St. Boniface (or Saint Boniface) is a

city ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

and neighbourhood in

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 ...

. Along with being the centre of the

Franco-Manitoban Franco-Manitobans () are French Canadians or Francophone Canadians, Canadian francophones living in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 40,975 residents of the province stated that ...

community, it ranks as the largest

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 in

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

. It features such landmarks as the St. Boniface Cathedral, Boulevard Provencher, the Provencher Bridge,

Esplanade Riel Esplanade Riel is a pedestrian bridge located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was named in honour of Louis Riel. It is a side-spar cable-stayed bridge which spans the Red River connecting downtown Winnipeg and The Forks historic area with St. Bon ...

Saint Boniface Hospital Saint Boniface Hospital (; also called St. B; previously called the Saint-Boniface General Hospital) is Manitoba's second-largest hospital, located in the St. Boniface, Winnipeg, St. Boniface neighbourhood of Winnipeg. Founded by the Sisters of ...

, the

Université de Saint-Boniface The Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) is a French-language public university located in the St. Boniface neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. An affiliated institution of the University of Manitoba, the university offers general and sp ...

, and the

Royal Canadian Mint The Royal Canadian Mint () is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under an act of parliament referred to as the ''Royal Canadian Mint Act''. The shares of the mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada. The mi ...

. The area covers much of eastern Winnipeg, including Old St. Boniface. It consists of the neighbourhoods of Norwood West, Norwood East,

Windsor Park The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (officially the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park for sponsorship reasons), or the National Football Stadium, also known as Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in B ...

, Niakwa Park, Niakwa Place, Southdale, Southland Park, Royalwood, Sage Creek, and Island Lakes, among others, plus a large industrial area. The ward is represented by Matt Allard, a member of

Winnipeg City Council The Winnipeg City Council () is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Council is seated in the Council Building of Winnipeg City Hall.Canada 2016 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 censu ...

History

Succeeding cultures of

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

lived in the area for thousands of years before European exploration. It is an area of historic

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

occupation. Fur traders and European mercenaries hired by Thomas Douglas, Lord Selkirk, to protect his fledgling

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

were among the area's first European settlers. With the founding of a Roman Catholic mission in 1818, St. Boniface began its role in Canadian religious, political and cultural history: as mother parish for many French settlements in Western Canada; as the birthplace of

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...

and fellow

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 ...

who struggled to obtain favourable terms for Manitoba's entry into

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

; and as a focus of resistance to controversial 1890 legislation to alter Manitoba's school system and abolish

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

as an official language in the province (see

Manitoba Schools Question The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a ...

). French-speaking

religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...

s, including the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (better known as the

Grey Nuns The Sisters of Charity of Montreal, formerly called The Sisters of Charity of the Hôpital Général of Montreal and more commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal, is a Canadian religious institute of Roman Catholic religious sisters, found ...

), who arrived in 1844, founded the early educational, cultural and social-service institutions, such as St. Boniface Hospital, the first in Western Canada. Early French-speaking missionary Catholic priests in the region founded the Collège de Saint-Boniface (dating to 1818) to teach Latin and general humanities to the local boys; it is now the

. St. Boniface was incorporated as a town in 1883 and as a city in 1908. The early economy was oriented to agriculture. Industrialization arrived in the early 20th century. The Union Stockyards, developed 1912–13, became the largest livestock exchange in Canada and a centre of the meat-packing and -processing industry. By the early 1900s, numerous light and heavy industries were established. Redevelopment of the Stockyards site as a housing and retail area by Olexa Developments of

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

is scheduled for 2020. It is planned that in the first phase of the development, 600 housing units are to be constructed. In the 1950s and 1960s the neighbourhoods of Windsor Park and Southdale developed into residential areas. In 2016 Windsor Park had a population of 10,050 and Southdale had a population of 6,450. In 1971, St. Boniface was amalgamated, along with several neighbouring communities, into the City of Winnipeg. As one of the largest

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

communities outside

Québec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

, it has often been a centre of struggles to preserve French-Canadian language and culture within Manitoba.

