DOCTOR JOBS IN MANITOBA

Manitoba Fun Facts and Interesting Features

It's the Centre Province of Canada

Manitoba is a prairie province, even though a 3rd of the province is covered by grasslands. The province is larger than Great Britain and the Japan Island of Honshu together. Winnipeg, the capital is in the geographic center of Canada. You will find the Centre of Canada sign along route 1 highway stating the distance between the Western to the Pacific and Eastern to the Atlantic Ocean.

Manitoba - Fundamental Life Force

The province name Manitoba comes from the word Manitou which means Fundamental Life Force in the native Cree and Ojibwa language. There is a small town in the province called Manitou.

Province License Plates

Manitobans are known to be the friendliest in Canada and this is reflected in the province’s official license plate slogan, ‘Friendly Manitoba.’

Boreal & Tundra

The province provides various landscapes with the Arctic tundra in the north, and the Boreal Forest and the prairies in the south. Two thirds of the province is covered in a rocky landscape that is covered by trees or tundra, which is part of the Canadian shield.

Over 100,000 Lakes

15% of Manitoba’s surface is covered by lakes. There are over 100,00 lakes throughout the province. There are many towns located on the lakes, along beaches and rivers, allowing locals and visitors plenty of opportunities to explore and enjoy canoeing, kayaking, fishing and swimming during the summer.

Manitoba’s Little Limestone Lake is the finest and largest example of a marl lake in the world, meaning it changes colour with fluctuations in temperature.

Bruce the Mosasaur

In 1974 the largest Mosasaur (a sea reptile going back to the Cretaceous period over 80,000 years ago) was discovered in the far south of the province. He was given the name Bruce, and you can visit him in the Canadian Fossil Discover Centre, in Morden. The area is still a dig site with more mosasaur fossils still being uncovered into the late 2000’s. 

Winnie The Pooh Fame

Did you know the real Winnie the Pooh was a black bear originally from our Northern town of White River, Ontario? What's even more fascinating is that he is named after the Canadian capital city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

In 1914, a Canadian veterinarian named Lt Harry Colebourn bought the bear cub for $20 while serving in the First World War. He named her Winnie, after his native capital city of Winnipeg, and the cub became a mascot for the regiment while stationed in England. When the soldier left for France, he gave Winnie to London Zoo – which is where Christopher Robin saw her and named his own teddy after her. And therein lies the origin of the name Winnie-the-pooh. Here is the Canadian story to share with the kids.

The Real James Bond

Manitoban Soldier William Stephenson is thought by many to be the inspiration for James Bond. As a soldier and fighter pilot serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, Royal Flying Corps he was captured multiple times by Germany in World War I and provided the British with volunteer information about Hitler and the government. By World War II he was part of the British Security Coordination, located in New York. British Prime Minister Churchill used him for confidential intelligence between the British and the Americans. His Code name was “Intrepid”. You can find a bronze status of the soldier in downtown Winnipeg and there are several streets in cities across Canada that are named after him.

Icelandic Connections

The town of Gimli sits on Lake Winnipeg, once known as the “New Iceland”, a settlement for Icelandic fishermen in the 1870’s. It has the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. You can visit the New Iceland Heritage Museum and explore the history and connections between the two countries.

Famous Manitobans

The singer Neil Young was born in Toronto and moved back to Manitoba when he was 12 years of age with his mother after his parents divorced. His early music career started in Winnipeg and small Manitoba towns, he later worked in folk clubs where he met the Canadian Born folk singer Joni Mitchell. Winnipeg is also home to the band Crash Test Dummies.

Sports 

CFL Team the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have appeared in more Grey Cup finals than any other CFL Team and have won 12 times (including 2019 and 2021)

Aurora Borealis Northern Lights

The best place in the world to see Aurora Borealis or northern lights (bright, moving lights in various colors that light up the evening sky) is in the town of Churchill, on the edge of the Hudson Bay. You can also see beluga whales and polar bears there (it is known as the “Polar bear capital of the world”). Take a tour to this one of a kind destination.

Home of Two National Parks and 54 Provincial Parks

Riding Mountain National Park is the most popular park in Manitoba. The park sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area 2,969 square kilometers (1,146 square miles), the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding prairie farmland. It was designated a national park because it protects three different ecosystems that converge in the area; grasslands, upland boreal and eastern deciduous forests.

Quality Higher Education

Manitoba offers high quality, affordable education, and training throughout the province in rural or urban settings by public or private institutions in both English and French.

The province has 8 public post-secondary institutions and four religious institutions, all of which have degree granting authority, with the exception of the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT). All 12 post-secondary institutions are English-language institutions except for the Université de Saint-Boniface which is a French-language institution. 

New Education Alignment Strategy 

A 3-year strategy was introduced by the Manitoba government in February 2021, allowing all post-secondary students to have work opportunities included during their studies to better align post-secondary institutions with the needs of the economy. Universities and colleges give students work opportunities, such as co-ops, internships, or land-based learning.

Excellent Immigration Success

Some 15,000 newcomers from all over the world chose to move to Manitoba, as it offers affordable family living, new jobs, careers, and friendly communities to settle in. 

A recent survey showed 85 per cent of Manitoba newcomers were working three months after arrival, 76 per cent were homeowners within five years and 95 per cent of families settled permanently in the community, making Manitoba their new home.