St. BonifaceManitoba Communities: St. Boniface (Unincorporated City)

Link to:
Population | Mayors / Reeves | Memorable Manitobans | Historic Sites | History Books | Maps | Contact Information | Sources

Home to western Canada’s largest French-speaking community, this municipality was named for Roman Catholic missionary St. Boniface (c675-754). In 1903, the southern-most portion was carved off to form the Rural Municipality of St. Vital and, in May 1908, the remainder became the City of St. Boniface. At that time, the title of its chief executive officer, which had heretofore been Reeve, changed to Mayor.

Present Status

City of Winnipeg (1 January 1972)

Incorporation History

Rural Municipality of St. Boniface (1880)
Town of St. Boniface (1883)
City of St. Boniface (May 1908)
Amalgamation of Assiniboia, Brooklands, Charleswood, East Kildonan, Fort Garry, North Kildonan, Old Kildonan, St. Boniface, St. James, St. Vital, Transcona, Tuxedo, West Kildonan, and Winnipeg (1 January 1972)

Land Area (square km)

?

Population

Year

Total

1871

817

1881

1283

1891

1553

1901

2019

1906

5119

1911

7483

1916

11021

1921

12821

1926

14187

1931

16305

1936

16275

1941

18157

1946

21613

1951

26342

1956

28851

1961

37600

1966

43214

1971

46714

Mayors

Term

Reeve/Mayor

1880

Joseph Royal (1837-1902)

1881

Alphonse Alfred Clement LaRivière (1842-1925)

1882

Luc Joseph Arthur Lévêque (1846-1904)

1883-1884

Thomas Alfred Bernier (1844-1909)

1885

Joseph Ernest Cyr (1854-1929)

1886

Thomas Alfred Bernier (1844-1909)

1887

Luc Joseph Arthur Lévêque (1846-1904)

1888-1890

Roger Marion (1846-1920)

1891

Thomas Alfred Bernier (1844-1909)

1892

James Emile Pierre Prendergast (1858-1945)

1893-1894

Joseph Lecomte (1850-1938)

1895-1896

James Emile Pierre Prendergast (1858-1945)

1897

Thomas Alfred Bernier (1844-1909)

1898-1900

Louis Napoleon Bétournay (1863-1919)

1901

Joseph-Azarie Senecal (1841-1917)

1902

Joseph Alfred Fereol Bleau (1856-1923)
Charles Henri Royal (1867-1920)

1903-1905

Joseph Turenne (1846-1920)

1906

Antoine Gaspard Gauvin (1860-1928)

1907

Theophane Bertrand (1844-1921)

1908-1911

Joseph Alfred Fereol Bleau (1856-1923)

1912-1913

Thomas Berry (1859-1933)

1914-1915

Fortunat Lachance (1877-1924)

1916-1917

John Power Howden (1879-1959)

1918-1919

Hormisdas Beliveau (1860-1938)

1920-1921

Hector Mackenzie Sutherland (1870-1936)

1922-1923

Narcisse Albert Laurendeau (1882-1945)

1923-1928

Richard Joseph Swain (1874-1969)

1929-1930

William Henry Walsh (1885-1952)

1931-1932

David Campbell (1870-1932)

1932

George Campbell MacLean (1887-1957)

1933

Francis Robert “Frank” Dowse (1876-1948)

1934

Daniel Cameron Halliday (1882-1934)

1935-1936

George Henry Barefoot (1889-1962)

1937-1952

George Campbell MacLean (1887-1957)

1953-1954

Edwin Arnold Hansford (1895-1959)

1954-1960

Joseph Gustave Van Belleghem (1901-1967)

1960-1968

Joseph-Philippe Guay (1915-2001)

1968-1971

Edward Christopher Turner (1917-1992)

1972

Merged into Winnipeg

Aldermen / Councillors (1880-1958)

Councillor

Term(s)

George A. Adie

1937-1942, 1946-1947

J. P. O. Allaire

1887, 1889

William Richard Appleby (1923-2012)

1956-1957, 1958-1959

Joseph Arpin

1951-1952

James E. Bailey (1873-1946)

1908-1910, 1912

G. H. Barefoot

1938-1940

M. C. F. Beaudry

1886

J. A. Beaupre

1914-1918

John Bedard

1888-1892

Hormisdas Beliveau (1860-1938)

