The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada
The Cardston Alberta Temple is the oldest LDS temple outside the United States
AreaNA Central
NA Northeast
NA West
Members200,836 (2022)[1]
Stakes53
Districts4
Wards349
Branches144
Total Congregations[2]493
Missions6
Temples9 Operating
1 Announced
10 Total
Family History Centers154[3]

Since its organization in New York in 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has had a presence in Canada. The church's first missionaries to preach outside of the United States preached in Upper Canada; the first stake to be established outside of the U.S. was the Alberta Stake; and the Cardston Alberta Temple was the first church temple built outside of the boundaries of the United States.

With the church reporting more than 200,000 members at year-end 2022, Canada ranks as having the 4th largest body of members of the LDS Church in North America and the 12th worldwide.[4] The 2021 Canadian Census survey reported approximately 0.2% of the population (about 87,725 people) identified themselves as church members.[5]

Early missionary contacts

In the winter of 1829–30, Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page visited Upper Canada while seeking money to finance the publication of the Book of Mormon. After the publication of the Book of Mormon in March 1830, the unbaptized convert Phineas Young preached in Earnestown.[6]

Joseph Smith and Don Carlos Smith—the first official Latter Day Saint missionaries to preach outside of the United States—visited Upper Canada in September 1830 and preached in villages north of the St. Lawrence River.[7] In January 1832, converts Brigham and Phineas Young went to Upper Canada to convince their brother, Joseph to join the church.[7] After Joseph's baptism, the Young brothers taught their family and friends in Canada and baptized over 150 individuals and established four branches of the church, including ones in Kingston and Sydenham.

Joseph Smith preached in Upper Canada in September 1833 with Sidney Rigdon and Freeman Nickerson.[8] Also in 1833, future apostle, Lyman E. Johnson, preached in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Later, John E. Page and apostle Parley P. Pratt served successful missions to Upper Canada; Page baptized over 1,000 individuals between 1834 and 1836 and Pratt converted a number of individuals who would play a prominent role in the church, including John Taylor, Joseph and Mary Fielding, and William Law.

By 1850, approximately 2,500 residents of Canada—most of them from Upper Canada—had joined the LDS Church.[6] However, most of these members joined the gathering of the Latter Day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, Nauvoo, Illinois, and eventually Salt Lake City, Utah, and by 1861, the census of Ontario listed only 73 Mormons.[6]

Colonization of Alberta

In 1887, John Taylor—who was then the church president—sent Charles Ora Card, president of the church's Cache Stake, to Canada's Northwest Territories to establish a LDS Church colony that was beyond the reach of the United States government's anti-polygamy prosecutions. Card led a group of followers and established a settlement along Lee's Creek; the settlement was eventually renamed Cardston in Card's honour.[9] The church's Alberta Stake, the first outside of the United States, was created in 1895,[10] with Card as its president.

Michelsen Farmstead one of the original Mormon farmsteads in Stirling Agricultural Village

Mormon pioneers continued to colonize what would become Alberta in 1905. Before the turn of the century, Latter-day Saints had founded Mountain View, Aetna, Beazer, Leavitt, Kimball, Caldwell, Taylorville, Magrath, and Stirling. After 1900, colonies of church members were established in Woolford, Welling, Orton, Raymond, Barnwell, Taber, Frankburg, Glenwood, and Hill Spring.[11] Church apostle John W. Taylor—the son of church president John Taylor—played a leadership role in assisting Latter-day Saint emigration from Utah to Alberta.

The Alberta Stake was divided in two in 1903. The Alberta Stake remained headquartered in Cardston and the new Taylor Stake—named in honour of John W. Taylor—was headquartered in Raymond. By 1910, there were about 10,000 Latter-day Saints in southern Alberta and in 1913 the church began construction of a temple in Cardston.[11] In 1924, church president Heber J. Grant dedicated the Cardston Alberta Temple, the church's first outside of the United States.[12] A stake was organized in Lethbridge in 1921.

Stirling, one of Alberta's original Latter-day Saint settlements and a National Historic Site of Canada, was founded by Theodore Brandley in 1899, and is one of few towns in Canada plotted out by the Plat of Zion. Today, Stirling still follows the Plat of Zion; for this reason, the village is recognized as the most well-preserved Canadian example of the Latter-day Saint planning model.

Beyond Alberta and today

A branch of the church was organized in Edmonton in 1933, with the Edmonton Stake established in 1960. The Calgary Stake was established in 1953. In 1960, Alberta resident N. Eldon Tanner was called as a church general authority; he became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1962 and a member of the First Presidency in 1963.

