Rural Municipality of Sifton

This article is about the rural municipality. For the unincorporated community, see Sifton, Manitoba.

Sifton
Rural municipality
Rural Municipality of Sifton
Oak Lake
Location of the RM of Sifton in Manitoba
Coordinates: 49°39′55″N100°40′04″W / 49.66528°N 100.66778°W / 49.66528; -100.66778
Country	Canada
Province	Manitoba
Region	Westman
Incorporated	December 22, 1883 [1]
(Amalgamation)	January 1, 2015 [2]
Area
• Total	768 km2 (297 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [3]
• Total	1,239
• Density	1.6/km2 (4.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	+1-204
Website	www.rmofsifton.com

The Rural Municipality of Sifton is a rural municipality (RM) in the south-west portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba.

History

The RM was incorporated in 1883. ^[1] The former town of Oak Lake, located within Sifton, annexed by the RM on January 1, 2015, as a requirement of The Municipal Amalgamations Act, which required municipalities with a population less than 1,000 to amalgamate with neighbouring municipalities. ^[4] The Government of Manitoba initiated these amalgamations in order for municipalities to meet the 1997 minimum population requirement of 1,000 to incorporate a municipality. ^{[5] [2]}

Geography

The most prominent geographical feature in the RM is Oak Lake. Other lakes include the Plum Lakes and Maple Lake. The Assiniboine River runs near the northern border of the RM and at the extreme south-east corner of the RM is the Souris River. Other notable rivers include Pipestone Creek and Plum Creek.

Communities

A farm in Sifton near Deleau

• Algar
• Belleview
• Deleau
• Findlay
• Griswold
• Oak Lake
• Oak Lake Beach
• Ralston
• Routledge

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sifton had a population of 1,239 living in 502 of its 771 total private dwellings, a change of -1.4% from its 2016 population of 1,256. With a land area of 839.5 km² (324.1 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.5/km² (3.8/sq mi) in 2021. ^[3]

Conservation

In 2016, the Nature Conservancy of Canada bought 127 acres of land on the Oak Lake Sand Hills, ^[6] east of Oak Lake. The property is a mixture of wetlands and rolling sandy hills and contains eleven uncommon and at-risk species. ^{[7] [8]}

Transportation

The following is a list of highways in the RM:

• Manitoba Highway 1
• Manitoba Highway 2, also known as the Red Coat Trail
• Manitoba Highway 21
• Manitoba Provincial Road 254
• Manitoba Provincial Road 255
• Manitoba Provincial Road 543

References

1. "Manitoba Communities: Sifton (Rural Municipality)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
2. "The Municipal Amalgamations Act (C.C.S.M. c. M235): Rural Municipality of Sifton and Town of Oak Lake Amalgamation Regulation" (PDF). Government of Manitoba. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
3. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Manitoba". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
4. "The Municipal Amalgamations Act (C.C.S.M. c. M235)". Government of Manitoba. October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
5. "Speech from the Throne: At the Opening of the Second Session of the 40th Legislature of the Province of Manitoba". Government of Manitoba. November 19, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
6. Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Oak Lake Sand Hills". www4.rncan.gc.ca.
7. "Nature Conservancy of Canada buys Manitoba property". CBC News Manitoba. February 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
8. "Oak Lake Sandhills a biodiversity hot spot". November 21, 2012.

External links

• Official website