St.Albert Entrepreneurs

Paving St.Alert’s Path to Prosperity

It’s hard to fathom how a community can grow without a handful of enterprising individuals getting behind the wheel and putting the pedal to the metal. St. Albert is no exception, as the city’s past is dotted by daring entrepreneurs who either took over existing establishments or created new industries altogether. No doubt they profited from those ventures, but St. Albert also benefited by garnering a reputation as one of the most prosperous municipalities in Canada, a distinction that still stands today. Here’s a look at just a few of these personalities.

Lucien Boudreau

Often called the “Little Napoleon of St. Albert” for his short stature and reportedly strong leadership abilities in his post-entrepreneurial life, Boudreau first made a name for himself in real estate. He later teamed up with his brother-in-law Ernest Renaud to purchase the Astoria Hotel, a short-lived venture that ended when the building succumbed to fire in 1911. Boudreau gravitated towards politics, starting as a town councillor before serving as a Liberal MLA for four terms.

David Chevigny

Arriving in St. Albert from Quebec with his brother Louis in 1880, Chevigny wasted no time making a name for himself in his adopted territory. Starting as a sawmill operator, he demonstrated he had other talents when he took part in a community land survey project, constructed Bishop Vital Grandin’s home, and rebuilt what is now the Perron Street Bridge. With Louis, Chevigny also built and opened the first St. Albert Hotel in 1886, an establishment that was a major landmark until it succumbed to a fire 12 years later.

William Cust

A quarter-century before the wheat boom boosted this country’s global economic fortunes, one farmer in the St. Albert area was already well ahead of the game. According to the Edmonton Bulletin in 1875, Irish immigrant William Cust was the first person to grow wheat commercially in Alberta. He did it on 113 hectares of land he owned with his wife. It took four ox- and horse-driven teams to annually harvest all that wheat. For his part, Cust at one time could single-handedly sow 25 bushels of crop per day.

Herbert E. Dawson

If there was anyone who personified how forward-thinking commerce could drive a municipality to prominence, it was Herbert E. Dawson who apparently had the right stuff for such a task. He made his name as proprietor of a general store with an extensive inventory that made it the go-to shopping destination in town. The one-time mayor was also decades ahead of his time when he oversaw the construction of the Dawson Block, arguably the first “mall” in the region. Unfortunately, fire destroyed the structure in 1928.

Cheri Hebert

Together with fellow entrepreneur Fleuri Perron, Cheri Hebert co-owned several businesses in the town, including a general store and even operated a paddlewheel boat that offered outings on the Sturgeon River, taking passengers as far as Big Lake. He also became St. Albert’s first mayor in 1904, serving on council for three years.

Lois Hole

Granted, the botanical pursuits were entirely a family operation, but Lois Hole particularly distinguished herself by writing several successful gardening books and eventually becoming Lt. Gov. of Alberta. It all started when Lois and husband Ted started a market garden operation on their 81-hectare farm. The venture proved to be so lucrative that in 1979, the couple and their sons Bill and Jim incorporated the business into Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens Ltd., which became one of the most successful gardening retailers in western Canada. Hole died in 2005, less than two years after Ted had passed on, but the business remained fruitful, even after relocating to the Enjoy Centre in 2011 and being sold to TEC Property Inc. in 2020. 

Aldoma Labelle

A pioneer who first settled in St. Albert in 1916, Aldoma Labelle is recognized for adding a bit of flavour to Perron Street with his family-run butcher shop, Labelle’s Meat Market, which he established in 1922 and operated for 30 years. He also had a brief career as a town councillor. 

Joseph Lafranchise

One of the earliest figures in regional media was Joseph Lafranchise, who with wife Rosanna gave the community the St. Albert Star, a bilingual newspaper that launched in 1912, but folded two years later. Lafranchise found more stability running the St. Albert post office for 30 years, starting in 1915.

Joseph Leonard

When St. Albert transitioned from a missionary-run community to a village late in the 19th century, one entrepreneur who profited from the crossover was blacksmith Joseph Leonard. Starting with a smithy that he bought in 1894, Leonard expanded his interests later that year by taking over the post office from the clergy. Three years later, he added a telephone exchange to his list of acquisitions. But Leonard really hit his stride in real estate, where he benefited from purchasing plots of land, then selling houses he also built on those premises.

Fleuri Perron

In the early 1900s, one of the biggest economic drivers of St. Albert, when it was transitioning from village to town status, was the Perron Brickyard, which at one time had 20 workers on its payroll. Under the direction of its proprietor Fleuri Perron, the brickyard was also the area’s first big commercial industry until it ceased operations in 1932. Perron also owned a hotel and a butcher shop, ran boat tours on the Sturgeon River, and co-owned a general store with Cheri Hebert, the town’s first mayor. Perron later succeeded Hebert as mayor for a one-year term.