Jump to content

Villeneuve, Alberta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Villeneuve
Hamlet
St. Peters Roman Catholic Church in Villeneuve
St. Peters Roman Catholic Church in Villeneuve
Villeneuve is located in Sturgeon County
Villeneuve
Villeneuve
Location within Sturgeon County
Villeneuve is located in Alberta
Villeneuve
Villeneuve
Location within Alberta
Coordinates: 53°39′29″N 113°48′43″W / 53.658°N 113.8119°W / 53.658; -113.8119
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
RegionCentral Alberta
Municipal districtSturgeon County
Government
 • TypeUnincorporated
Area
 (2021)[1]
 • Land0.33 km2 (0.13 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total
260
 • Density787.2/km2 (2,039/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (Alberta Time)
Postal code
T8T 0E2
Area codes780, 587
Highways

Villeneuve is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Sturgeon County.[2] It is located on Highway 44, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Edmonton's city limits. It is home to the band government of the Michel First Nations.

Toponymy

[edit]

Villeneuve is named for Frederic Villeneuve (sometimes recorded as Frederick), who served one term as St. Albert's member of the North-West Legislative Assembly between 1898 and 1902.[3][4][5] The surname Villeneuve was well-represented among early settlers to Alberta.[6]

History

[edit]

Pre-settlement

[edit]

Prior to the Canadian government's expansion into Western Canada, the area now known as Villeneuve was populated by Iroquois and Cree groups.[7][8] They united under Chief Michel Calihoo, who signed Treaty 6 with Crown representatives in 1878, and became known as the Michel Band.[7][8][9] The band, which initially received a reserve of 25,000 acres, would become the only band in Canada to be dissolved through involuntary enfranchisement, losing its territories and official status by 1958.[10][11][12]

Settlement: 1890-1899

[edit]

In the late 1800s, under the direction of Vital-Justin Grandin, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate campaigned to bring hundreds of French, Catholic to Western Canada.[4][13][14]

Settlers first arrived in the area today known as Villeneuve in 1891, and a school opened to serve the area four years later.[5] The locality was originally named St. Pierre by Archbishop Émile-Joseph Legal, who established a church of that name in the area in 1897.[4]

Villeneuve: 1900-1940

[edit]

The settlement's name changed to Villeneuve in 1900, when it received a post office named for politician Frederic Villeneuve.[4][15] A general store opened shortly afterwards.[5]

By 1906, the Edmonton–Slave Lake railway line, eventually operated by the Canadian National Railway, was active a mile north of Villeneuve.[5][16] The introduction of a train brought three grain elevators to the hamlet.[5]

A new church was built in 1910 to accommodate Villeneuve's growing parish, as was a school within the town site named Turcotte School.[5] Villeneuve's church closed briefly between 1934 and 1935 as repairs were undertaken following a fire.[17]

Later developments: 1941-1999

[edit]

In 1948, a new two-room schoolhouse, Villeneuve School, opened to serve the hamlet.[5] Extensive renovation work to the church, spearheaded by Father Peter O’Neil throughout the 1950s, saw the place of worship renamed to St. Peter's Church.[5] Villeneuve School closed around 1964, and students were transported to St. Albert for their education instead.[18][19]

Throughout the 1970s, Villeneuve's post office and grain elevators closed, and train services to the hamlet ended.[5][15] Nonetheless, Villeneuve Community Hall opened by 1974,[20] and a flight training site established by Transport Canada began operating in 1975.[21] The original Turcotte School, which had been in use as a barn, was demolished in 1983.[5]

Recent activity: 2000-present

[edit]

In 2000, Edmonton Airports purchased Villeneuve Airport.[5] When Edmonton City Centre Airport closed in 2013, Villeneuve was used for a time to handle overflow; its airport received a new 5,000-foot runway.[5] Later that year, the Alberta Aviation Museum announced plans to open a Villeneuve location,[22] which would host a vintage Boeing 737.[23] The plane was flown into Villeneuve in November.[23] The museum ultimately did not come to fruition, with its website defunct by 2015,[24] but the 737 remains grounded in a field in Villeneuve as of 2025.[25]

Between 2015 and 2023, Villeneuve hosted the annual Alberta International Airshow.[26][27] In late 2025, Sturgeon Public Schools announced that Villeneuve Airport will host the first high school aviation program offered in the Edmonton area.[28]

In early 2026, consultations began with Sturgeon County and Villeneuve residents concerning the potential introduction of a 1,600 acre solar farm near the hamlet.[29] The installation, proposed by Canwest Solar Development Corp and investment firm Starlight, would administer 373,000 solar panels and expand the local power grid.[29]

Demographics

[edit]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Villeneuve had a population of 260 living in 54 of its 56 total private dwellings, a change of 9.2% from its 2016 population of 238. With a land area of 0.33 km2 (0.13 sq mi), it had a population density of 787.9/km2 (2,040.6/sq mi) in 2021.[1]

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Villeneuve had a population of 153 living in 54 of its 55 total private dwellings, a change of 12.5% from its 2011 population of 136. With a land area of 0.31 km2 (0.12 sq mi), it had a population density of 493.5/km2 (1,278.3/sq mi) in 2016.[30]

Amenities

[edit]
Villeneuve Community Hall, original site of Villeneuve School (pictured 2024).

