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; together Morden and Winkler are often referred to as Manitoba's Twin Cities. Morden, which is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Stanley, is the eighth largest and fastest-growing city in Manitoba. According to Statistics Canada, the city had a population of 9,929 in 2021, an increase of 14.5% from 2016, making it Manitoba's fastest growing City. History. Morden was founded in 1882, when the Canadian Pacific  Railway built a railway line crossing the Dead Horse Creek (called "Le Cheval Mort" by the French fur traders) at a place then known as Cheval. 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 (Köppen climate classification "", USDA Plant Hardiness Zone  3a) 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 (PTH) 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 (near Morden) lies The Pembina Connection retail development. Since 2006, both national and local businesses have expanded into this development. Restaurants (e.g.Boston Pizza), clothing stores (e.g. Saban & Company) and sport/leisure dealerships (e.g. Polaris Industries) make up the majority of businesses. At the eastern edge of the corridor  (near Winkler), service stations/travel centres and restaurants (e.g. MR MIKES SteakhouseCasual) dominate the retail scene. The Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC) 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 (49.17%). Councilor Doug Frost currently serves as Deputy Mayor. Also serving on City of Morden Council are Councilor Gord Maddock, Councilor Garry Hiebert as Corporate Chair-Person, Councilor Hank Hildebrand, Councilor Jim Hunt, and Councilor Nancy Penner as Utility Chair-Person. The City of Morden City Manager has been Nicole Reidle since 2019. Morden is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (as part of the Morden-Winkler riding) by Progressive Conservative MLA Cameron Friesen and in the House of Commons of Canada (as part of the Portage —Lisgar riding) by Conservative MP Candice Bergen. Education. Morden public schools are part of 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. Morden is also home to a branch of Campus Manitoba, providing post-secondary courses from Red River College. 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. A previous  paper, "The Morden Times", closed in 2020. 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 Bombers 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. 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. 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. 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. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Morden had a population of 9,929 living in 3,995 of its 4,162 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 8,668. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.