St. Paul, originally known as St-Paul-de-Métis or St-Paul-des-Métis, is a town in East-

Northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

, Canada that is surrounded by the

County of St. Paul No. 19 The County of St. Paul No. 19 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district in eastern Central Alberta, central Alberta, Canada. Located in Division No. 12, Alberta, Census Division No. 12, its List of municipal districts in A ...

. It was known as St. Paul de(s) Métis between 1912 and 1936. The community of St-Paul-de-Métis has historical significance related to the Métis people in the region. The area was settled by Métis families who played a vital role in the fur trade and the early development of the region. The Métis, with their mixed Indigenous and European ancestry, established themselves in the area and contributed to its cultural heritage. The community takes its name from the Catholic mission and parish established in the late 19th century. The parish was dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle and became a focal point for religious, social, and cultural activities for the local Métis population.

History

The community was founded as a

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

colony in 1896 after

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

Albert Lacombe Albert Lacombe (28 February 1827 – 12 December 1916), known as Father Lacombe, was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic missionary who travelled among and evangelism, evangelized the Cree and also visited the Blackfoot First Nations in Canada, Fi ...

petitioned the Canadian government for a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

reserved for the Métis people to farm. The colony was founded as Saint-Paul-des-Métis on four

townships A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

of federal government property which was leased for 99 years at a rate of $1 per year. Each Métis family which settled in the area received 80 acres of land, livestock, farming equipment and access to collective land, and soon after a chapel, boarding school, sawmill and windmill were constructed in the colony. The colony experienced significant hardships due to storms and a fire in 1905 which resulted in the colony's failure and termination of the government lease in 1908. One of the original structures of the colony, the Old St. Paul Rectory, a mission site built as the administrative centre for the

Oblate In Christianity (specifically the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person associated with a Benedictine monastery or convent who is specifically dedicated to God and service. Oblates are i ...

priests remains standing today, and is designated an Alberta Provincial Historical Resource. Following the failure of the Métis colony the area was opened up to other Canadians, and under the care of Father Thérien, 450 people including French-Catholic Canadian homesteads were registered in the area in on 2 days in 1909, and the community was incorporated as the Village of St. Paul ''de'' Métis on June 14, 1912, though it was referred to as St. Paul ''des'' Métis by June 6, 1922, and would later incorporate as the Town of St. Paul, removing any mention of the Métis on December 15, 1936. The community would construct a 48 km railroad track to connect the village with the Canadian railway network in 1920, which had stopped at

Spedden, Alberta Spedden is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Smoky Lake County. It is located north of Highway 36, approximately southwest of Cold Lake. History Spedden was named after one of the original surveyors who died in the area in 1919. ...

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, the Town of St. Paul had a population of 5,863 living in 2,284 of its 2,466 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 5,827. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the Town of St. Paul according to its 2017 municipal census is 5,963, a change of from its 2014 municipal census population of 6,004. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of St. Paul recorded a population of 5,827 living in 2,248 of its 2,378 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 5,405. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. As of the

2016 Canada Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial census. ...

, 71% of the population is of European descent.

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

people make up the next largest ethnic group with 16% of St. Paul's population. Most of the town's Indigenous residents are

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

. Visible minorities make up 12.3% of St. Pauls population.

Filipino Canadians The Filipino Canadians (); () are Canadians who have a Filipino descent or ethnicity. The Filipino Canadians is the second largest subgroup of the overseas Filipinos, surpassed only by the United States, and one of the fastest-growing minority ...

(6.1%) form the largest group, followed by

Black Canadians Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

(3.6%),

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

(0.7%) and

South Asians Ethnic groups in South Asia are ethnolinguistic groupings within the diverse populations of South Asia, including the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is variously considered to be a p ...

(0.7%).

Economy

St. Paul's economy is driven by the

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

service industries Service industries are those not directly concerned with the production of physical goods (such as agriculture and manufacturing). Some service industries, including transportation, wholesale trade and retail trade are part of the supply chai ...

. St. Paul is located in Alberta's Lakeland tourism district.