1890

Thomas Berry (1859-1933)

1905-1906, 1911

Paul-Emile Berube

1929-1931

Louis Napoleon Bétournay (1863-1919)

1894-1896

F. X. Bissette

1883, 1885

Joseph Alfred Fereol Bleau (1856-1923)

1887, 1896-1901

Henri Boisselle

1949-1957

Gedeon Bordeau

1887-1888

Joseph Buron

1891-1892

R. Camirant Sr.

1882

Daniel Carriere

1880-1882

Sam Carson

1922-1929

Thomas Cassin

1886

Charbonneau

1885

Felix Chenier

1894-1895

G. Cinq-Mars

1903

V. Cloutier

1885-1886

Louis J. Collin

1902-1903, 1906-1909

Gedeon Couture

1906

Georges Couture

1881, 1883, 1903-1905

Jean Couture

1901-1902

Pierre Couture Jr.

1897, 1903-1905

Joseph Arthur Cusson (1873-1948)

1893-1894, 1903-1904, 1906-1921

Joseph Ernest Cyr (1854-1929)

1883

J. Dagg

1910-1911

Jean J. Daoust

1919-1923

Jules Decaigny

1956-1957

Alexis F. Degagne

1882

J. B. Demetrioff

1952-1955

H. D'Eschambault

1928, 1932-1934

P. D'Eschambault

1891-1892

Laurent Louis Desjardins

1951-1954

H. F. Despars

1887, 1891

John R. Donnelly

1920-1921

A. J. Doucet

1923-1927, 1929-1931

Francis Robert “Frank” Dowse (1876-1948)

1922-1923

Dubor

1883

Eugene Dubuc

1888

J. T. Dumouchel

1905-1906

Rene Dussault

1952-1956

Georges Fortin

1889

S. Gaudour

1893-1895

John Gault

1917-1920, 1933-1945

Ernest Gauthier

1889

Antoine Gaspard Gauvin (1860-1928)

1888, 1893-1905, 1907-1922, 1924-1928

Adjutor Gauvreau

1880-1881

Elie Genthon

1890

Prosper Gevaert

1922-1925

Francois Gingras

1880, 1883

Joseph-Philippe Guay (1915-2001)

1956-1958

Edouard Guilbault

1912-1916

Georges Albert Guilbault (1918-1991)

1955-1958

E. A. Hansford

1932-1945

Joseph Hearn

1926-1929

Adelard Hebert

1899-1900

Felix Hebert

1894

Jean-Baptiste Theobald Hebert (1894-1972)

1921-1928, 1933-1936, 1942-1950

Bernard Holden

1923-1924

W. F. Houde

1889

John Power Howden (1879-1959)

1907-1908, 1912

Raymond Adkins Hughes (1903-1980)

1946-1951

John H. Irwin

1933-1936

Stanilas M. Jean

1906-1911

Francois Jean

1884, 1898-1999, 1901-1904

David Joyal

1881

Joseph Joyal

1887-1888, 1890

W. Kenny

1911-1914, 1916-1919

Dr. F. Lachance

1910-1911

Dr. J. H. O. Lambert

1893

M. L. Lamontagne

1891-1893, 1895-1902

J. A. W. Lane

1912-1913

L. Langlement

1919

J. T. Latter

1910

Jean Baptiste Lauzon (1858-1944)

1887, 1889-1890, 1892-1893, 1896-1897

F. X. Lavoie

1920

J. Isaie Lavoie

1893-1896, 1900-1902

W. H. Leck

1915-1922

Joseph Lecomte

1883, 1887-1888, 1891-1892

Louis Leger

1948-1953

Walter A. Leslie

1927-1937, 1941-1948

L. J. A. Leveque

1881, 1883-1886

Louis Levreault

1885-1886, 1888

E. R. Lloyd

1893

F. E. Louder

1894-1895

Cleophas Marcoux

1886, 1904-1905

Edward Marcoux

1885

Joseph Alderic Marion (1864-1954)

1907-1922

Paul Marion

1937-1952

Roger Marion (1846-1920)

