Ste. Anne, or Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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, located about 42 km southeast of Winnipeg. The population was 2,114 in 2016, 1,524 in 2011, and 1,513 in 2011. It is known for being located on the

Seine River The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres p ...

and at the heart of the

Old Dawson Trail Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

. The town is surrounded by the

Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne Ste. Anne () is a List of rural municipalities in Manitoba, rural municipality (RM) in the Eastman Region of Manitoba, Canada, lying southeast of Winnipeg. The separately-administered town of Ste. Anne lies within the geographic borders of the ...

History

Originally known as "La Pointe-des-Chênes", which roughly translates to "The Point of the Oak Trees", Ste. Anne was the first parish established in the area, dating back to 1856, when the territory was a part of

Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (), or Prince Rupert's Land (), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The right to "sole trade and commerce" over Rupert's Land was granted to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), based a ...

. The early settlers,

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), ...

-speaking

Habitants Habitants () were French settlers and inhabitants of French origin who farmed the land along both shores of the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in what is now Quebec, Canada. The term was used by the inhabitants themselves an ...

from

Canada East Canada East () was the northeastern portion of the Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new colony, known as the Province of ...

, arrived looking for farmland. The first 198 families in the community busied themselves with their first major industry, supplying lumber for the construction of the St. Boniface Cathedral. The

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

also had a strong presence in the community in the 1800s. Ste. Anne served as a stopover for weary travelers on their journey to

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 the famed Dawson Trail. In June 1959, Ste. Anne experienced the worst flood in its history. Water rose at a rate visible by eye, and the Ste. Anne Hospital was evacuated. In 1960, the Seine River diversion project was completed to prevent future floods.

Geography and climate

Ste. Anne is situated just east of the longitudinal centre of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

(near the geographical centre of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

), and approximately north of the border with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies. It is surrounded by rich agricultural land to the west, and the boreal forest to the east. The Seine River runs through the middle of town. The tree-lined river is very picturesque and gives the area a beautiful naturalist look. The closest urban area with over 500,000 people is

, approximately west of Ste. Anne. Ste. Anne has an extreme continental climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

Dfb). Ste Anne is approximately northwest of

International Falls International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy R ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, which according to

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

is the coldest place in the continental USA. Summers are short and warm, with only three months (June to August) when the average high temperature exceeds 25 °C (68 °F). Even during the summer months, evening and night temperatures are quite cool, for example the average low in July is 13 °C (55 °F). Spring and autumn are highly variable seasons, but generally very cool. On average there are only 110 frost-free days per year. Winters are best described as extremely long and bitterly cold, with snow cover generally from November to March. According to

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the Ministry (government department), department ...

, the daily average high temperatures range from -13 °C (9 °F) to 26 °C (79 °F), and average low temperatures range from -23 °C (-9 °F) to 13 °C (55 °F). The weather is characterized by an abundance of sunshine throughout the year. July is the sunniest month, and November the least sunny.

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 ...

, Ste. Anne had a population of 2,891 living in 1,151 of its 1,204 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,114. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Infrastructure and public services

Transportation

Ste. Anne is located from

. This distance is covered by a four-lane divided highway (

Highway 12 A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

and the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

). Highway 12 connects Ste. Anne with the United States border, as well as the Trans-Canada Highway. Two secondary roads, Provincial Roads 207 and

210 Year 210 ( CCX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 963 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 210 for this y ...

pass through town as Avenue Centrale Avenue. PR 207 is a part of the

, one of the earliest roads that linked Manitoba with

Northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the ...

. Winnipeg's

James Armstrong Richardson James Armstrong Richardson, Jr. (March 28, 1922 – May 17, 2004) was a Canadian Cabinet minister under Pierre Trudeau and a Winnipeg businessman. Early life Richardson was born on March 28, 1922, in Winnipeg, Manitoba to James Armstrong Ri ...

International Airport is , or less than a one-hour drive, from Ste. Anne.

Economic base

The largest employers in Ste. Anne are in the health and education services sector. The town boasts a senior's care home that houses 150 residents. The Ste. Anne Hospital serves the town and the surrounding area, and provides emergency medical services 24-hours a day. A medical clinic in the town also has ten doctors on staff, and an onsite pharmacy. The Seine River School Division #14 has its administration building in Ste. Anne. Most other businesses in Ste. Anne provide retail goods and services to the town's residents and those in the surrounding community.

Education

Ste. Anne has four schools: Ste. Anne Elementary (English, K to grade 8), Ste. Anne Immersion (French immersion, K to grade 8) opened in 1994, Ste. Anne Collegiate (English, Grade 9 to 12), and Ecole Pointe-des-Chênes (French, K to grade 12). French immersion students wishing to continue in French immersion usually attend Collège Lorette Collegiate, approximately 20 kilometres west of Ste. Anne.

