Villeneuve

History

Prior to the Canadian government's expansion into Western Canada, the area now known as Villeneuve was populated by Iroquois and Cree groups. They united under Chief Michel Calihoo, who signed Treaty 6 with Crown representatives in 1878, and became known as the Michel Band. 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. 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. Settlers first arrived in the area today known as Villeneuve in 1891, and a school opened to serve the area four years later. A general store opened shortly afterwards. The introduction of a train brought three grain elevators to the hamlet. In 1948, a new two-room schoolhouse, Villeneuve School, opened to serve the hamlet. Throughout the 1970s, Villeneuve's post office and grain elevators closed, and train services to the hamlet ended. and a flight training site established by Transport Canada began operating in 1975. The original Turcotte School, which had been in use as a barn, was demolished in 1983. which would host a vintage Boeing 737. The plane was flown into Villeneuve in November. but the 737 remains grounded in a field in Villeneuve as of 2025. Between 2015 and 2023, Villeneuve hosted the annual Alberta International Airshow. In late 2025, Sturgeon Public Schools announced that Villeneuve Airport will host the first high school aviation program offered in the Edmonton area. In early 2026, consultations began with Sturgeon County and Villeneuve residents concerning the potential introduction of a 1,600 acre solar…

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  21,367
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  18,186
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,418
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  15,489
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  13,139
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,255
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  10,645
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  10,449

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2026-05-09
  15 km SSW of Smoky Lake, Canada
• M 4.3 — 2026-04-01
  10 km N of Bon Accord, Canada