1880-1882, 1887

Joseph Mathieu

1932-1937

Daniel McAnnany

1891-1893, 1896, 1898

M. McDermott

1883-1884

Arthur Mitchell McFadyen (1891-1941)

1923-1926

Donald Charles McFee (1866-1947)

1913-1914

John Wilfred “Jack” McGurran (1916-1991)

1955-1958

Peter McKall

1958-1959

A. W. McKenzie

1920-1921

R. H. Metcalfe

1904-1907

John Milne

1949-1950

Clifford Arthur Lyale Murchison (1896-1987)

1927-1936

Edmond Nadeau

1880

Samuel A. Nault

1935-1937

William Ormiston

1947-1952

J. A. A. Pambrun

1938-1950

David D. Parent

1958-1959

Romeo Pelletier

1927-1931, 1938-1941

Joseph Pelissier

1885-1886

T. Pelletier

1888-1890, 1893-1895, 1897-1918

Nicolas Pirotton (1882-1943)

1930-1943

L. A. Prud’homme

1882

Jules J. Pynoo

1942, 1957-1958

Maxime Rocan (1841-1912)

1892

Alan D. Ross

1943-1947

Georges Roy

1880

Joseph Côme Séraphin Royal (1858-1882)

1882

Jean A. Schimnowski

1953-1958

Joseph-Azarie Senecal (1841-1917)

1897-1900

Joseph Noe Senez

1884

Glad. P. Shearer

1952-1955

P. Fabien Soucy

1884

John Strutynski

1938-1942

Nicholas Suarez

1929-1932, 1938-1947

J. D. Suffield

1930-1931

H. M. Sutherland

1912-1919

I. N. Taillefer

1926-1927

Joseph Taylor

1917-1925

P. Thomas

1883-1886

Alex Toupin

1896-1897, 1898?

Edmond Trudel

1890

Joseph Turenne (1845-1920)

1883, 1886, 1889-1890, 1899-1902

Thomas Turnbull

1913-1915

Edward Christopher Turner (1917-1992)

1951-1954, 1960-1968

Charles A. Ursel

1954-1958

Joseph Gustave Van Belleghem (1901-1967)

1932-1937, 1944-1951

A. Van Eslander

1925-1937

Arthur Chadwick Waller (1870-1943)

1909-1912

Clifford S. Warman

1953-1958

F. H. Wilson

1920

T. H. Wilson

1922-1926

Police Chiefs

Term

Police Chief

1882-1883

L. Lafranchise

1883-1897

J. B. Joyal

1897-1899

L. Lafranchise

1900-1913

Ligouri Gagne

1913-1921

Leo Marcil

1921-1929

Thomas Gagnon

1929-1930

Victor Audette (1888-1930)

1930-1960

Joseph Henri [Harry / Henry] Baudry (1895-1972)

1960-1968

William Russell (?-1974)

1968-1973

Francois Aime Muller

Fire Chiefs

Term

Fire Chief

1923-1932

William Thompson

City Engineers

Term

City Engineer

1906-1916

McCrea Parker Blair (1882-1958)

c1922

J. A. Meindl

Memorable Manitobans

Search the MHS collection of biographies for ones connected to St. Boniface:

Custom Search

Historic Sites

Go here for a list of historic sites in St. Boniface.

History Books

Go here for a list of history books for St. Boniface.

Maps

Sources

Geographic Names of Manitoba, Manitoba Conservation, 2000.

“St. Boniface en fete,” Manitoba Free Press, 2 May 1908, page 32.

“Fire prevention week will open on Oct. 5,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 September 1930, page 9.

“Thompson said to have confessed to theft charges,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 October 1932, page 2.

Ville Cathedrale de Saint Boniface, The Cathedral City. Commemorative booklet published by the City of St. Boniface for its 50th anniversary, 1958.

Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, Canada Centennial Year 1967, by Robert C. Wilson, 1967. [Le Centre du patrimoine of La Société historique de Saint-Boniface]

“Deputy succeeds St. Boniface Police Chief Russell July 31,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 July 1968, page 8.

“Multi-faceted past makes St. Boniface colorful,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 1971, page 17.

Building Communities Initiative Community Profile report.

Municipality of St. Boniface – Pathways, City of Winnipeg Archives.

We thank Anthony Wlock for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Christian Cassidy, and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 15 August 2024