West InterlakeManitoba

West Interlake gets a D− for hazard risk

In Health Canada’s survey, a quarter of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). With 0.59% of the land around it burning each year, West Interlake sits in the high wildfire band (21% within 25 km since 1986). Seismic risk runs low: $0.005 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. West Interlake shares its radon tests numbers with the rest of the Interlake health region.

Violent crime weighs more where West Interlake is policed than in Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 235

No police detachment reports under West Interlake’s name, so these are the nearest detachment’s figures, not the town’s own

Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 151 over 2023–25, above Manitoba’s towns (129) and Canadian towns (67) alike. For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 35.9 violent incidents are reported each year. Property crime in the area its police cover: 54.4 per 1,000 people a year. Figures for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 are published for the Lundar detachment area as a whole, not for West Interlake alone.

Expect 78.5 years of life in the region around West Interlake, 3.0 under the typical Canadian town

The health survey and life expectancy numbers here cover the Interlake-Eastern Health Region

At 17%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 12% for Manitoba. Chronic conditions run at 20% of adults, age-standardised, higher than both Manitoba’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). Across the region, half of adults say their health is very good or excellent, much as in Manitoba (51%). Closer to home, a hospital is 5.0 km from the average resident of West Interlake, further than the usual 3.7 km.

Winter nights bite in West Interlake: January lows of −24.3°C, colder than Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns

In July the thermometer climbs to 25.2°C by day, about level with Canadian towns (25.5°C) and below Manitoba’s towns (25.8°C). Between the last spring frost, 3 June, and the first in autumn, 13 September, lie 101 days. For the wettest month, look to June: 85 mm on average. December is the snowiest month, with 39 cm on average.

West Interlake in November: highs near −1°C, lows near −10°C

For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Fisher Branch forecast. Expect about 37 mm of rain and snow over November. About 32 cm of snow falls in a normal November. By December, a normal day reaches −9°C and a night falls to −20°C.

James Bezan took Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman in 2021 by 18,704 votes, more than the margin in 88% of ridings

For federal votes, West Interlake belongs to Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); James Bezan (Conservative Party of Canada) holds it.

West Interlake has no public library of its own; the nearest is UCN Chemawawin Public Library, 37 km away

The next is Pauline Johnson Library (Coldwell), 47 km away.

Fewer households are stretched by shelter costs in West Interlake: 8% spend 30%+ of income, against 18% in the typical Canadian town

Households that own their home make up 80%. Rent took nearly a fifth of household income, close to Manitoba’s towns (20%) and below Canadian towns (20%).

Few places match West Interlake for protected land nearby: more than 8 in 10 Canadian towns

For a swim, Silver Bay Beach is the nearest of 2 beaches within 5 km. A provincial park, Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park, lies 62 km away. Within its own boundary, 7.8% of the town is protected.

More of West Interlake’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 27%

5.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, lower than both Manitoba’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (15%). Immigrants make up 7.6% of residents, near Manitoba’s towns (7.7%) and higher than Canadian towns (6.4%).

Trips to work from West Interlake are shorter than from Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 21 min on average

Driving is how 86% of commuters got to work at the census.