Welcome

Grotto – St. Malo

Welcome to the unhurried lifestyle of the communities along the Rat River, south of Winnipeg. With friendly residents, affordable housing, progressive attitudes and a proud heritage, this is a place where neighbours still look out for one another, where your grocer knows you by name and where children can safely play.

The Rat River Corridor is located in Southeastern Manitoba, a short 30-minute drive south of Winnipeg via Provincial Highway # 59. The communities of St-Pierre-Jolys, St. Malo and Otterburne are part of this region with a population approaching 5,000 residents. Its history dates back to 1799, when a prominent fur trader established the area’s first trading post at the junction of the Rat and Red rivers.

Active All Year-Round

The towns are all located along the Rat River and Joubert Creek as well as the region’s magnificent woodlands. Nature greatly contributes to the area’s recreational activities. The St. Malo Provincial Park contains an artificial lake that was created as a result of the construction of a dam on the Rat River. This exceptional park has become an outstanding summer destination for cottagers and campers alike. The park is open year-round and attracts over 250,000 people each year who come to the peaceful lake to swim, camp, bird watch, fish and cross-country ski in the winter. The area boasts over 700 campsites and accommodations of all kinds. Next to the Park, a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes is the site of an annual pilgrimage that attracts hundreds of visitors each year. These francophone communities celebrate their rich heritage all year long with festivals and various cultural events such as St. Malo’s Festival des Amis and Summer Festival and St-Pierre-Jolys’ Sugaring Off Festival and Frog Follies/Ag Fair.

Residents keep active year-round with the help of two arenas and two curling clubs providing winter venues for sporting events. The Parc Carillon in St-Pierre-Jolys’ municipal park, is ever growing to offer enjoyable activities for the entire family with a baseball diamond, soccer field, disc golf, RV camping and children’s play structures. Meadowood Club de Golf rests on the banks of the picturesque Rat River and the St.Malo Golf course is a short walk from the 2^nd beach at the St. Malo Provincial Park. The local area also offers cross-country ski trails, groomed snowmobile trails and organized sports to young and old alike and is part of the Crow Wing Trail/ Trans Canada Trail.

Fertile Land, Thriving Industries

The Rat River Corridor also serves as the shopping and service centre for one of Manitoba’s most fertile agricultural regions. The area is home to dairy, hog and poultry operations, as well as a large commercial greenhouse that can easily supply processors in the nearby capital city of Winnipeg. All of these industries support the numerous small businesses in the area and provide local employment for residents and non-residents alike.

The Best of Both Worlds

Residents enjoy access to many of the amenities normally associated with much larger communities: community wells, municipal sewer, garbage, recycling and compost pick-up, snow removal, fire trucks with volunteer fire brigades and ambulance services. The area is also home to educational institutions of all levels, from daycares to high schools and Otterburne’s Providence University College. Local schools have the added option of Français, Immersion and English programs. St-Pierre-Jolys also has regional bilingual services such as the De Salaberry District Health Centre, the Red River Bilingual Service Centre which provides access to federal, provincial and municipal government services, an RCMP detachment and a regional public library. St-Pierre-Jolys and St. Malo both boast modern seniors’ residences, with programs from assisted living in St. Malo to a personal care home in St-Pierre-Jolys. The area’s large francophone population accounts for the wide range of French services that are provided here.

The major urban centres located within close proximity are: Winnipeg (approx. 50 km to the north) and Steinbach (approx. 25 km to the east); the American border is approximately 45 km to the south via Hwy 59.

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Why not check us out?

We’d love to show you around our community. Come grow with us. For more information, call the Director of Health Services at the De Salaberry District Health Centre at 204-433-7611.