Municipal board approves Ste Anne annexation plan

Manitoba’s municipal board has approved a proposal that would see the Town of Ste Anne annex land from The Rural Municipality of Ste Anne.

Provincials officials issued their decision letter to the town on Feb. 20 and noted they’re satisfied there is general agreement on the plan. Both the town and RM submitted the proposal and a memorandum of understanding between the two municipalities to the province in April 2024.

The Carillon previously reported the annexation would include large tracts of land all along the town’s northern border, from Highway 12 in the west all the way to Provincial Road 210 in the east. The furthest north addition would be between Highway 12 and Traverse Road, stretching a kilometre north of the current boundary at the northbound Highway 12 turning lane.

Town of Ste Anne Mayor Yvan St. Vincent said the annexation is needed because the community has run out of land. He hopes the new plots will attract new industry and housing.

“Well, we’ve kind of outgrown our plot of land here in town, and we’ve had some very vibrant growth the last 10 to 12, years, and it was something we wanted to keep going,” St. Vincent said.

Much of the added space is agricultural land, St. Vincent said, but there are no views on how it would be rezoned yet. The town will transfer the tax revenue to the RM for roughly 15 years as part of the agreement, he said. The annexation won’t cause any changes for ratepayers’ tax bills.

St. Vincent highlighted the new Ste Anne regional high school as a key reason for the added land. The annexation would allow the town to take over responsibility for a section of Caledonia Road to further develop and pave the “glorified service road” when its built.

Discussions with the province and the Seine River School Division are underway regarding the new school, with the province announcing in its 2025 budget construction would start in 2027 and with opening scheduled for September 2028.

RM of Ste Anne Reeve Richard Pelletier called the municipal board’s decision “really good news.” The town’s growth will benefit people in the RM by improving services in and around the town, he noted.

“We’re both growing really well. The town and the municipality is growing a lot. It’s exciting,” he said.

New business could join the town, bringing more jobs to the community, Pelletier noted. The province’s plan to build a new high school in Ste Anne will also attract people to the area.

“The more people we have, the more reason to have businesses to serve all these people, knowing that the business will survive, in regard to having a lot of customers,” he said.

Pelletier believes the growth won’t be stopping and said there might be another annexation in 20 years.

Residents have until April 24 to file objections to the municipal board. If less than 25 people voice concerns, the board make its recommendation to Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard without a public hearing.