Niverville, Ste Anne fastest growing communities: census
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This article was published 10/02/2022 (1222 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Niverville is Manitoba’s fastest growing municipality among communities with at least 5,000 residents, and Ste Anne among the fastest growing under that threshold, population and dwelling counts released yesterday by Statistics Canada show.
Niverville registered a 29 percent growth rate in the 2021 census. The town is home to 5,947 residents, an increase of 1,337 people in five years. Niverville now places 10th among urban centres in Manitoba and is just 2,421 people shy of ninth-place Dauphin.
Mayor Myron Dyck said achieving that level of growth was a team effort involving more than council and municipal staff. Developers, builders, volunteers, business leaders, teachers, and care home staff all played a role in attracting people to the community.
“When you think about the team that it takes to get there, I’m truly just humbled and pleased to have the abundance of people that have made this happen,” Dyck said.
Since the last census in 2016, the town received a new high school, built a recreation multiplex, and completed the Heritage Centre campus. Commercial development also took off.
“Your business tax growth is what makes a community sustainable. To have to do infrastructure projects solely on residential property growth alone, it’s just not sustainable,” Dyck said.
Town council is now focused on water and wastewater infrastructure and on affordable housing. Niverville added 389 private dwellings in the last census period. Dyck said the town will eventually need a public library and a second elementary school.
“When you’re managing growth like we’ve seen, what you thought was a 20-year plan becomes a 10-year plan,” he mused.
The Town of Ste Anne grew by 36.8 percent, adding 382 dwelling units and 777 residents to reach a population of 2,891. Mayor Richard Pelletier could not be reached for comment.
Nine more Southeast municipalities recorded double-digit growth rates, including the City of Steinbach and RM of Hanover, which more than doubled Canada’s national growth rate of 5.2 percent. Only the RM of Emerson-Franklin became less populous, losing 100 residents. The RM of Morris reported the smallest population increase in the region, adding two residents.
Steinbach grew by 11.1 percent, adding 1,784 residents for a total population of 17,806. That works out to an average of nearly one new resident per day.
“I’m really excited about these numbers,” Mayor Earl Funk said. “I think they show incredibly great growth.”
Funk said Steinbach remains one of Manitoba’s fastest growing urban centres outside of the Winnipeg metro region and noted the city’s growth is evenly divided among residential, commercial, and industrial development.
“We’ve become a destination,” he said.
Steinbach added 787 dwellings over the last five years. Ensuring housing starts keep pace with population growth will be a challenge going forward, Funk said.
Steinbach comfortably retained its title as the province’s third-largest city, with a lead of more than 4,000 people over Winkler, which grew by 8.6 percent to 13,745 residents.
Asked about the friendly rivalry between the two cities, Funk said he’s got nothing but appreciation for Winkler mayor Martin Harder.
“I love it when regions are growing,” Funk said. “I support his growth and I know he supports ours. I feel good for Winkler and I feel good for Steinbach.”
Hanover grew by 10.8 percent, adding 1,676 residents for a total population of 17,216.
“I think that’s good,” Reeve Stan Toews said. “I was a little leery because of COVID that most people were supposed to fill (the census) out online, because there are so many people that are not online.”
Hanover retained its title of the most populous rural municipality in Manitoba, increasing its lead over Springfield to more than 1,000 people. Toews said Mitchell was the fastest growing LUD in Hanover, with 24 percent growth.
Council is focusing on arenas, roads, and wastewater infrastructure to keep up with the RM’s rapid growth, Toews said.
With just 590 people separating Hanover and Steinbach, Toews is watching closely to see if the RM one day surpasses its urban neighbour.
“Oh, that’d always be a great wish, but I don’t if that’ll happen,” he said with a chuckle.
Manitoba’s population grew by five percent or 63,788 people to 1,342,153. Canada’s population increased by 5.2 percent or 1.8 million people to 36,991,981.
Municipality Population Change
City of Steinbach 17,806 11.1 percent growth
RM of Hanover 17,216 10.8 percent growth
RM of Springfield 16,142 5.2 percent growth
RM of Tache 11,916 3.0 percent growth
RM of Ritchot 7,469 11.8 percent growth
RM of La Broquerie 6,725 10.7 percent growth
Town of Niverville 5,947 29.0 percent growth
RM of Ste Anne 5,584 11.6 percent growth
RM of De Salaberry 3,918 9.4 percent growth
RM of Morris 3,049 0.1 percent growth
Town of Ste Anne 2,891 36.8 percent growth
RM of Emerson-Franklin 2,437 3.9 percent decline
Town of Morris 1,975 4.8 percent growth
RM of Piney 1,843 6.8 percent growth
RM of Stuartburn 1,731 5.0 percent growth
RM of Whitemouth 1,630 4.7 percent growth
RM of Reynolds 1,344 0.4 percent growth
Village of St Pierre 1,305 11.5 percent growth
RM of Montcalm 1,278 1.4 percent growth
Roseau River First Nation 564 1.1 percent growth
Buffalo Point First Nation 219 30.4 percent growth