This Manitoba community has nearly doubled in a decade. What's behind the population boom?
Riding his bike through Saint Anne, Man., lifelong resident Cliff Blair hardly recognizes the town.
"I noticed how big it was, and it was like – holy," Blair said. "That shocked me a little bit. It's like double the size."
According to population data and estimates from Statistics Canada, Ste. Anne has nearly doubled in the past decade – from 1,832 residents in 2013 to more than 3,300 residents as of 2023.
Booming by 81 per cent over the decade, Ste. Anne saw the highest percentage growth in the province followed by Niverville (64 per cent) and West. St. Paul (61 per cent).
"The growth rate has maybe even caught us by surprise as far as how quickly it's gone," said Ste. Anne Mayor Yvan St. Vincent.
He said for a long time there was little to no growth in the community. But that all changed about 10 years ago.
"We saw a lot of bedroom communities like Oak Bank and Niverville and places like the Saint Adolph. We saw them boom and grow. And the council at that time 10 years ago, thought, 'You know? It's our turn.'"
And grow they have – but how did they do it?
St. Vincent said the council first focused on giving new residents a place to live by selling developers on the town's location – a bedroom community less than an hour outside Winnipeg.
"We started trying to tap into that. We're close to Winnipeg and a little quieter, a little safer, but still not too far away from anything that you really need," he said.
It's attracted around six major developments to the area, transforming once-empty fields into new neighbourhoods filled with hundreds of new residents. It's got to the point where Ste. Anne is pushing up against its boundaries with the surrounding rural municipality.
"If we want to continue to grow, then we're going to need to get some more land for the town," St. Vincent said, adding the town is working with the neighbouring RM to acquire more land through annexation.
Infrastructure costs threatens boom
But that growth comes with its own challenges.
"New residents and new homes are great, but (they) also now need new resources," St. Vincent said. "The problem with our growth is keeping up with the infrastructure."
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimates one housing unit can cost a municipality around $107,000 in investments.
- Part 1: Inside a Manitoba ghost town, a group of ladies works to keep it alive
- Part 2: 'Low property taxes, friendly neighbours': How some Manitoba communities are selling small-town living
"In some instances, this growth is stopped because there is not enough money put into infrastructure," said Denys Volkov, executive director of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.
He said most municipalities' main income is property taxes. When faced with costly infrastructure upgrades required to support growth, they can either raise taxes or look to governments for help.
"They alone often cannot afford upgrades to infrastructure, so municipalities would like to work closely with provincial and federal governments to build infrastructure."
A prime example of this in Ste. Anne is the town's school.
The mayor of Ste. Anne says the town's school busting at the seams. The school is pictured in September 2024. (Source: Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Vincent said the town was promised a new school by the former PC government, but that has been put on pause by the new NDP government.
"We're really advocating daily for the new school to be built because the school that we have is busting at the seams because of our growth," he said.
In a statement to CTV News, Manitoba Education Minister Nello Altomare said his office has met with the Seine River School Division.
"We are reviewing space utilization data from all school divisions to inform the 2025/26 capital plan," Altomare said. "St. Anne’s school will be considered as part of that review."
'It is part of our roots'
The mayor said council is now focused on bringing new employment opportunities to Ste. Anne – like a new Co-op grocery store currently being built – so its growing population can live and work in the community.
But St. Vincent says there is still a balancing act involved.
"Still kind of offering that small town feel, small town service, but just having a few more amenities."
He said part of that includes respecting and honouring Ste. Anne's heritage.
"This was largely a Francophone community years ago," he said. "We do all we can to make sure that we respect and uphold that culture, because it is part of our roots."
Even with all the growth, Blair said he's sure Ste. Anne will stay true to its small-town charm – a place where everyone is ready to give a wave with a friendly 'bonjour'.
"That's Ste. Anne in a nutshell," he said, waving a greeting to someone walking past him.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's 'most wanted terrorist' arrested on gun charges in Canada
One of India's most wanted terrorists has been arrested and charged in connection with a recent alleged shooting in Ontario.
12-year-old boy charged in stabbing of 11-year-old boy at Edmonton McDonald's
The boy stabbed at a north Edmonton McDonald's last Friday is 11 years old.
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
U.S. Congress hosts second round of UFO hearings
The U.S. government held another UFO hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, the second such hearing in 16 months. This hearing was billed as an attempt by congress to provide a better understanding of what is known about previous sightings of UFOs, also known as UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).
Toronto teenager charged with first-degree murder in Kitchener, Ont. homicide
A Toronto teen has been charged as part of an investigation into Kitchener, Ont.’s first homicide of 2024.
Spy service officer denies threatening Montreal man who was later imprisoned in Sudan
A Canadian Security Intelligence Service official has denied threatening a Montreal man who was later imprisoned and allegedly tortured by authorities in Sudan.
Donald Trump picks Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
Canada bracing for 'tough' talks as Trump's pick calls northern border an 'extreme vulnerability'
The Canadian government is aware it's likely in for 'tough conversations' with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's administration, after his border czar said there is 'an extreme national security vulnerability' he intends to tackle at the Canada-U.S. border.