La Broquerie is a
local urban district in the
Rural Municipality of La Broquerie
La Broquerie () is a rural municipality in the province of southern Manitoba, located just southeast of the city of Steinbach.
The municipality includes the local urban district of La Broquerie to the north, and the unincorporated communit ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, Canada. It is a predominantly
Francophone
The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...
community located approximately 10 kilometres east of
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach () is the List of cities in Manitoba, third-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada, and with a population of 17,806, the largest community in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Eastman region. The city, located about southeast of ...
and 70 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, at the confluence of
Highways 52,
210, and
302.
For most of the community's history, La Broquerie has been ranked as Manitoba's largest dairy producer. A distinctive display at the south entrance to the community features a moderately sized, decorative cow.
The area's geography makes it attractive to winter sports. One can snowmobile and cross-country ski along the nature trails in the town as well as throughout the entire
Sandilands Provincial Forest area. The community also has a golf course, La Verendrye Golf, named after the family of 18th century explorers. The St. Joachim Museum contains historic artifacts pertaining to the history of the
French and
Belgian settlers since 1877.
History
La Broquerie was first named Carleton before Member of Parliament
A.A.C. Larivière had it changed to honour
Joseph de Labroquerie (1759-1830), who played an important role in the life of his nephew Archbishop
Alexandre-Antonin Taché of
St. Boniface.
[La Broquerie Tourism Map](_blank)
2017. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
Taché designed the municipal seal, including the inscription "All from above."
On November 15, 1883, Taché declared La Broquerie as "
St. Joachim’s
mission," and a new St-Joachim Catholic Parish was built in 1884.
Having a large Francophone population, La Broquerie has been celebrating
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (), also known in English as ''St John the Baptist Day'', is a holiday celebrated on June 24 in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was brought to Canada by French settlers celebrating the traditional feast day of the Na ...
since 1897.
Demographics
As of the
2021 Census, La Broquerie has a population of 1,715 living in 620 of its 653 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,401. With a land area of , it has a population density of in 2021.
Sports
Hockey is a huge part of life in La Broquerie and has been for 60 years. In the early 1950s, local residents spent months cutting and logging wood for the building of a new arena. The arena was built by hand with the help of countless local volunteers. Over the years, the arena burnt down on three occasions, and on all three occasions, local residents lobbied local businessmen and different levels of government to rebuild it. The community's arena and community club is known as the Hylife Centre.
The volunteer board that has been overseeing the entire hockey program for 60 years is the Club Sportif.
Le Club Sportif, the body which oversees the hockey program in the community, is a model of organization to be envied.
The local hockey team is known as the "Habs". This year, every age level has at least one Habs team, and some have two, starting with the Timbits (age 4–6) all the way to the Senior Habs, who play hockey in the
Carillon Senior Hockey League.
The Senior Habs have won five league championships in the past ten years. In 2006–2007, the Habs finished in first place in the league standings, sweeping the league championship finals, and winning the Provincial Senior "A" hockey championship.
The
La Broquerie Habs Junior B team will debut as an expansion team in the 2024–25 season of the
Capital Region Junior Hockey League.
Notable people
*
Mélanie Rocan, painter
*
Daniel Tetrault, hockey player
*
Albert Vielfaure, politician
References
{{MBDivision2
Designated places in Manitoba
Local urban districts in Manitoba
Unincorporated communities in Eastman Region, Manitoba
Manitoba communities with majority francophone populations