St. Malo, Manitoba is a local urban district nestled in the Rural Municipality of De Salaberry. Located approximately 70 km south of The Forks, Winnipeg, Manitoba, this community is home to a predominantly bilingual francophone population of Métis or Québécois heritage.
The early settlement of St. Malo, Manitoba is marked by significant events that shaped its growth and development. In 1877, Louis Malo, born in Varennes, Quebec, became the first pioneer to settle in St. Malo. The following year, the Pembina Branch rail line opened from St. Boniface to Dominion City, passing through the nearby Dufrost station. This new rail route led to the phasing-out of the generations-old Crow Wing ox trail through St. Malo, and Dufrost became part of the St. Malo parish.
In 1884, the St. Malo Settlement of lots along the Rat River, a tributary of the Red River, was surveyed from the southern edge of the village of St. Malo to La Rochelle. By 1892, the register for the St. Malo parish of the Manitoban archdiocese of St. Boniface was opened, and the St. Malo Post Office was established on February 1. However, the community faced a significant challenge in 1977 when an F4 tornado tore through the area on July 18, killing three people and destroying several houses.
St. Malo, Manitoba is situated on the eastern edge of the remarkably flat Red River flood plain. This area was once the lake shore of Lake Agassiz, marking the transition between southeastern Manitoba's upland woodlands to the east and the flat prairie grasslands to the west.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, St. Malo, Manitoba had a population of 1,323 living in 492 of its 563 total private dwellings. This represented a change of 7.8% from its 2016 population of 1,227. With a land area of 6.91 km2 (2.67 sq mi), the population density in 2021 was 191.5/km2 (495.9/sq mi).
St. Malo, Manitoba serves as a shopping and services centre for the surrounding rural area. It is also recognized for its tourist attractions and farming. During the winter months, popular activities include snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, hockey, as well as ice-fishing and car racing on the lake. In February 2008, the Friends of the Park ("Les Amis du Parc") organized its first annual Festival of Friends ("Festival des Amis"). The community's elementary and middle school, École Saint-Malo School, is part of the Red River Valley School Division and offers both French Immersion and English programs.
St. Malo, Manitoba has established friendship ties with several communities, including the Rural Municipality of De Salaberry, Manitoba, Canada; the Community of La Rochelle, Manitoba, Canada; the Village of Saint-Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba, Canada; the Village of Saint-Malo, Quebec, Canada; and the Port city of Saint-Malo, Brittany, France.