Villeneuve Community Hall provides venue rental services and events as of 2026.[31] The hamlet also hosts softball facilities for outdoor recreation.[32]

West Country Hearth operates a senior living location in Villeneuve.[33]

Places of worship

[edit]

St. Peter Catholic Church is administered through the Archdiocese of Edmonton.[34] Volunteers maintain its graveyard, which contains over 300 graves as of 2019.[35]

Transportation

[edit]

Villeneuve Airport serves the community.[27]

Notable residents

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ St. Albert (December 2018). A History of Street Names in St. Albert (PDF). St. Albert: City of St. Albert. p. 5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ma, Kevin (November 27, 2018). "The many names in Sturgeon County". St. Alberta Gazette.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Lightfoot, Rob (September 1, 2024). "Villeneuve Airport". T8N. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Neville R. Oblate Fathers in Calgary: Roman Catholic Church, 1875-1889. Century Calgary Publications. pp. 57–58 – via University of Calgary.
  7. 1 2 Hayes, Scott (September 27, 2017). "The band apart, the people together". St. Albert Gazette.
  8. 1 2 Michel Callihoo Nation Society and Canada. "HISTORY Michel Band #472". MCNS. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ Filice, Michelle (October 11, 2016). "Treaty 6". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ Hayes, Scott; Fitzhugh, Jasper (July 24, 2024). "Getting the Michel Band back together". Penticton Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Our story to 1985". Michel First Nation. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  12. ↑ Schwientek, Samantha (August 13, 2024). "Michel Band society looks for scattered descendants as it pushes to re-establish First Nation". CBC News.
  13. ↑ Zuk, Louise (March 4, 2015). "Vital-Justin Grandin". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  14. ↑ The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton (June 28, 2021). Venerable Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin - BACKGROUNDER. Mission Advancement Communications. pp. 1–4.
  15. 1 2 Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Villeneuve Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kosowan, Gene (November 15, 2024). "St.Albert Rail". T8N. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  17. ↑ Musée Héritage Museum (1934–1935). "Item is-mhm-1081 - Villeneuve Church construction". Alberta on Record.
  18. ↑ "Protests Mar School Start". Edmonton Journal. September 1, 1964. p. 1.
  19. ↑ "School Clash Flares". Edmonton Journal. August 20, 1963. p. 17.
  20. ↑ Ministry of Transport (April 20, 1974). "Ministry of Transport Edmonton Satellite Airport Meeting". Edmonton Journal. p. 2.
  21. ↑ Campbell, John (October 16, 1974). "Spring opening expected for Villeneuve airport". Edmonton Journal. p. 94.
  22. ↑ Gibson, Caley (November 17, 2013). "New aviation museum to be built just outside Edmonton at Villeneuve Airport". Global News.
  23. 1 2 Ma, Kevin (November 28, 2013). "St. Albert pilots take 737 on last flight". St. Albert Gazette.
  24. ↑ Archive index at the Wayback Machine
  25. ↑ Chaudhary, Daksh (January 15, 2025). "Abandoned Boeing 737 sitting in a field in rural Canada is on Google Maps as a local landmark". Supercar Blondie.
  26. ↑ Robb, Trevor (August 23, 2015). "Edmonton air show takes flight after 12-year grounding". Edmonton Sun.
  27. 1 2 Ma, Kevin (May 27, 2025). "Alberta International Airshow cancelled and homeless". St. Albert Gazette.
  28. ↑ Campbell, Jessica (December 5, 2025). "Sturgeon Public Schools launches aviation program at Villeneuve Airport". St. Albert Gazette.
  29. 1 2 Ma, Kevin (February 10, 2026). "Company proposes 1,600 acre solar farm near Villeneuve". St. Albert Gazette.
  30. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  31. ↑ VCH. "VILLENEUVE COMMUNITY HALL". Villeneuve Athletic Association. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  32. ↑ Softball Alberta (March 2019). "Softball Alberta Zones by Community - 2016" (PDF). Softball Alberta.
  33. ↑ Steele, Claudia (June 13, 2021). "Chicken coop brings excitement to Villeneuve seniors". St. Albert Gazette.
  34. ↑ Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton. "St. Peter in Villeneuve, St. Catherine in Calahoo, St. Emerence in Riviere Qui Barre, St. Charles in Mearns". www.catholicsturgeon.caedm.ca. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  35. ↑ Ma, Kevin (October 31, 2019). "Keepers of history". St. Albert Gazette.
  36. 1 2 Mardon, Ernest G., ed. (2007). French Canadians in the Political Life of the Province of Alberta (1891-2005). University of Alberta. pp. 75–76, 84. ISBN 9781551952123.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Villeneuve,_Alberta&oldid=1361943218"