St. Norbert Saint Norbert | |
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Suburb | |
Paroisse Catholique Saint-Norbert | |
Coordinates: 49°46′12″N97°08′42″W / 49.77°N 97.145°W | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | ![]() |
City | Winnipeg |
Established (Parish) | 1857 |
Incorporated as a Village | 1893 |
Government | |
• MP | Terry Duguid (Winnipeg South) |
• MLA | Billie Cross (Seine River) |
• City Councillor | Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) |
Area | |
• Suburb | 3.8 km2 (1.5 sq mi) |
• Metro | 5,306.79 km2 (2,048.96 sq mi) |
Elevation | 233 m (764 ft) |
Population (2016) | |
• Suburb | 5,850 [1] |
• Metro | 778,489 |
Time zone | Central Standard Time |
• Summer (DST) | Central Daylight Time |
Forward Sortation Area | R3V |
Area code(s) | Area codes 204 and 431 |
St. Norbert (French : Saint-Norbert) is a bilingual (French and English) neighbourhood and the southernmost suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. [2] While outside the Perimeter Highway (the orbital road that surrounds most of Winnipeg), it is still part of the city. As of the 2016 Census, the population of St. Norbert is 5,850.
The community is home to the St. Norbert Farmers' Market, drawing large crowds from Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Other attractions include the St. Norbert Provincial Heritage Park, and the St. Norbert Arts and Cultural Centre. St. Norbert is the closest community to the gates of the Red River Floodway.
St. Norbert is also part of the larger Winnipeg city ward of St. Norbert-Seine River, which includes much of the Fort Garry South neighbourhood cluster and a small part of St. Vital. [3] In Winnipeg's nonpartisan municipal politics, Markus Chambers is the ward's representative on Winnipeg City Council. He has served since 2018. In provincial politics, St. Norbert is part of the Seine River riding, [4] with New Democratic Party Member of the Legislative Assembly Billie Cross as its representative in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. She has served since 2023. In federal politics, the area is part of the Winnipeg South riding, [5] with Liberal Member of Parliament Terry Duguid as its representative in the House of Commons of Canada. He has served since 2015.
The original inhabitants of what is now St. Norbert were First Nations peoples, including the Assiniboine, the Cree, and the Ojibwe (Saulteaux), who were drawn to this region because of its hunting and fishing opportunities. The community bordered on two rivers—the Red and La Salle (called Ia riviere Sale until 1975)—and a bison trail ran from the south bank of the La Salle River to bison hunting grounds nearly 50 kilometres away. [6] [7]
In 1822, with the development of the fur trade in the 18th century, the Métis nation was the first to take over the region of current-day St. Norbert. In addition to their commercial endeavours, they cultivated the land into long river lots perpendicular to the waterway. [6] The area would soon after be settled in the early part of the 19th century by former employees of the North West Company—workers (primarily of French and Métis descent) who were left unemployed following the North West Company’s amalgamation with the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) in 1821. St. Norbert’s prime location along major trade and transportation routes proved advantageous; the Pembina Trail (now Pembina Highway) passed through St. Norbert as it routed travellers from Upper Fort Garry (present-day downtown Winnipeg, and the primary southern outpost of the HBC) to St. Paul, Minnesota—the nearest railhead. As such, along with taking part in the bi-annual buffalo hunt, the settlers took on seasonal work for the HBC, hauling goods between the Red River Settlement and St. Paul. [2]
Following the establishment of the community's first parish church in 1857 by Roman Catholic missionaries, many of the community’s inhabitants took on a more sedentary farming life. [2] The parish was given the name St. Norbert by Bishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché in honour of the patron saint of Bishop Joseph-Norbert Provencher, the first bishop of St. Boniface. [7] The first parish priest, Father Jean-Marie Lestanc, was followed by Father Charles Mestre in 1860, then by Father Noël-Joseph Ritchot in 1862. Father Mestre helped the parish establish its first cemetery. [7]
In December 1858, Bishop Tache brought two Grey Nuns to St. Norbert to establish a convent and school. [7]
In October 1869, a public meeting was held at St. Norbert Roman Catholic Church (built in 1856) [7] during which the Comite national des Métis was formed, with Louis Riel as secretary. As the first act of the committee, on October 16, the Riel-led Métis erected a barricade across the Pembina Trail at St. Norbert to prevent the newly-appointed lieutenant governor of the Northwest Territories, William McDougall from taking possession of the territory on behalf of the Canadian government. During this crisis, Riel sent Father Ritchot and two other emissaries to Ottawa to negotiate the entry of Manitoba into Confederation. [6] Between the time following the crisis and the early 20th century, French Canadians from Quebec, most of whom were farmers, gradually replaced the Métis in St. Norbert until they formed the majority of the population. [6]
St. Norbert is the southern gateway into the city of Winnipeg. Located just south of the Perimeter Highway, the community consists of what is called St. Norbert Village (the original community) and several modern suburbs. The village is geographically bounded by the Red and La Salle Rivers, and by the Perimeter Highway.
