Oak Lake is an unincorporated urban community in the

Rural Municipality of Sifton 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 J ...

within the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. It is located west of Brandon along the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

. The lake after which it was named is in the rural municipality's western area. During the late 19th century, the area around Oak Lake was a popular stopping point for fur traders and settlers due to the large number of big

oak trees An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(revered for their strength) located around the lake that could be used to repair their wagons. In the fall of 1881, work crews on the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway had reached Flat Creek to the east of the current townsite. In the spring they moved the camp west and built a siding and station (now long gone) where the community's flags and

flower garden A flower garden or floral garden is any garden or part of a garden where plants that flower are grown and displayed. This normally refers mostly to herbaceous plants, rather than flowering woody plants, which dominate in the shrubbery and ...

are now located.

Geography and climate

The area around Oak Lake is dominated by the

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River (''; french: Rivière Assiniboine'') is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a sing ...

, the nearby lake by the same name, areas of flat farm land, and to the north, large, rolling hills left by receding glaciers. Oak Lake's location in the middle of the

Canadian prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

means that Oak Lake experiences an extreme continental climate. The area is known for its long, cold winters owing to its northerly location. There is often much snowfall during the winter, with the possibility for

blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling ...

s that can drop in excess of 35 cm (~14 inches) of snow at once, which can be blown into drifts that are much deeper. The community can be cut off for a day or more while snow is cleared from the highways. Temperatures during the coldest winter months of December, January and February can reach -35 °C (-31 °F), though colder temperatures occasionally occur. Windchills during the winter can reach as cold as -45 °C (-49 °F), making outdoor activity difficult on those days. The average winter temperature is a more moderate -12 °C (10.4 °F). Winters are often characterized by extreme shifts in temperature with near 0 °C (32 °F) changing to frigid temperatures within the span of a few days. Summers are often very warm with the possibility of temperatures in excess of 35 °C (95 °F), though the average summer temperature is 26 °C (78.8 °F). Year round, Oak Lake has an abundance of clear, sunny skies.

Economy

The economy of the Oak Lake area is dominated by

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

, although nearby Virden has a booming oil economy. The

rural municipality A rural municipality is a classification of municipality, a type of local government, found in several countries. These include: * Rural municipalities in Canada, a type of municipal status in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, ...

office is located in Oak Lake, which employs a handful of people to manage the running of

public services A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

. Other employers include the Valleyview CO-OP grocery store, Golden Embers restaurant, Dandy's confectionery, and several smaller, personal businesses. Basic groceries and household items can be purchased from the Co-op. Other locations for shopping are Virden, 15 minutes away, Brandon, 30 minutes away, and for rare items, Winnipeg and Minot each 2½ hours away. Oak Lake has the seasonal Dandy's Drive In and Golden Embers. Virden and Brandon have a number of casual and fine dining restaurants as well.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Oak Lake had a population of 381 living in 155 of its 172 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 407. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Oak Lake's population is mostly

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, with few

visible minorities A visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada, in connect ...

other than a small aboriginal population. The nearby Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and Canupawakpa Dakota Nation are homes to a large community of

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

people.

Education

Oak Lake Community School is the only school in Oak Lake. It is part of the Fort La Bosse School Division, and has grades K-8. Students in their senior years (grades 9-12) take a daily 15 minute bus ride to nearby Virden Collegiate Institute in Virden. The closest post secondary educational facilities are in Brandon; Brandon University (BU) and

Assiniboine Community College Assiniboine Community College (ACC) is a Canadian community college in the province of Manitoba. It is accredited by the Manitoba Council on Post-Secondary Education, which was created by the government of Manitoba. The Victoria Avenue East and ...

(ACC).

Transportation

The main method of transportation in Oak Lake is car. For people who live and work in community, walking or biking is common when the weather permits. The nearest domestic airport is Virden/R.J. (Bob) Andrew Field Regional Aerodrome, and the nearest one with scheduled service is

Brandon Municipal Airport Brandon Municipal Airport (also known as Brandon Airport or McGill Field) is an airport located north of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. It serves the City of Brandon, the Westman and Parkland regions of Manitoba, and eastern Saskatchewan. Brand ...

. The closest international airport is the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, although

Regina International Airport Regina International Airport is an international airport located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, located south-west and west-southwest of the city centre. It is run by the Regina Airport Authority. It was, in 2018, the 15th busiest airpor ...

in Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

is only marginally further away. There is no commuter rail service to Oak Lake, although

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

has a stop in Brandon.

