Interlake

This article is about the Manitoba provincial electoral district. For the region in British Columbia, see Interlakes. For the sailing dinghy, see Interlake (dinghy).

The 2011 boundaries for Interlake highlighted in red

Interlake is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1979, and has formally existed since the 1981 provincial election. Previously, much of the Interlake region was included in the constituency of St. George. As its name implies, Interlake is located between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, in the mid-northern section of the province.

Interlake is bordered to the east by Lake Winnipeg, to the south by Lakeside and Gimli, to the north by Swan River, and to the west by Lake Manitoba. Communities in the riding include Arborg, Riverton, Ashern, Fraserwood and Hecla. The Black and Deer Islands are also located in the riding.

In 1996, the riding's population was 18,653. In 1999, the average family income was $32,570, and the unemployment rate was 10.60%. Twenty-two per cent of the riding's residents are listed as low-income. Almost 25% of the riding's residents have less than a Grade 9 education.

Agriculture accounts for 22% of Interlake's industry, followed by government services at 13%.

Interlake has been represented continuously by members of the New Democratic Party since its creation, although it is not considered completely safe for that party. In 1995, local members of the Progressive Conservative Party attempted to rig the voting results by promoting a candidate from Independent Native Voice, a minor party. The plan was unsuccessful, but caused a major provincial scandal when its details were revealed to the public in 1998-99.

The current MLA is New Democrat Tom Nevakshonoff, possibly the first MLA in Manitoba's history from a Doukhobor background.

List of provincial representatives

Name	Party	Took Office	Left Office
Bill Uruski	NDP	1981	1990
Clif Evans	NDP	1990	1999
Tom Nevakshonoff	NDP	1999	present

Electoral results

Manitoba general election, 2011: Interlake
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Tom Nevakshonoff	3,374	50.24	−9.06
	Progressive Conservative	Steve Lupky	2,903	43.23	+7.41
	Independent	John Zasitko	215	3.20	-
	Liberal	Albert Ratt	194	2.89	−1.64
Total valid votes			6,686
Rejected and declined votes			30
Turnout			6,716	53.36
Registered voters			12,586

Manitoba general election, 2007: Interlake
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Tom Nevakshonoff	4,047	59.30		$19,408.47
	Progressive Conservative	Gary Wasylowski	2,445	35.82		$24,946.26
	Liberal	Franklin Swark	309	4.53	–	$340.30
Total valid votes			6,801	99.63
Rejected and declined votes			25
Turnout			6,826	56.53
Registered voters			12,074

June, 2003:

• (x)Tom Nevakshonoff (NDP) 3858
• Betty Green (PC) 1796
• Leslie Jacobson (L) 397

Manitoba general election, 1999: Interlake
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Tom Nevakshonoff	3,809	48.18		$22,797.00
	Progressive Conservative	Betty Green	3,260	41.24		$28,978.73
	Liberal	Margaret Swan	770	9.74	–	$7,010.62
Total valid votes			7,839	99.73
Rejected and declined votes			66
Turnout			7,905	62.99
Registered voters			12,550

Previous boundaries

The 1998-2011 boundaries for Interlake highlighted in red