Highway 9 · Red River north of Winnipeg

Selkirk

Manitoba · 10,504 people

Heavy industry, health care and a river — Selkirk is the closest thing Manitoba has to a mill town you can commute from.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA

Population: 10,504 (2021 Census)
Known for: Gerdau steel mill and Red River fishing
Commute: ~30 min to north Winnipeg
Health: Selkirk Regional Health Centre in town

The place

Selkirk grew up around the Red River and the steel mill that still anchors it. Gerdau's mill is one of the largest industrial employers outside Winnipeg, and around it sits a working river city with a regional hospital, a long marine history, and a catfish statue that locals are genuinely fond of.

Selkirk Park and the Red River waterfront trail system.
Manitoba Marine Museum and a genuine river history.
Steady industrial wages without Winnipeg housing prices.
Lake Winnipeg beaches within 45 minutes.
Thirty minutes to a full city when you need it.

Getting around

Winnipeg: ~35 km / 30 min
Gimli / Lake Winnipeg: ~45 min
Steinbach: ~1h
US border (Emerson): ~1h45

Housing

Selkirk's housing is a mix of older river-side homes and newer subdivisions, priced under comparable Winnipeg neighbourhoods. Rental supply is limited, so start looking early.

The community, as it photographs itself

Main streets, festivals, working days.

Chuck the Channel Cat, Selkirk's catfish statue · Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA

Trail through the trees in Selkirk Park · Manitoba Historical Society photo, CC BY-SA

The Selkirk water tower above the city · Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA

Who hires here

The employer base, sector by sector.

Gerdau Manitoba

Manufacturing / steel

Electric-arc steel mill and rolling operation, the city's industrial anchor.

Selkirk Regional Health Centre

Healthcare

Modern regional hospital serving the Interlake-Eastern region.

Manitoba Hydro and utilities

Trades / utilities

Regional operations and maintenance crews.

Marine and fabrication shops

Skilled trades

Welding, fabrication and river-industry service firms.

Lord Selkirk School Division

Education

Elementary and secondary schools across the city and rural area.

Healthcare

Selkirk Regional Health Centre — emergency, surgery and inpatient care in a purpose-built regional hospital.
Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority provides clinics, home care and mental-health services.
Winnipeg's tertiary hospitals are about 30 minutes south.

Schools and training

Lord Selkirk School Division — elementary through Selkirk Comprehensive High School.
Red River College Polytechnic and the University of Manitoba are a half-hour commute.
Trade apprenticeships available directly through the mill and local contractors.

Arriving here

You will not be the first.

Settlement and language services available locally and through Winnipeg agencies a half-hour away.
Industrial employers here hire on skill and certification, and the mill has a long history of training on the job.
A compact city where the arena, the river trail and the schools do most of the introducing.

A year in Selkirk

Manitoba Highland Gathering · Summer: Pipe bands, heavy events and highland dancing at Selkirk Park.
Triple S Fair and Rodeo · Summer: Regional fair and rodeo weekend.
Riverfront summer programming · Summer: Markets, music and family events along the Red River.