Elma, Manitoba is a community in Manitoba. It is located on the Whitemouth River, at the junction of Highway 15 and Highway 11 in the Rural Municipality of Whitemouth.

 

The original area settlement (a mile south of present day Elma) was known as Janow, after the name of its post office. This was a name settled on between the store owner, John Giliewich, and the post office inspector. The preferred name Yaroriw was turned down as the inspector thought there might be difficulty with the name.

 

The National Transcontinental Railway (a predecessor of the Canadian National Railway) was built through the area in 1905. With the arrival of the railway, a station house had to be constructed. This station was named after the daughter of one of the railroad officials, "Elma". It was common practice for small railroad towns to be named by the railroad engineers or other planners.

 

Elma Station was demolished in the late 1960s and a small rail station (hut) was used frequently by people going to isolated cabins in the eastern Whiteshell and North Western Manitoba. NOTE: The Station Hut was removed in 2014 by Canadian National Railways.

 

Population is approximately 95 full-time residents. This grows during the summer as many people have small cabins for summer use. The Community Club is active and opens for private functions, community functions and of course, the Fall Supper. Elma is central to a huge recreational area. Agassiz Forest, Sandilands, Lakes of the Whiteshell, Snowmobile trails, and whitewater canoeing, kayaking, are all within a few minutes drive.

 

In the Fall of 2011 the RM of Whitemouth installed a municipal water pipeline (originating in Seven Sisters, 35 Kilometres away) for those residents in Elma who wanted it. The costs were to be shared between those people and a small government grant. Costs averaging 13,000 dollars per household.

 

Stats Canada showed,  in the 2011 Census, a small increase of about 70 people settling in the Whitemouth area. In 2016 10 persons were recorded as settling in the area for a total of 1557 persons residing in the RM. Property costs in S.E. Manitoba are lower than areas to the North, North East and West of the City of Winnipeg. The town of Whitemouth, just a 7-minute drive from Elma, has several conveniences such as a clinic, dentist, pharmacy, hardware store, convenience store, school, Credit Union and Insurance Agency. Between 2016 and 2018 the town of Whitemouth lost its liquor store, laundramat, car wash, Antique store and sole Gas Station.

 

 

The biggest employers in the Elma area are Canadian National Railways, Sun Gro Horticulture Income Fund, Seer Logging. Dales Service Station, Restaurant, Moongate Bed and Breakfast, Rivers Edge Resort Cabins and a successful grocery store and liquor store make up the other local businesses. The Pineland Forest Nursery (closed 2018) is now a Hemp Farm. There are expected to be 200 jobs created at this site.

 

Many residents commute to Whitemouth, Winnipeg or Beausejour for work.