Attractions

St. Paul is home to the world's first

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

landing pad, built as part of the 1967

Canadian Centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1. Commemorative coins were m ...

celebrations in an effort to attract both tourists and

Martians Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celestia ...

to the community. The pad consists of a 30-tonne raised platform with a map of Canada embossed on the back stop, consisting of stones provided by each province of Canada. On June 3, 1967,

Paul Hellyer Paul Theodore Hellyer (August 6, 1923 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian engineer, politician, writer, and commentator. He was the longest serving member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada at the time of his death. Early life Hellyer w ...

, Minister of National Defence, flew in by helicopter to officially open the Pad. The pad was one of over 100 Centennial Projects organized by the town. The idea for the UFO landing pad is credited to former town Mayor Jules Van Brabant and a couple of local business owners, the concrete and steel materials for the landing pad were donated by local construction companies, and a local designer developed the blueprint for the mushroom-shaped pod. The sign beside the pad reads: "The area under the World's First UFO Landing Pad was designated international by the Town of St. Paul as a symbol of our faith that mankind will maintain the outer universe free from national wars and strife. That future travel in space will be safe for all intergalactic beings, all visitors from earth or otherwise are welcome to this territory and to the Town of St. Paul." Mentioned in George Fox's song, Real Canadian Town. The UFO Landing pad was also featured across Canada as a film crew with

Cineplex Entertainment Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Entertainment and Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian operator of movie theater and family entertainment centers, headquartered in Toronto. It is the largest cinema chain in Canada; as of 2019, it operated 165 loc ...

was in the town in May 2014 filming a pre-show piece to be played in Cineplex movie theatres across Canada throughout the month of June. The UFO landing pad was visited by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

during their 1978 tour of Canada, which also included stops at the

Vegreville egg The Vegreville egg is a giant sculpture of a pysanka, a Ukrainian-style Easter egg. The work by Paul Maxym Sembaliuk is built of an intricate set of two-dimensional anodized aluminum tiles in the shape of congruent equilateral triangles and star- ...

and in other communities in Eastern Alberta.

Notable people

Ryley Barnes Ryley Brendan Barnes (born 11 October 1993) is a Canadian volleyball player. He is a member of the Canada men's national volleyball team and Greece, Greek club P.A.O.K. V.C., PAOK Thessaloniki. Career Ryley Barnes began his post-secondary volley ...

, former professional volleyball player *

Kyle Brodziak Kyle Brodziak (born May 25, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He previously played for the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, 214th overa ...

, professional hockey player * Greg Evtushevski, professional hockey player *

Alex Janvier Alexan Simeon Janvier (; February 28, 1935 – July 10, 2024) was a First Nations in Canada, First Nations painter in Canada. A member of the Indian Group of Seven, he helped pioneer contemporary Aboriginal art in Canada. Biography Alex Ja ...

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

visual artist *

Brett Kissel Brett Kissel (born May 27, 1990) is a Canadian country music, country singer. He has achieved four number-one hits on the Canadian country chart with "Airwaves (Brett Kissel song), Airwaves", "Drink About Me", "A Few Good Stories", and "Make a L ...

, professional country singer/songwriter * Wilf Martin, former professional hockey player * Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, convicted murderer known as the "Hatchet-Wielding Hitchiker". * Audrey Poitras, former president of the Métis Nation of Alberta *

Marcel Rocque Marcel Rocque (born June 22, 1971, in St. Paul, Alberta) is a Canadian curler from Edmonton, Alberta. He is a four-time winner of The Brier, the annual Canadian men's curling championship and a three-time World Champion as the lead for the R ...

, curler * Jamie Sadlowski, former professional long driver and golfer *

Stan Smyl Stanley Philip Smyl (born January 28, 1958) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He was selected 40th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft and went on to play his entire NHL career with the ...

, former professional hockey player *

Bernard Trottier Bernard Trottier (born March 13, 1965) is a Canadian politician. He was a Conservative Party member House of Commons of Canada who served from 2011 to 2015 representing the Toronto riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. Trottier was elected in the ...

, politician * Calvin Vollrath, professional

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

and composer

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1912 establishments in Alberta County of St. Paul No. 19 Métis in Alberta Saint Paul, Alberta