St. Norbert is part of the larger Winnipeg city ward of St. Norbert-Seine River, which includes much of the Fort Garry South neighbourhood cluster and a small part of St. Vital. [3]
In addition to that of St. Norbert, neighbourhoods in the St. Norbert-Seine River ward include: [3]
2016 Pop. | Land Area (sq. km.) | |
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Richmond Lakes | 1,620 | 0.6 |
St. Norbert | 1,765 | 1.8 |
Parc LaSalle | 2,145 | 0.6 |
Cloutier Drive | 320 | 0.8 |
TOTAL | 5,850 | 3.8 |
Attractions and points of interest in St. Norbert include: [2]
Asile Ritchot | |
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Alternative names |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
Address | 35 Avenue de la Digue, Winnipeg, MB |
Coordinates | 49°46′N97°09′W / 49.77°N 97.15°W |
Current tenants | Behavioural Health Foundation |
Completed |
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Renovating team | |
Architect(s) | Joseph-Azarie Senecal (1911) |
Visible from Pembina Highway, one of the most recognizable landmarks in St. Norbert is the Asile Ritchot, a large three-story building marked by a huge centre dome. [9] Begun in the 1870s, the first building on the site was the home of politician and businessman Monsieur Joseph Lemay. The building eventually came into the possession of the local church, and in 1903, Father Noël-Joseph Ritchot arranged the donation of the building and 80 acres (320,000 m2) of surrounding land to les Soeurs de Misericorde (Sisters of Mercy). The Sisters called the building Asile Ritchot and operated an orphanage there from 1904 to 1948. In 1911, a large expansion was begun. The new brick building was three stories tall, and featured the landmark centre dome. [10]
When Asile Ritchot closed its doors in 1948, the building was taken over by the Oblate Fathers, and used as a seminary. In 1970, the X-Kalay Foundation (now called the Behavioral Health Foundation) took over the building and currently operates a successful halfway house for the support and rehabilitation of individuals with drug or alcohol issues. [10]
Another architectural landmark in St. Norbert is the former Trappist monastery, now an arts and cultural centre. [11] In 1891, the Abbot of Bellefontaine in France agreed to establish a Trappist monastery on a secluded piece of parish land along the La Salle River, and monks arrived in St. Norbert in 1892. The order was dedicated to a life of prayer and hard work, following the basic tenets of St. Benedict – charity, obedience, and humility. The monks succeeded in building a large and prosperous agricultural operation complete with a sawmill, forge, apiary, cheese house, bakery and greenhouses. [12] Between 30 and 45 monks inhabited the monastery at any given time. By 1975, St. Norbert had become a much more urban area, and the Trappist monks relocated to a more protected and rural location in Holland, Manitoba. In 1983, vandals set fire to the vacant chapel and monastery, reducing the historic buildings to shells. The guesthouse, located some distance away, remained untouched. In 1988, the Province of Manitoba designated the location a provincial historic site. The guesthouse became the home of the St. Norbert Arts Centre [13] in 1991.
In 2002, the provincial government announced the creation of the two-hectare Trappist Monastery Provincial Park, preserving the historic ruins and preventing future commercial development on the site.