In 1998, a temple was announced for Edmonton and in December 1999 church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Edmonton Alberta Temple. In 2008, a temple was announced for Calgary by church president Thomas S. Monson. The Calgary Alberta Temple was dedicated in October 2012.

As of December 31, 2021, the LDS Church reported 199,534 members, 53 stakes, 352 wards, 4 districts, 147 branches, 6 missions, 9 temples, and 152 Family History Centers in Canada.[13]

In Canada, the church's Aid Fund donated C$185,000 to a newly rebuilt food bank in Medicine Hat, Alberta in February 2022. The money will help fund one commercial and two teaching kitchens in the Root Cellar Food and Wellness Hub.[14]

In October 2022, the church's charitable practices attracted media coverage from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's The Fifth Estate, which reported that the Canadian LDS Church had funneled almost C$1 billion over the past 15 years into the LDS Church's US-based Brigham Young University, rather than supporting charitable activities in Canada. The majority of these funds came from tithing of church members who tithe ten percent of their income. Under Canadian tax law, the Canadian LDS Church qualifies for tax-free status as a charitable entity. Canadian charities are allowed to donate to foreign charities and universities on the condition that those institutions are registered as "qualified donees" with the Canadian Revenue Agency.[15][16]

Geographical distribution

Data from this section from Statistics Canada, 2021.[17]

Provinces & territories

Province / TerritoryPercent Latter Day Saints Total Latter Day Saints
 Alberta1.1% 47,125
 British Columbia0.3% 12,875
 Manitoba0.1% 1,640
 New Brunswick0.1% 800
 Newfoundland and Labrador0.0% 170
 Northwest Territories0.2% 85
 Nova Scotia0.2% 1,685
 Nunavut0.1% 25
 Ontario0.1% 16,420
 Prince Edward Island0.1% 175
 Quebec0.1% 4,600
 Saskatchewan0.2% 2,060
 Yukon0.2% 70
 CanadaTotal0.2%87,725

Stakes and districts

Stake/District Organized Mission Temple Area
Juneau Alaska[lower-alpha 1]8 Oct 1995Alaska AnchorageAnchorage AlaskaNA West
Calgary Alberta Stake15 Nov 1953Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta Bow River Stake6 Dec 2015Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta Confederation Park Stake14 Feb 1993Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta Fish Creek Stake3 Feb 1980Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta Foothills Stake5 Dec 1999Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta North Stake17 Apr 1966Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta West Stake27 May 1979Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Calgary Alberta YSA Stake5 May 2019Canada CalgaryCalgary AlbertaNA Central
Cardston Alberta Stake9 Jun 1895Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Cardston Alberta West Stake13 Nov 1983Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Edmonton Alberta Bonnie Doon Stake3 Nov 1974Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Edmonton Alberta Gateway Stake6 Nov 1983Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Edmonton Alberta North Stake9 Sep 2001Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Edmonton Alberta Riverbend Stake15 Nov 1960Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Edmonton Alberta YSA Stake11 Oct 2020Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Fort Macleod Alberta Stake29 Sep 1985Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Grande Prairie Alberta Stake12 Apr 1998Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Lethbridge Alberta Stake10 Nov 1921Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Lethbridge Alberta East Stake24 Nov 1974Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Lethbridge Alberta North Stake26 Oct 1997Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Lethbridge Alberta YSA Stake27 Aug 2017Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Magrath Alberta Stake26 Oct 1980Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Medicine Hat Alberta Stake20 Nov 1994Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Raymond Alberta Stake30 Aug 1903Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Red Deer Alberta Stake13 Jun 1982Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Sherwood Park Alberta Stake9 Apr 2017Canada EdmontonEdmonton AlbertaNA Central
Taber Alberta Stake11 Sep 1960Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Abbotsford British Columbia Stake12 Jun 1994Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Cranbrook British Columbia Stake14 Jan 1979Canada CalgaryCardston AlbertaNA Central
Nanaimo British Columbia Stake26 Oct 1997Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Prince George British Columbia Stake8 Apr 1979Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Surrey British Columbia Stake8 Apr 1979Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Terrace British Columbia District13 May 1980Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Vancouver British Columbia Stake21 Nov 1960Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Vernon British Columbia Stake12 Oct 1975Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Victoria British Columbia Stake9 Feb 1975Canada VancouverVancouver British ColumbiaNA West
Winnipeg Manitoba East Stake12 Nov 1978Canada WinnipegWinnipeg ManitobaNA Central
Winnipeg Manitoba West Stake14 Nov 2021Canada WinnipegWinnipeg ManitobaNA Central
Duluth Minnesota Stake[lower-alpha 1]9 May 1993Minnesota MinneapolisSt. Paul MinnesotaNA Central
Saint John New Brunswick Stake26 Jun 1988Canada MontrealHalifax Nova ScotiaNA Northeast
Newfoundland and Labrador District30 Jul 1978Canada MontrealHalifax Nova ScotiaNA Northeast
Dartmouth Nova Scotia Stake12 May 1985Canada MontrealHalifax Nova ScotiaNA Northeast
Barrie Ontario Stake19 Feb 2012Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Brampton Ontario Stake11 Jan 1981Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Hamilton Ontario Stake6 Sep 1970Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Kingston Ontario District22 Jan 1920Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Kitchener Ontario Stake22 Jun 1986Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
London Ontario Stake11 Apr 1976Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Oshawa Ontario Stake13 Jun 1976Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Ottawa Ontario Stake12 Dec 1976Canada MontrealMontreal QuebecNA Northeast
Sudbury Ontario Stake5 May 1996Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Toronto Ontario Stake14 Aug 1960Canada TorontoToronto OntarioNA Northeast
Longueuil Québec Stake7 May 2006Canada MontrealMontreal QuebecNA Northeast
Montréal Québec Stake18 Jun 1978Canada MontrealMontreal QuebecNA Northeast
Montréal Québec Mount Royal Stake6 Jul 1980Canada MontrealMontreal QuebecNA Northeast
Québec City District27 Mar 1977Canada MontrealMontreal QuebecNA Northeast
Regina Saskatchewan Stake27 Oct 2001Canada WinnipegRegina SaskatchewanNA Central
Saskatoon Saskatchewan Stake5 Nov 1978Canada WinnipegRegina SaskatchewanNA Central
  1. 1 2 Stake located outside Canada with congregation(s) meeting in Canada

