Rural Municipality of East St. Paul

Rural Municipality of East St. Paul
Rural Municipality of East St. Paul East St. Paul in Manitoba
Coordinates: 49°58′38″N 97°00′37″W
Incorporation	October 23, 1915
Area
• Land	42.10 km2 (16.25 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	9,046
• Density	214.9/km2 (557/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website	http://www.eaststpaul.com/

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 was formed on 3 November 1915 when the municipality of St. Paul (1888-1914) was subdivided into West St. Paul and East St. Paul and encompasses 41 square kilometres (16 sq mi). It includes the communities of Birds Hill, North Hill, Glengarry, River East Estates, Whidbey Harbour, Pritchard Farm Estates, and Silverfox Estates. The municipality is growing with new subdivisions increasing both population and business. Some of the most expensive real estate in Manitoba is now located in these areas, especially near or along the Red River. Historic Henderson Highway follows the Red River through East St. Paul areas settled by the Red River Settlers. The Red River Floodway diverts part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winnipeg and through East St. Paul and discharges it back into the Red River North of the dam in Lockport. The Trans Canada Trail and the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail also pass through East St. Paul.

Geography

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1981	3,596	—
1986	4,385	+21.9%
1996	6,437	+46.8%
2001	7,677	+19.3%
2006	8,733	+13.8%
2011	9,046	+3.6%

The population of East St. Paul increased by 313 persons (up 3.6%) between 2006 and 2011. The municipality has attracted people from Winnipeg and elsewhere over many years due to its close proximity to Winnipeg, the larger properties, lower rates of property tax, and semi-rural atmosphere. Winnipeg placed last among eleven communities surveyed in the Capital Region for the least expensive residential property taxes and utility charges. East St. Paul came out as the most affordable place to own a home of the same value according to a 2002 survey by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

East St. Paul has a gated community for seniors and new home development is underway at Countryside Crossing, By The Park, Prairie Ridge, Southlands Drive and Village Centre. East St. Paul contains greenhouses and numerous small farms, primarily of the market gardening variety, as well as natural forest, creek and pond areas.

History

In 1880, the Rural Municipality of St. Paul was established, with offices located on the west side of the Red. The Red River was a barrier that made doing business an inconvenience, as those on the east side had to travel over water to the west side. There were no bridges in the vicinity; the closest being Winnipeg's Redwood Bridge about nine kilometers to the south. The population was growing: as more families arrived to settle in the area, community spirit grew. On the east side of the river, schools and businesses were started. The community became diversified with industry ranging from market gardening to general stores. On November 3, 1915 the RMs of East St. Paul and West St. Paul officially received royal ascent. The first meeting of the RM of East St. Paul took place on January 4, 1916 in a room in secretary-treasurer Walter Gorham’s house at 2051 Roseneath Avenue. In 1951, a one-story building was erected at 2127 Birds Hill Road. In 1980, the current municipal office complex was built at 3021 Birds Hill Road.

Recreation

East St. Paul has a recreation centre, which offers curling and ice hockey programs, and an outdoor recreation complex for soccer and baseball. An 18 hole golf course (The Meadows) and tennis courts are used by residents and nonresidents in the summer, as well as a toboggan hill and an outdoor skating on a frozen lake in the winter. In addition to the Trans Canada Trail and the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail, the municipality also contains several other walking trails and pathways, like the Bottomly Creek Trail and the Pritchard Farm Trails.

A habitat rehabilitation project at Birds Hill, Manitoba transformed a depleted gravel pit into Silver Springs Park, with trails, a lake, and homes built along part of its perimeter. 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. The depleted quarry was graded and landscaped with native grasses and more than 1,200 trees and shrubs. Geese, ducks, terns, gulls, American white pelicans, songbirds, foxes, rabbits, western painted turtles, muskrats and deer are frequently observed.

Transportation

Key transportation routes to-and-from East St Paul are via Provincial Highways 59, 101 (the Perimeter Highway), Provincial Road 202, and Henderson Highway. Construction on a new, state-of-the-art interchange at the intersection of Provincial Highway 59 and the North Perimeter Highway (PTH 101) that began in the fall of 2015 is expected to be completed in 2018. It is being built to allow for six lanes on the Perimeter in the future. The interchange is expected to increase safety for motorists, greatly improve traffic flow and provide an uninterrupted and more efficient path for products to CentrePort Canada. The province had been promising an upgrade to the intersection for several years. The cloverleaf interchange will replace the Perimeter Highway’s most confusing intersection, which has a lot of turns and stoplights and was the site of the tragic vehicular death of Crystal Taman. The project also features an active transportation component to ensure that pedestrians and cyclists are able to safely cross the Perimeter Highway along the Raleigh Street/Gateway Road corridor.

Gallery

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  Silverfox Estates at lake of Silver Springs Park in Birds Hill, East St. Paul.

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  Pathway connecting Chase Drive with Birchwood Crescent, North Hill, East St. Paul.

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  Eagle Creek at Pritchard Farm Properties, East St Paul, Manitoba

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  Streetscaping along Mowat Road in Southlands, East St. Paul. Manitoba

References

• Parks and Recreation Tour Map for the RM of East St. Paul
• Government of Manitoba project fact sheet [1]