Places and culture

The St. Boniface area covers much of the eastern part of

, including Old St. Boniface. It also includes the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

Symington Yard Symington Yard is the largest rail classification yard of the Canadian National Railway, and one of the largest rail yards in the world. The intermodal facility is located next to the Windsor Park area of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Built in 1962 t ...

s, a major rail-handling facility; and the Union Stockyards, which were once the largest of their kind in Canada.

Neighbourhoods

The St. Boniface city ward, represented by

City Councillor A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

Matt Allard, is composed of the following neighbourhoods: Archwood, Dufresne, Central St. Boniface, Holden, Island Lakes, Maginot, The Mint, Mission Industrial, Niakwa Park, Niakwa Place, North St. Boniface, Norwood East, Norwood West, Southdale, Stock Yards, and

. The ward mostly corresponds to the community area of St. Boniface and neighbourhood clusters of St. Boniface East and West, which are used 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 ...

for demographic purposes. However, while the community area—or clusters—include all of the neighbourhoods of the city ward, it also extends eastward past Lagimodière Boulevard to Plessis Road, thereby including the neighbourhoods of Dugald, Royalwood, Sage Creek, Southland Park, St. Boniface Industrial Park, and

Culture

St. Boniface is home to the

Festival du Voyageur The Festival du Voyageur is an annual 10-day winter festival that takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The event is held each February in Winnipeg's French quarter, Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, Saint-Boniface, and is western Canada's largest ...

, held annually in February outdoors at Whittier Park and

Fort Gibraltar Fort Gibraltar was founded in 1809 by Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield of the North West Company in present-day Manitoba, Canada. It was located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks i ...

, as well as

Cinémental Cinémental is a film festival, staged annually in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The event, which presents an annual program of Canadian and international French language films for the Franco-Manitoban community, takes place primarily at the Franco-Manitob ...

, the city's annual francophone film festival. The area also hosts the (CCFM; the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre), which features an art gallery, theatres, meeting rooms, and a community radio station;

Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum (also known as the St. Boniface Museum) is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, that is dedicated to Franco-Manitoban and Métis people (Canada), Métis culture and history. It is located in the second oldes ...

, a local museum dedicated to

culture and history; and Le Cercle Molière, a French-language theatre group and Canada's oldest theatre company. The is a

heritage centre A heritage centre, center, or museum, is a public facility – typically a museum, monument, visitor centre, or park – that is primarily dedicated to the presentation of Historical preservation, historical and Cultural heritage, cultural infor ...

housing the largest Franco-Manitoban archives in Manitoba, as well as the (SHSB), the oldest

historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of people, or topic. They play a crucial role in promoting historical awareness and understan ...

in western Canada.

Landmarks

The area features such landmarks as the Boulevard Provencher,

, Lagimodière-Gaboury Park, the Provencher Bridge, the

, St. Boniface Cathedral (including the grave of

in its churchyard), St. Boniface Hospital, and the

. The House of Archbishop

Alexandre-Antonin Taché Alexandre-Antonin Taché (; 23 July 1823 – 22 June 1894) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, missionary of the Oblate order, author, and the first Archbishop of Saint Boniface in Manitoba, Canada. Early life Alexandre-Antonin Taché ...

, which is now used for administrative purposes by the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, is one of the oldest stone buildings in

western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

Notable people

Hammy Baker George Hamilton "Hammy" Baker (July 25, 1893 – January 21, 1937) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League after serving in World War I. He also played for the Calgary Wan ...

– professional hockey player *George Belanger – lead singer of

Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

* Louis Bétournay – lawyer and judge *

Mud Bruneteau Modere Fernand "Mud" Bruneteau (November 28, 1914 – April 15, 1982) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1935 and 1946. He was teammates for a time with his b ...

– professional hockey player *

Len Cariou Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian stage actor, singer and stage director. He gained prominence for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's musical '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barbe ...

– Broadway theatre actor *

Earl Dawson Earl Phillip Dawson (December 17, 1925March 28, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, politician and civil servant. He rose to prominence in Canadian hockey when he served as president of the Hockey Manitoba, Manitoba Amateur Hockey As ...