Health care

Ste. Anne Hospital was opened in 1954. The hospital is currently a 21-bed, acute-care facility serving the residents of Ste. Anne and the region. Recent investments in Ste. Anne Hospital include a $1.5-million project for safety and security upgrades including the relocation of the nursing station and the creation of two new birthing rooms. In October 2007, the Health Minister of Manitoba announced that more than $6 million will be invested in renovations to the Ste. Anne Hospital to increase the number of surgical suites and establish a post-anesthetic care unit. Renovations are scheduled to be completed by 2010. For senior citizens, Ste. Anne has the Villa Youville, which combines a personal care home with an 85-suite seniors housing complex. The francophone facility is located in a park-like setting on the banks of the Seine River. The Centre Medicale Seine has a staff of doctors and a lab. A pharmacy is also located within the clinic. Seine River Dental Centre is located across the street from the medical centre.

Housing

Homes in Ste. Anne range from mobile homes to houses. Ste. Anne also has apartment buildings, including a 28-unit apartment project for those with lower-incomes and those with mental health-care needs. The project, led by the Ste. Anne

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

Council, was supported by funding from the Canada-Manitoba Affordable Housing Initiative, and by land donated by the town.

Churches

Ste. Anne has two churches. The Ste. Anne

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Church (opened in 1898) is a town landmark. Masses are held in French and English. The church interior was completely renovated in 2007. Ste. Anne also has the Dayspring Fellowship Church, with services in English.

Services

Ste. Anne has a public library constructed from a donated residence, whose character is still evident in the architecture of the building (the children's section used to be a kitchen). The town has a volunteer fire department that serves the surrounding municipality and the municipality of Taché. The municipality of Taché also helps out Ste. Anne when it needs aid. The town has its own municipal police force, the Sainte-Anne Police Service.

Attractions

Festivals

Ste. Anne plays host to Dawson Trail Days held during the September long weekend. It is a celebration of the area's heritage and the history of the Dawson trail. Many activities are planned each year, and the event serves as a windup for local residents after an enjoyable summer.

Outdoor activities

Ste. Anne features a splash pad that opened in 2016 in the Parc des Redemptoristes, a skateboard park that opened in 2016 on Arena Road, and numerous soccer and baseball fields. The Parc des Redemptoristes is situated beside the Seine River in the center of town.

Sports

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

and

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...

are the favourite sports in Ste. Anne. The town has an ice-skating arena and curling rink. The Ste. Anne Aces, an ice hockey team, play in the Carillon Senior Hockey League.

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

and

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

are also popular and growing sports in this town. In March 2009, three natives of Ste. Anne competed in the NCAA Women's Frozen Four. Known colloquially as the Ste. Anne Three,

Bailey Bram Bailey Bram Mitchell (born September 5, 1990) is a Canadian retired ice hockey player. As a member of Team Canada, she won a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and five IIHF Women's World Championship medals, one gold and four silver, from ...

, representing the

Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey The Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team is a college ice hockey program representing Mercyhurst University in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) NCAA Division I Women's Hockey conferences and teams ...

program,

Jocelyne Larocque Jocelyne Dawn Marie Larocque (born May 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played in the PWHPA, with the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL, ...

of the

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey team plays for the University of Minnesota Duluth at the AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minnesota. The team is a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and competes in the National C ...

program, and Melanie Gagnon, senior captain of the

Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey The Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey team plays for the University of Minnesota at the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. The team is one of the members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and competes in the National ...

program, competed in the event.

Town Council members

The Mayor of Ste. Anne is Yvan St. Vincent. Other members include Councillors Cornie Klassen, Jason Einarson, Jeremy Wiens, Lyle Davis and Chief Administrative Officer, Marc Darker.Official website of Town of Ste. Anne
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Notable people

, professional ice hockey player, member of

Canada women's national ice hockey team The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada in women's hockey. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and participates in international competitions ...

* Maria Chaput, Senator *

Garnet Exelby John Garnet Exelby (born August 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was particularly known for his aggressive sty ...

, professional ice hockey player *

, professional ice hockey player, member of

Paul Massicotte Paul J. Massicotte (born September 10, 1951) is a Canadian Senator representing the Senate division of De Lanaudière, Québec. He was appointed to the Senate on June 26, 2003 on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. On October 30, 2017, ...

, Senator *

Raymond Simard Raymond Simard, (born March 8, 1958) is a politician from Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2002 to 2008, representing the riding of Saint Boniface (electoral district), Saint Boniface for the Liberal Par ...

, former Member of Parliament *

Raymond Théberge Raymond Théberge (born 1952 in Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, Manitoba) is the current Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, having held this position since January 29, 2018. He was previously the ninth President and Vice-Chancellor of the Un ...

, Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada 2018-

References

External links

Town of Ste. Anne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sainte Anne, Manitoba Towns in Manitoba Urban municipalities in Eastman Region, Manitoba 1856 establishments in the British Empire