Assiniboia

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Assiniboia refers to a number of different locations and administrative jurisdictions in Canada. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation.

Contents 1 Historical usage 1.1 District of Assiniboia 2 Saskatchewan locations 3 Manitoba locations

[edit] Historical usage

Assiniboia was the name of the proposed Métis province in Canada, notably during the Red River Rebellion. It was to have stretched from near the Red River to the Canadian Rockies. This was unacceptable to the eastern Canadians, who were seeking to expand onto the prime farmland in the West.

[edit] District of Assiniboia

The District of Assiniboia was later created (1882) as a regional administrative district of Canada's North-West Territories. Most of it was absorbed into the Province of Saskatchewan in 1905, except for the westernmost quarter, which became part of Alberta.

The territorial capital of Regina was located in Assiniboia and, on the formation of the province of Saskatchewan in 1905, became the capital of the province. Its location was chosen by Edgar Dewdney, the territorial lieutenant-governor. Dewdney had reserved for himself substantial land adjacent to the Canadian Pacific Railway line on the site of what became the town, and thereby considerably enriched himself. This was the occasion of a considerable scandal in the early days of the Territories.^{[citation needed]}

The District of Assiniboia survived in its original geographical configuration as the Anglican Diocese of Qu'Appelle until the 1970s when the portion of the diocese (and former District of Assiniboia) lying within the province of Alberta was ceded to the Diocese of Calgary.

For more information on the history of the provisional districts see also Districts of the Northwest Territories

[edit] Saskatchewan locations

Assiniboia is also a town in south-central Saskatchewan.

It is a predominantly agricultural community of approximately 3000 people.

[edit] Manitoba locations

Assiniboia is the name of a current provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of Manitoba. For information on this district, see Assiniboia (Manitoba riding). Today, it is a suburb with subdivisions known as Crestview, Westwood, and St. Charles.