What's behind the boom? The Manitoba community that nearly doubled in a decade

For decades, the Town of Ste. Anne was stagnant, but that all changed about 10 years ago. Now it is seeing one of the highest spikes of growth in the province.

Riding his bike through Saint Anne, Man., lifelong resident Cliff Blair hardly recognizes the town.

"I noticed how big it was, and it was like – holy," Blair said. "That shocked me a little bit. It's like double the size."

According to population data and estimates from Statistics Canada, Ste. Anne has nearly doubled in the past decade – from 1,832 residents in 2013 to more than 3,300 residents as of 2023.

Booming by 81 per cent over the decade, Ste. Anne saw the highest percentage growth in the province followed by Niverville (64 per cent) and West. St. Paul (61 per cent).

"The growth rate has maybe even caught us by surprise as far as how quickly it's gone," said Ste. Anne Mayor Yvan St. Vincent.

He said for a long time there was little to no growth in the community. But that all changed about 10 years ago.