Rural Municipality of Sifton explained

Sifton
Official Name:	Rural Municipality of Sifton
Settlement Type:	Rural municipality
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location of Sifton in Manitoba
Coordinates:	49.6653°N -100.6678°W
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	Canada
Subdivision Type1:	Province
Subdivision Name1:	Manitoba
Subdivision Type2:	Region
Established Title:	Incorporated
Established Date:	December 22, 1883^[1]
Established Title1:	(Amalgamation)
Established Date1:	January 1, 2015^[2]
Leader Title:	Reeve
Unit Pref:	Metric
Area Total Km2:	768
Population Footnotes:	^[3]
Population Total:	1,239
Population As Of:	2021
Population Density Km2:	auto
Timezone1:	CST
Utc Offset1:	-6
Timezone1 Dst:	CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:	-5
Area Code:	+1-204

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. 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

• 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 from its 2016 population of 1,256. With a land area of, it had a population density of 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

Notes and References

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