– politician and president of the Manitoba and Canadian Amateur Hockey Associations *

Bryan Fustukian Bryan Fustukian (born in Saint Boniface, Winnipeg) is a Canadian country music singer and songwriter. He is also notable as a former radio broadcaster and concert promoter. Under the stage name of Vik Armen, Fustukian initially developed his musi ...

– radio disc jockey, concert promoter and performer * Tony Gingras – right-winger for the Winnipeg Victorias *

Butch Goring Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. A four-t ...

– professional hockey player * George R. D. Goulet – best-selling Métis author * Robert Houle - Saulteaux artist * Bob Hunter – Greenpeace co-founder *

Valerie Jerome Valerie Jerome (born 28 April 1944) is an African-Canadian retired Track and Field sprinter, educator, and political activist. She competed in the women's 100 metres at the 1960 Summer Olympics. She finished third in the 1959 Pan American Games ...

- sprinter *

Jennifer Jones (curler) Jennifer Judith Jones Order of Manitoba, OM (born July 7, 1974) is a Canadian curling, curler. She was the Olympic champion in curling as skip (curling), skip of the Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Canadian team at the 2014 Winter Olympics, ...

- Canadian & World Champion Curler *

Ambroise-Dydime Lépine Ambroise-Dydime Lépine (18 March 1840 – 8 June 1923) was a Métis politician, farmer, and military leader under the command of Louis Riel during the Red River Rebellion of 1869–1870. He was tried and sentenced to death for his role in the e ...

- Métis military leader during the Red River Rebellion *

Earl Mindell Earl Lawrence Mindell (born January 20, 1940) is a Canadian-American writer and nutritionist who is a strong advocate of nutrition as preventive healthcare and homeopathy. Early life and education Mindell was born to parents William and Minerva ...

– writer and nutritionist *

Dorothy Patrick Dorothy Patrick (born Dorothea Davis; June 3, 1921 – May 31, 1987) was a Canadian-American film actress and a John Robert Powers model. Early life Patrick was born on June 3, 1921, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mr. and M ...

– actress *

Jim Peebles Phillip James Edwin Peebles (born April 25, 1935) is a Canadian- American astrophysicist, astronomer, and theoretical cosmologist who was Albert Einstein Professor in Science, emeritus, at Princeton University. He is widely regarded as one ...

- cosmologist and Nobel Prize winner *

– Métis leader and founder of Manitoba * Sara Riel – first Métis member of the

Gabrielle Roy Gabrielle Roy (; March 22, 1909July 13, 1983) was a Canadian author from St. Boniface, Manitoba and one of the major figures in French Canadian literature. Early life Roy was born in 1909 in Saint-Boniface (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, an ...

– French language author * Lucille Starr – (née Savoie) singer *

Jonathan Toews Jonathan Bryan Toews ( born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre who last played for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he served as the team's captain between 2008 an ...

– professional hockey player

Media

Winnipeg's three Francophone radio stations, CKXL-FM,

CKSB-10-FM CKSB-10-FM (88.1 MHz) is a Canadian public radio station serving the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region in Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. ...

and

CKSB-FM CKSB-FM (89.9 MHz) is a public radio station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It carries Radio-Canada's Ici Musique network, airing a mix of adult album alternative (AAA), classical music and other genres. ...

, are located in St. Boniface and are licensed there, a legacy of when St. Boniface was a separate city. The French-language weekly newspaper ''La Liberté'' is also based in St. Boniface.

Sports

St. Boniface is represented by the St. Boniface Riels hockey team which plays in the

Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) is a Junior ice hockey, junior ice hockey league in Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1970, the league was operated as an independent league. MMJHL affiliated with Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada in th ...

(MMJHL). The St. Boniface Riels were founded in 1971. They play at the Southdale Arena and have won five MMJHL championships: 1971–1972, 1972–1973, 1984–1985, 1985–1986, 2014–2015.

Notes

References

External links

Tourisme RielSaint Boniface Heritage Centre
{{coord, 49.900, N, 97.100, W, display=title, type:city_region:CA_source:GNS-enwiki French communities Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg Shopping districts and streets in Canada Manitoba communities with majority francophone populations Former municipalities now in Winnipeg

St._Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church i ...