From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gimli is a town and municipality located in the
Interlake region of south-central Manitoba, Canada. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg,
about 75 kilometres north of the provincial capital Winnipeg. Its population in the 2006 Canada
census was 5,797.
The town and surrounding districts were once an Icelandic ethnic block
settlement, and the area, known as New Iceland, is home to the largest
concentration of people of Icelandic ancestry outside Iceland.
Economy
Large employers in Gimli include Faroex and the Gimli
Distillery.
- Faroex Ltd. produces composite components for
use in the agricultural, automotive, consumer and military supply
industries since 1981. Faroex's first product was Polygrate
flooring and support framing system, which is made from plastic and
fibreglass and is used in hog production.
- The Gimli Distillery opened in 1968. The plant employs 72
people with an annual payroll, including benefits, of almost $4
million. The operation is situated on two quarters of land and
comprises a production building, barrel filling and dumping, and 46
warehouses to store the maturing whiskeys. The plant and its people
are responsible for providing the company's global Canadian whiskey
requirement. Gimli is the source of Crown Royal whiskey.
- The fishery has over 100 fishers of white fish and pickerel [1]
- During the summer months, tourism is a major industry, as
thousands of summer cottagers fill the town of Gimli, especially on
weekends. Hotels, restaurants and stores cater to the summer
visitors.
History
A computer generated image of the
Gimli Glider approaching Gimli
Airstrip
Gimli was founded by a large group of Icelandic settlers who
arrived in New
Iceland on Lake
Winnipeg in 1875. Beyond the borders of Manitoba as it was
then, this settlement fell within the District
of Keewatin, until 1881 when Manitoba was enlarged. In 1876 the
community was hit by a severe outbreak of smallpox. Originally organized as a
self-administering "Icelandic reserve" directly responsible to Ottawa, the settlers of New
Iceland developed a unique constitution of by-laws for local
government which remained in effect until they adopted provincial
municipal government in 1887. The initial status of New Iceland as
a "reserve" remained in effect until 1899.
In the Gimli
Glider incident on 23 July 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 that had run out of fuel made an
unpowered landing on a decommissioned runway at Gimli Industrial Park
Airport, a former RCAF base near Gimli with no control tower
and no fire trucks available.
Arts and
culture
Festivals
- Gimli Film Festival was
the brain child of Icelandic filmmaker Jon Gustafsson when he wanted to show
his locally-shot feature film Kanadiana to the people of
Gimli. The opening night film at the first festival was Tales
From the Gimli Hospital by Guy Maddin. Other founding members were
Senator Janis
Johnson and filmmakers Caelum Vatnsdal and Matt Holm.
- Icelandic Festival of
Manitoba, Íslendingadagurinn, is held on the long weekend in
August. The first Icelandic festival in Manitoba was held in
Winnipeg in 1890; it was held there annually until 1931, and since
1932 has been held in Gimli.
- Gimli Model Fest and R/C Airshow is an annual R/C hobby showcase, the
largest in mid-Canada. The Sunday afternoon air show includes jets
with miniature turbine jet engines, warbirds, aerobatics, R/C
combat and a kids' candy drop.
Notable
people
See also
External
links
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