Sports and recreation

Oak Lake Golf Course is nine holes long with cart and club rentals available. Camping is available in the community at the Lion's Campground and D & G Campground can be found west along the Trans-Canada highway. Oak Lake Beach (Four Seasons Island Resort) is a short drive from the community and offers cabins (both for rental and lease), camping, a beach, minigolf and other cottage attractions. During the winter, there are plenty of opportunities for

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

, skating (including figure skating), skiing and ice fishing.

Hockey

Hockey is the biggest sport in the community, with an active minor league program. The local arena and hockey program has greatly benefited from the installation of an ice plant. Ice rentals by teams from Brandon are common. Oxen Cart Bandits is the moniker used by teams in younger age groups. The Oak Lake Icemen participate in the Manitoba North Central Hockey League senior level. There are junior hockey programs available in Virden and Souris. Virden Collegiate has a male high school hockey program. The closest major hockey franchise is the

Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They are members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) since joining the league in the 1967–68 season. Previously, they played in the Manitoba Junior Hocke ...

who play in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

. The nearest NHL franchise is the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

. After Winnipeg, the closest NHL franchise is the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

and the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

, although the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

are geographically closer.

Baseball

Oak Lake formerly had a vibrant baseball program, but it has seen decline in recent years. The closest active baseball program can be found in Virden. Virden Collegiate has male and female high school baseball programs.

Soccer

Brandon's city soccer league is the only viable choice for soccer in the area.

Football

Brandon has a youth football team, while Virden Collegiate Institute's Golden Bears football team participates in the Rural Manitoba Football League.

Curling

There are several regional curling competitions in Oak Lake and surrounding communities. Virden Collegiate also fields a curling team for high school competition.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a school sport at both Oak Lake Community School (whose team name is the Oak Lake Raptors) and at Virden Collegiate. There is also a regional league for males and females.

Basketball

Basketball is a school sport at both Oak Lake Community School and Virden Collegiate.

Entertainment and media

Television

Oak Lake is serviced by Persona Communications cable television, which offers 25 channels. Reception of satellite TV is excellent, due to the flat landscape devoid of large obstructions, therefore services such as

Bell Satellite TV Bell Satellite TV (french: Bell Télé; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite television ser ...

work for more channels. Over the air reception is available from the following stations: *Channel 2 – CKND-2 -

Global Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

, a repeater of Global Winnipeg. *Channel 4 – CKYB - CTV, a repeater of CKY-TV Winnipeg. *Channel 21 – CBWFT - Societé Radio-Canada, a repeater of CBWFT Winnipeg.

Radio

*91.5 CIWM – NCI – Native Communications Inc. (community/aboriginal) *92.7 CBWS – CBC Radio 2 – classical music *94.7 CKLF – Star FM –

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

*96.1

CKX-FM CKX-FM (96.1 MHz, ''Bounce 96.1'') is a radio station in Brandon, Manitoba. Owned by Bell Media, it broadcasts an adult hits format. History The station started operation on December 16, 1963 as a sister station to CKX-AM. The station, with a ...

– 96.1 BOB FM – adult hits *97.9 CBWV –

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of C ...

– News/Information *99.5 CKSB-8 –

Première Chaîne A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

– French News/Information *101.1 CKXA – 101 The Farm –

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

*103.3 CJVM – CJ103 Radio –

and local news *106.5 CJJJ – CJ106 –

campus radio *880 CKLQ – country – official sportscast of the

Newspapers

The Oak Lake Town and Country News is the community's current paper detailing local happenings. The

Brandon Sun ''The Brandon Sun'' is a Monday through Saturday newspaper printed in Brandon, Manitoba. It is the primary newspaper of record for western Manitoba and includes substantial political, crime, business and sports news. ''The Brandon Sun'' also publi ...

is the only home delivered regional, national and international newspaper in the area.

Theatres

Virden's Aud theatre is the closest live performance theatre.

Notable people

Maurice Strong Maurice Frederick Strong, (April 29, 1929 – November 27, 2015) was a Canadian oil and mineral businessman and a diplomat who served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.E Masood (2015) Maurice Strong, Nature 528(7583), 480. Strong ...

(born April 29, 1929 - died November 28, 2015) - industrialist, diplomat and Under-Secretary General of the UN * Ted Taylor (born February 25, 1942) - hockey player, played in the WHA and NHL * Don Larway (born February 12, 1954) - hockey player, played in the WHA, signed to NHL but never played

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Designated places in Manitoba Former towns in Manitoba Populated places disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in Manitoba Unincorporated communities in Westman Region