East Selkirk, Manitoba is a charming community nestled in the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Clements. With a population of 675 according to the 2016 Census, this quaint village is situated directly across the Red River from Selkirk, Manitoba. East Selkirk is conveniently connected to Winnipeg, which is approximately 41 kilometres (25 mi) away, via Highway 59 or Provincial Road 204.
The town of East Selkirk was incorporated in 1883, with Francis Hay serving as its first reeve. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a significant immigration boom in East Selkirk. The Round House, a large Tyndall limestone building located next to the railway tracks, served as an immigration hall, church, school, and hospital. Many immigrants from Poland, Ukraine, and other eastern-European countries passed through its doors, with some choosing to settle in the local area.
East Selkirk was also home to the St. Peter's Reservation, where Chief Peguis led his Saulteaux tribe in the early 19th century. However, a dispute over land rights in the late 1890s led to the forced relocation of the Saulteaux people, a move that is still considered illegal today. The Peguis First Nation finalized a land claim in 2008 that originated from this incident.
In 1936, a bridge connecting East Selkirk to the City of Selkirk was opened, despite initial delays due to the Depression. The town of East Selkirk was dissolved in 1904 and absorbed by the neighboring RM of St. Clements, which celebrated its centennial anniversary in 1884.
East Selkirk boasts a variety of amenities, including an elementary school, Happy Thought School, and a junior high, East Selkirk Middle School. The village is also home to the East Selkirk Recreation Association, a post office, gas station, and two churches: St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church and the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The Central Manitoba Railway (CEMR), owned by Cando Rail Services Ltd., operates a 108-kilometre (67 mi) short line between East Selkirk and Carman. In 2018, they received C$5.6 million to improve rail service between the two communities.
In the early 2000s, concerns about drinking water quality from existing underground aquifers in East Selkirk led to the issuance of boil water advisories. However, after upgrades to the Water Treatment Plant and distribution pipes, the advisory was lifted in January 2016. The water serving the R.M. of St. Clements comes from a deep underground carbonate aquifer in operation since 2012. The Water Treatment Plant, located within East Selkirk at 1043 Kittson Rd, can store 600 m3 of water at a time, serving 275 households.
In 2017, a C$1 million upgrade of the Water Treatment Plant meant that residents no longer had to soften their water at home. A study conducted the same year suggested connecting Lockport to the East Selkirk Wastewater Treatment Plant, allowing for an additional 850 homes that could handle outflow from the East Selkirk Sewage Lagoon.
