East St. Paul, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
East St. Paul is a rural municipality
in Manitoba
, Canada
. It is located north-east of and adjacent to the city of Winnipeg
, and is part of the Winnipeg Metropolitan Area. The municipality encompasses 41 square kilometre and is bounded by the Red River
to the west; the municipality of St. Clements
to the north; the Rural Municipality of Springfield to the east; and Winnipeg to the south.
East St. Paul is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Manitoba
. The population of East St. Paul increased by 1056 persons (up 13.85%) between 2001 and 2006. The municipality attracts people from Winnipeg and elsewhere due to its close proximity to city amenities, the availability of larger lots, lower rates of property tax
, and ability to provide a semi-rural relaxed lifestyle.
It includes Birds Hill, River East Estates, Whidbey Harbour, and Pritchard Farm Estates, which are some of Manitoba's wealthiest communities. New home development is underway at Southlands Drive. East St. Paul still contains numerous small farms, primarily of the market gardening
variety, and natural forest, creek and pond areas.
The municipality offers a wide range of community programs and recreation services through the Rec Centre. Residents enjoy many winter activities including curling and skating. There is a toboggan
hill at Silver Springs Park. Summer activities include soccer and baseball at the East St. Paul outdoor Recreation Complex. Sports fishing is popular on the Red River. The Meadows 18-hole golf course is nearby.
The Trans Canada Trail
goes through East St. Paul. The municipality has enhanced the quality of life by planting trees and creating several beautiful walking trails and pathways. Historic Henderson Highway follows the Red River through East St. Paul, areas settled by the famous Red River Settlers.
A habitat rehabilitation project at Birds Hill, Manitoba
transformed an East St. Paul depleted gravel pit
into Silver Springs Park, complete with trails, a lake, and homes built along part of its perimeter. The park has become a habitat showpiece for people and wildlife. The depleted quarry was graded and landscaped with native grasses and more than 1,200 trees and shrubs. Geese, ducks, terns, gulls, pelicans, songbirds, foxes, rabbits, turtles, muskrats and deer now frequent the park. The pit dates to the late 19th century, when the Canadian Pacific Railway
needed gravel ballast for its rail lines. The deposit was later worked to serve Winnipeg's needs for aggregate. Over the years, more than 20 million tonnes of gravel were removed from the site. A non-profit group called the Silver Springs Fish & Wildlife Heritage Park Inc. began the first phase of development of the park in 1990, which is now maintained by the municipality of East St. Paul.
Other parks in East St. Paul are Hyland Park, Glengarry Community Park, Clydesdale Park, and Memorial Park.
Rural municipality
A rural municipality, often abbreviated RM, is a form of municipality in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, perhaps best comparable to counties or townships in the western United States...
in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located north-east of and adjacent to the city of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, and is part of the Winnipeg Metropolitan Area. The municipality encompasses 41 square kilometre and is bounded by the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
to the west; the municipality of St. Clements
St. Clements, Manitoba
St. Clements is a rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada. It is located to the north-east of Winnipeg, stretching from East St. Paul and Birds Hill Provincial Park in the south to Lake Winnipeg and Grand Beach Provincial Park to the north. The Red River demarcates the western boundary of the...
to the north; the Rural Municipality of Springfield to the east; and Winnipeg to the south.
East St. Paul is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. The population of East St. Paul increased by 1056 persons (up 13.85%) between 2001 and 2006. The municipality attracts people from Winnipeg and elsewhere due to its close proximity to city amenities, the availability of larger lots, lower rates of property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
, and ability to provide a semi-rural relaxed lifestyle.
It includes Birds Hill, River East Estates, Whidbey Harbour, and Pritchard Farm Estates, which are some of Manitoba's wealthiest communities. New home development is underway at Southlands Drive. East St. Paul still contains numerous small farms, primarily of the market gardening
Market gardening
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
variety, and natural forest, creek and pond areas.
Toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...
hill at Silver Springs Park. Summer activities include soccer and baseball at the East St. Paul outdoor Recreation Complex. Sports fishing is popular on the Red River. The Meadows 18-hole golf course is nearby.
The Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It is expected that when complete, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world...
goes through East St. Paul. The municipality has enhanced the quality of life by planting trees and creating several beautiful walking trails and pathways. Historic Henderson Highway follows the Red River through East St. Paul, areas settled by the famous Red River Settlers.
Birds Hill, Manitoba
Birds Hill is a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba located a few kilometers north east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the Rural Municipality of East Saint Paul. The town is a few kilometers east of the Red River. A large property in the area was owned by James Curtis Bird, a retired Hudson...
transformed an East St. Paul depleted gravel pit
Gravel pit
Gravel pit is the term for an open cast working for extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may fill naturally with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas...
into Silver Springs Park, complete with trails, a lake, and homes built along part of its perimeter. The park has become a habitat showpiece for people and wildlife. The depleted quarry was graded and landscaped with native grasses and more than 1,200 trees and shrubs. Geese, ducks, terns, gulls, pelicans, songbirds, foxes, rabbits, turtles, muskrats and deer now frequent the park. The pit dates to the late 19th century, when the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
needed gravel ballast for its rail lines. The deposit was later worked to serve Winnipeg's needs for aggregate. Over the years, more than 20 million tonnes of gravel were removed from the site. A non-profit group called the Silver Springs Fish & Wildlife Heritage Park Inc. began the first phase of development of the park in 1990, which is now maintained by the municipality of East St. Paul.
Other parks in East St. Paul are Hyland Park, Glengarry Community Park, Clydesdale Park, and Memorial Park.