St. Norbert Catholic Parish | |
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Paroisse Catholique Saint-Norbert | |
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49°46′N97°08′W / 49.77°N 97.14°W | |
Location | 70 rue St-Pierre, Winnipeg, MB |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Website | stnorbertparish |
History | |
Consecrated | 1887 |
Architecture | |
Completed |
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Clergy | |
Priest(s) | Charles Fillion |
The St. Norbert Catholic Parish (French: Paroisse Catholique Saint-Norbert) is a Roman Catholic church in St. Norbert.
The first church was built on the current site in 1857, and was made of logs. The newer building that replaced it in 1883 burned down in 1929. The current church was completed in 1937. The building has twin towers, and houses the body of Father Joseph Noël Ritchot, St. Norbert’s parish priest from 1862 to 1905. Father Ritchot was a supporter of the Métis people, and of Louis Riel. Richot was a member of a delegation that travelled to Ottawa to meet with representatives of the Canadian government regarding the 1870 transfer of land in the Red River Settlement from the Hudson’s Bay Company to the Dominion of Canada. [15]
Across from the church is the tiny open-air Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help (la Chapelle de Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours). Ritchot and his parishioners built the chapel in 1875, to commemorate the success of the Métis resistance of 1869–70. That dispute, eventually settled through negotiation, resulted in the inclusion of Métis land, language, and school rights in The Manitoba Act of 1870, the basis of the Red River Settlement’s entry into Confederation. In 1989, the chapel was declared a Manitoba provincial heritage site.[ citation needed ]
The Red River Rebellion, also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Colony, in the early stages of establishing today's Canadian province of Manitoba. It had earlier been a territory called Rupert's Land and been under control of the Hudson's Bay Company before it was sold.
St-Boniface is a city ward and neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Along with being the centre of the Franco-Manitoban community, it ranks as the largest francophone community in Western Canada.
Charleswood is a residential community and neighbourhood in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the South-West of the city and is bordered by the neighbourhoods Tuxedo to the East, Fort Whyte to the South, and the Rural Municipality of Headingley on the West. It's boundaries are Roblin and the Assiniboine River to the north, Shaftesbury Boulevard on the East, Wilkes Avenue to the South and the Perimeter Highway to the West.
Pierre Guillaume Sayer was a Métis fur trader who challenged the monopoly of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) of the fur trade in the Red River region. Ultimately this led to its end.
Louis Riel Sr. (père) was a farmer, miller, Métis leader, and the father of Louis Riel.
Father Joseph-Noël Ritchot, commonly known as Father Noël-Joseph Ritchot, was a Roman Catholic priest noted for his role in negotiating with the Government of Canada on behalf of the Métis during the Red River Resistance of 1869–1870.
Provincial Trunk Highway 75 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is the main link between the city of Winnipeg and the United States border, where it connects with Interstate 29/U.S. Route 81.
St. Vital is a ward and neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Fort Garry is a community area and neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, located in the southwestern part of the city, south of the district of Fort Rouge and east of the Tuxedo area. It comprises parts of the city wards of River Heights - Fort Garry, Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry, Waverley West, and St. Norbert - Seine River.
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St. Adolphe, or Saint Adolphe, originally called Pointe-Coupée, is a community in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, Manitoba, Canada. It is located along the east bank of the Red River, approximately 12 kilometres south of Winnipeg.
Elzéar Goulet was a Métis leader in the Red River Colony, which later became the province of Manitoba, Canada. He was a supporter of Louis Riel's provisional government and was murdered by Canadian troops under the command of Col. Garnet Wolseley, after the suppression of the Red River Resistance.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, is subdivided in different ways for different purposes. The suburbs and neighbourhoods of Winnipeg take their names from former administrative districts, parishes, and geographic features.
Joseph Octave Lemay was a businessman and political figure in Manitoba and Minnesota. He represented St. Norbert North from 1871 to 1874 and St. Vital from 1874 to 1878 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
Jean-Baptiste Tourond was a farmer and political figure in Manitoba. He was a member of Louis Riel's "Convention of Twenty-Four" and "Convention of Forty" and served in the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia.
Grande Pointe is a place in the province of Manitoba, Canada, that is designated as both an unincorporated community and a settlement. It is located 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of downtown Winnipeg within the Rural Municipality of Ritchot.
Trappist Monastery Provincial Park is a provincial park in the St. Norbert area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is 20,000 m2 in size.