West St. Paul amongst the top ten fastest growing municipalities in Canada
West St. Paul is the 10th fastest growing municipality in the country and the second fastest in Manitoba, according to Census Canada 2021 numbers released this morning.
The RM’s population rose to 6,682 in the May 2021 census, up from 5,368 in 2016. That’s an increase of 24.5%, close behind St. Catherine’s Niagara who clocked in at 26.7%.
What is Our Formula for Success?
"Our success story in West St. Paul can be directly attributed to great planning. Having a comprehensive community strategic plan ensures well planned, well managed development for our community. And our success is directly related to our strong partnerships with all levels of government and the private sector. We have received over $20 million in grants that benefit all our residents and businesses,” said Mayor Cheryl Christian.
Chief Administrative Officer Brent Olynyk has been managing the municipality for more than 10 years and has been instrumental in developing those key partnerships.
"We have trust and credibility with our private sector which translates into private capital flowing into West St. Paul. We’ve had over $200 million invested in our community in recent years from private partners, developers in the residential and retail sectors,” Olynyk said.
How Growth Benefits Existing Residents
Growth in West St. Paul is not only about welcoming new families and new businesses to our wonderful community. The growth of West St. Paul has provided many amenities and benefits for all residents, including improved walkability, additional trails and improved highway safety with additional traffic lights.
"For each residential lot developed in West St. Paul our municipality receives over $12,500 in capital fees from our developers. We use those fees to fund new park projects, purchase new fire equipment, add to our snow removal equipment, upgrade our roads, add yard waste services, extend our trails and enhance all our municipal services,” Mayor Christian said.
According to Olynyk, the economic explosion has created hundreds of jobs for local businesses and residents.
"Everything has come together thanks to great planning and partnerships. It’s amazing to see our local businesses thriving during difficult times thanks to a booming residential market. The barometer of health for a community is directly related to employment and schools,” Olynyk said.
"We have two new private schools in West St. Paul and a new public school planned for in the next two years to accommodate all the new families moving to Wonderful West St. Paul. It’s a true success story for our community, our region and the Province.”
Statistics Canada released information on population and dwellings today, and will continue to roll out other information gathered in the 2021 national census in the coming months.
West St. Paul Mayor Cheryl Christian cuts the ribbon at the official opening of Parkview Pointe Drive, one of the main accesses to the new Parkview Pointe development.