St-Pierre-Jolys, formerly known as Rivière-aux-Rats/Rat River or St-Pierre/St. Pierre, is a charming village nestled in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Located 50 km southeast of Winnipeg on Highway 59 near the Rat River, it is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of De Salaberry. The nearest communities to St-Pierre-Jolys are Steinbach, St. Malo, Morris, and Niverville.
Agriculture is the lifeblood of St-Pierre-Jolys, with dairy farming and livestock being the dominant industries. The local businesses, services, and hospitality sectors are robust, reflecting the importance of these sectors to the community's life.
Tourism also plays a significant role in the village's economy. The former Crow Wing Trail, now part of the Trans-Canada Trail, attracts many visitors. St-Pierre-Jolys hosts several popular festivals, such as la Cabane à Sucre (maple syrup festival) in April, le Festival Chantecler, a celebration of Francophone arts, and the signature St-Pierre-Jolys Frog Follies and Ag Fair (les Folies Grenouilles et Foire Agricoles), a village fair featuring the Canadian frog jumping competition.
The village is home to three schools, a hospital, and a sizable Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment. Bilingual St-Pierre-Jolys has collaborated with nearby St. Malo on several ventures, including a trade show and a hockey league.
The area, part of the 19th-century Crow Wing Trail linking Upper Fort Garry with St. Paul (now MN), was initially settled by Francophone people of Métis and Québécois heritage. English settlers later joined them in smaller numbers. Father Noel-Joseph Ritchot and Mr. Joseph Dubuc both played significant roles in St. Pierre's founding. The Brittany-born Father Jean-Marie Jolys started a parish and encouraged many Quebec families to move here. The name "Jolys" was added to "St. Pierre" around 1922 to recognize the 40 years of Father Jolys as parish priest of St. Pierre. The Roman Catholic faith has been inextricably linked to the settlement's growth. A former convent of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is now the village museum. Though the post office opened in 1879, St. Pierre-Jolys was only incorporated as a village in 1947. A unique part of the area's history was the establishment of a POW camp during World War II 6 miles south of St. Pierre in 1943, the camp held about 200 prisoners working on a sugar beet farm.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, St-Pierre-Jolys had a population of 1,305 living in 508 of its 518 total private dwellings, a change of 11.5% from its 2016 population of 1,170. With a land area of 2.61 km2 (1.01 sq mi), it had a population density of 500.0/km2 (1,295.0/sq mi) in 2021.
