Gimli (electoral district)

Gimli is located to the immediate north of the City of Winnipeg. It is bordered to the north by Interlake, to the west by Interlake and Lakeside, and to the east by Lake Winnipeg and Selkirk.

Communities in the riding include Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Petersfield, Clandeboye and Matlock.

The riding's population in 1996 was 19,700. As of 1999, the average family income was $58,790, and the unemployment rate was 7.90%. The service sector accounts for 15% of industry in the riding, with a further 11% each in manufacturing and the retail trade. There is also a significant fishing and tourism economy in the riding.

Gimli is home to the largest Icelandic community in the world outside of Iceland, and many of its MLAs have been from this background. It also has significant Ukrainian and German communities, at 12% and 6% respectively.

Gimli is a "bellweather" riding, and has elected a candidate from a governing party in all but five elections since its establishment (the exceptions were 1907, 1920, 1922, 1936 and 1999). It is currently regarded as a PC/NDP marginal.

The present MLA for Gimli is Peter Bjornson of the NDP.

List of provincial representatives

Name	Party	Took Office	Left Office
Baldwin Baldwinson	Cons	1899	1907
Sigtryggur Jonasson	Lib	1907	1910
Baldwin Baldwinson	Cons	1910	1913
Edmund Taylor	Cons	1913	1914
Svein Thorvaldson	Cons	1914	1915
Taras Furley	Lib	1915	1920
Gudmundur Fjelsted	Farmer	1920	1922
Michael Rojeski	Lib, later Independent	1922	1927
Ingimar Ingaldson	Prog	1927	1932
Einar Jonasson	Lib-Prog	1932	1935
Joseph Wawrykow	ILP/CCF	1936	1945
Steinn Thompson	Lib-Prog	1945	1958
George Johnson	PC	1958	1969
John Gottfried	NDP	1969	1977
Keith Cosens	PC	1977	1981
John Bucklaschuk	NDP	1981	1988
Ed Helwer	PC	1988	2003
Peter Bjornson	NDP	2003	present

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