La Broquerie

La Broquerie is a local urban district[2] in the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Manitoba, Canada. It is a predominantly Francophone community located approximately 10 kilometres east of Steinbach, Manitoba and 70 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg, at the confluence of Highways 52, 210, and 302.

For the rural municipality, see Rural Municipality of La Broquerie.

La Broquerie
La Broquerie is located in Manitoba
La Broquerie
La Broquerie
Location of La Broquerie in Manitoba
Coordinates: 49°31′23″N 96°30′38″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceManitoba
RegionEastman
Government
 • MP (Provencher)Ted Falk (CPC)
 • MLA
(La Verendrye)		Dennis Smook (PC)
Area
 • Total8.02 km2 (3.10 sq mi)
Elevation
268 m (879 ft)
Population
 (2021 Census)[1]
 • Total1,715
 • Density213.9/km2 (554/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Websitelabroquerie.com/

For most of the community's history, La Broquerie has been ranked as Manitoba's largest dairy producer.[3] A distinctive display at the south entrance to the community features a moderately sized, decorative cow.

The area's geography makes it attractive to winter sports. One can snowmobile and cross-country ski along the nature trails in the town as well as throughout the entire Sandilands Provincial Forest area. The community also has a golf course, La Verendrye Golf, named after the family of 18th century explorers. The St. Joachim Museum contains historic artifacts pertaining to the history of the French and Belgian settlers since 1877.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Broquerie had a population of 1,715 living in 620 of its 653 total private dwellings, a change of 22.4% from its 2016 population of 1,401. With a land area of 8.02 km2 (3.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 213.8/km2 (553.8/sq mi) in 2021.[4]

Sports

Hockey is a huge part of life in La Broquerie and has been for 60 years. In the early 1950s, local residents spent months cutting and logging wood for the building of a new arena. The arena was built by hand with the help of countless local volunteers. Over the years, the arena burnt down on three occasions, and on all three occasions, local residents lobbied local businessmen and different levels of government to rebuild it. The community's arena and community club is known as the Hylife Centre.

The volunteer board that has been overseeing the entire hockey program for 60 years is the Club Sportif.

Le Club Sportif, the body which oversees the hockey program in the community, is a model of organization to be envied.[5]

The local hockey team is known as the "Habs". This year, every age level has at least one Habs team, and some have two, starting with the Timbits (age 4–6) all the way to the Senior Habs, who play hockey in the Carillon Senior Hockey League.

The Senior Habs have won five league championships in the past ten years. In 2006–2007, the Habs finished in first place in the league standings, sweeping the league championship finals, and winning the Provincial Senior "A" hockey championship.

History

La Broquerie's history is well documented through the La Broquerie Historical Trail; a series of 15 interpretive signs that share the history of the community. QR codes lead the visitor to exclusive anecdotes shared by local ambassadors.

There is also a Parish centennial that was produced to commemorate the St-Joachim Catholic Parish's centennial, celebrated in 1984.[6]

Notable people

References
  1. "Population of La Broquerie Population Centre". Statistics Canada. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  2. "Local Urban Districts Regulation". Government of Manitoba. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  3. "A Place of Opportunity". labroquerie.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  4. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  5. Wes Keating, The Carillon, October 13, 2005
  6. La Paroisse St. Joachim de La Broquerie 1883-1983 (PDF). La Liberté. December 1984. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
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