There's a branch of my family based in Brandon, but they emigrated 2 or 3 generations ago (one was my Dad's cousin) and I don't have any contact now.
Coldest I've experienced was when I was working in Bucharest about 10 years ago when it was -20C plus a strong wind howling around city buildings. Not pleasant.
Small world. I'm 2 hours east of Brandon.
Our winters are very dry, when compared to areas that have a damp cold, -40C will feel warmer than -20C. I spend most of one winter in Vancouver many years ago, I remember some days not being able to warm up no matter how many layers I put on.
Found this clip on the Internet...
Climate......
Winnipeg lies in the middle of the North American continent on a low-lying, flat plain. Due to its location in the Canadian Prairies, and its distance from both mountains and oceans, it has an extreme continental climate (Köppen Dfb,[14] USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 2b),[15] in that there are great differences between summer and winter temperatures. The openness of the prairies leaves Winnipeg exposed to numerous weather systems including blizzards and cold Arctic high pressure systems, known as the Polar high. Winnipeg has four distinct seasons, with short transitional periods between winter and summer.
Temperatures as high as 42.2 °C (108 °F) in July 1936[16] and as low as −47.8 °C (−54.0 °F) in December 1879[17] have occurred in the city, a 90°C (162°F) difference. According to Environment Canada, Winnipeg was the coldest city in the world with a population of over 600,000 based on the average night-time temperature from December to February, inclusive;[18] however, now that Ulan Bator has grown bigger than Winnipeg, Ulan Bator, Mongolia is now the coldest city in the world (with a population of over 600,000).[19][20] Harbin, China is also cooler based on winter nighttime lows.