Your new neighbours could double your town.
Morning from the Valley — here's what's growing in Winkler-Morden. And sometimes, what's growing is a whole other town right next door. You heard about that new housing development in Île-des-Chênes? They're talking about doubling the population. That’s a *lot* of new faces, new families, new kids for the school, all at once. And some folks there are pretty worried about it.
It really made me think about how we do things here in Winkler and Morden. We've seen incredible growth, Morden was up 14.5% in five years, while most rural towns are shrinking. We've learned a lot about how to welcome people, integrate them, and make sure our infrastructure keeps up.
* **Managed Growth:** We've seen how important it is for our city planners to work closely with developers. Think about the expansion of the industrial parks off Highway 3, or the new housing spreading out past the Winkler Bible Camp. It's been planned, even with its challenges.
* **Community Integration:** We pride ourselves on how we’ve welcomed newcomers, whether they're from across the province or across the world. Our churches, the Low German radio station, and local businesses like Decor Cabinets and Triple E have all played a part.
* **Infrastructure Investment:** You can't just add thousands of people without thinking about water, roads, and schools. We’ve been proactive in expanding our services to handle the influx.
What's happening in Île-des-Chênes is a perfect example of what can happen when growth hits fast. For us in the Pembina Valley, it's a reminder to keep those lines of communication open, from the Stanley Agricultural Society to the city councils, so we can keep our growth strong, but also stable. We've built a national model here, and it's something worth protecting.
Corinne Dueck, MiTL Sports Desk.
Our morning crew talks about growth like this all the time — catch them live at mornings.live.