus Manitoba program also provides assistance to students in Morden and area who desire to obtain Post-Secondary education.
In December 2005, philanthropist John Buhler donated 5 million dollars to the Western School Division for the purpose of building a large performing arts center. This was to be the largest ever private gift to a Canadian public school. However, accusations of cost overruns and opposition to the gift from many people in the city led to the school division abandoning the project in 2008, to Buhler's dismay. The 1.25 million that had already been handed over was not refunded, and was used by the school for other purposes. Many others demanded he use the money to build the town a pool instead. Western School Division used the remaining 3.75 million for other programs.

Local media

Morden's local newspaper is The Winkler-Morden Voice, also published weekly and distributed by mail to households in both Winkler and Morden and many surrounding smaller communities. The Winnipeg Free Press and Winnipeg Sun are available daily. The Morden Times previously served the City of Morden until the paper closed in May 2020.
Nearby Winkler is home to two radio stations of its own, both of which are owned and operated by Altona-based Golden West Broadcasting. CKMW-FM, a country music station, was established in 1980 and broadcasts at 88.9 kHz on the FM dial. CJEL, an adult contemporary music station branded as The Eagle 93.5, launched in 2000 and was the only FM radio station in the Pembina Valley until CKMW moved from 1570 kHz AM in 2013.
Though they are not based in Winkler, several other radio stations are notable around the Morden-Winkler area. The signal from Golden West's easy listening radio station in Altona, CFAM 950 AM, reaches the Winkler area. Two North Dakota stations near the Canada/U.S. border also reach Winkler: KAOC 105.1 FM, a country music station in Cavalier and KYTZ 106.7 FM, an adult contemporary music station in Walhalla. The former station sells advertisements targeting the Pembina Valley region and maintains an advertising sales office in Morden.

Recreation

The community's recreation hub is the Access Event Centre, also known as the Morden Recreation Centre. The multi-purpose facility houses two indoor arenas, a 1,000-seat community hall, the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as banquet and conference rooms. The lower level of the facility is home to the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre.
Morden is home to various ice hockey teams, including the Morden Redskins of the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League, Morden Thunder of the Manitoba High School Hockey League, and the Pembina Valley Hawks of the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League. The 2017 Esso Cup, Canada's national female midget hockey championship, was hosted by the Hawks in Morden.

Culture and tourism

Every year on the last weekend of August, Morden holds the Corn and Apple Festival where those who attend can enjoy free corn and apple cider, among other activities.

Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

Morden is home to the largest collection of marine reptile fossils in Canada, located at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre. Their collection includes a 13-metre-long mosasaur, approximately 80 million years old named Bruce - a Guinness Record holder as the largest mosasaur on public display in the world.
The city also houses the Pembina Hills Art Gallery. A non-profit community organization, the art gallery aims to facilitate the growth and diversity of the arts in the Pembina Valley region.

Morden designated a "Cultural Capital of Canada for 2008"

Morden was designated a Cultural Capital, in the under 50,000 category, for 2008. This honour was bestowed upon the town by Beverly J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, as well as Brian Pallister who is a member of parliament.
Morden received this award based on the town's emphasis on art and culture in the community. This includes hosting various festivals such as the Back Forty Festival, which highlights aboriginal influences in the community. The award also takes into account proposed projects, that the community has undertaken, in an effort to place art and culture in high esteem among its townspeople.
The city received special funding as recognition for this award. The money was designated to go towards a new performing arts centre, as well as four murals for the community.

Corn and Apple Festival

The first Corn and Apple Festival, held in 1967, was intended to celebrate Canada's centennial. The festival name was chosen because this region of the prairies has a long growing season, particularly for corn and apples. The festival has continued on since 1967 and is now recognized as the city's annual festival.
The festival is held in the centre of the city, along Stephen Street.
Noteworthy appearances at past festivals include; Kenny Byrka, Lou Gramm, Prairie Oyster, Colin James, Dr. Hook, Randy Bachman, The Trews, Chad Brownlee, The Wilkinsons and Dear Screaming.
Rick Mercer made a festival appearance for the 50th anniversary in 2016. The video was aired on CBC Television and published online on Nov 2, 2016.

Demographics

Morden had a population of 8,668 people in 2016, while 2019 estimates put the city's population at over 9,000.

Notable people