Selkirk

Selkirk is a city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, located about 20 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River. As of the 2001 census, Selkirk had a population of 9,752. Tourism, the Gerdau AmeriSteel Steel Mill (MRM or "The Rolling Mills"), and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC) are the mainstays of the local economy. A bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of East Selkirk. The city is connected to Winnipeg via Highway 9 and is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Selkirk is home to Chuck the Channel Cat, a 25 foot fiberglass channel catfish. The name Chuck was chosen to honour local sport fisherman, Chuck Norquay, who drowned while doing what he loved best - fishing in the Red River. After Chuck was built in 1986, the town council decided to place Chuck in front of Smitty's Restaurant on Main Street. Area Code: 204 Selkirk was first advertised as the "Catfish Capital of the World", due to the large amounts of catfish in the Red River, which runs next to Selkirk. This was part of an advertising campaign to entice European settlers.