Missions

Mission Organized Area
Canada Calgary 15 Sep 1941 NA Central
Canada Edmonton 1 Jul 1998 NA Central
Canada Montreal 1 Jul 1972 NA Northeast
Canada Toronto 1 Jul 1919 NA Northeast
Canada Vancouver 21 Nov 1960 NA West
Canada Winnipeg 15 Feb 1976 NA Central

Temples

There are 9 temples operating in Canada and one announced to be constructed.

Temples in Canada ()

Temples in Alberta ()
= Operating
= Under construction
= Announced
= Temporarily Closed

Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Rededicated:
Size:
Notes:
Cardston, Alberta, Canada
June 27, 1913 by Joseph F. Smith
November 13, 1913 by Daniel Kent Greene
August 26, 1923 by Heber J. Grant
July 2, 1962 by Hugh B. Brown
88,562 sq ft (8,227.7 m2) on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site - designed by Hyrum Pope and Harold W. Burton
An addition was completed in 1962 and was dedicated on July 2, 1962 by Hugh B. Brown.
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
7 April 1984 by Spencer W. Kimball
10 October 1987 by Thomas S. Monson
25 August 1990 by Gordon B. Hinckley
57,982 sq ft (5,386.7 m2) on a 13.4-acre (5.4 ha) site
Modern, single-spire design - designed by Allward-Gouinlock Inc.
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
May 7, 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
October 12, 1998 by Jay E. Jensen
November 14, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley
10,700 sq ft (990 m2) on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site
Classic modern, single spire design - designed by L.A. Beaubien and Associates, and Church A&E Services
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
August 3, 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
November 14, 1998 by Hugh W. Pinnock
November 14, 1999 by Boyd K. Packer
10,700 sq ft (990 m2) on a 1-acre (0.40 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Roger B. Mitchell and Church A&E Services
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
August 11, 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
February 27, 1999 by Yoshihiko Kikuchi
December 11, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley
10,700 sq ft (990 m2) on a 1-acre (0.40 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Robert Bennett and Church A&E Services
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Rededicated:
Size:
Style:
Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
6 August 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
9 April 1999 by Gary J. Coleman
4 June 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley
22 November 2015 by Henry B. Eyring[18]
11,550 sq ft (1,073 m2) on a 2.4-acre (0.97 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Andrij Serbyn, Fichten Soiferman and Church A&E Services
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Notes:
Langley, British Columbia, Canada
25 May 2006 by Gordon B. Hinckley
4 August 2007 by Ronald A. Rasband
2 May 2010 by Thomas S. Monson
28,165 sq ft (2,616.6 m2) on a 11.6-acre (4.7 ha) site - designed by Abbarch Architecture and GSBS
Open house was held in April and the dedication 2 May 2010.[19][20][21] First temple in British Columbia and 6th in Canada.
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Notes:
Calgary, Canada
4 October 2008 by Thomas S. Monson
15 May 2010 by Donald L. Hallstrom
28 October 2012 by Thomas S. Monson
33,000 sq ft (3,100 m2) on a 10.17-acre (4.12 ha) site
Announced at the 178th Semiannual General Conference.
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Notes:
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
April 2, 2011 by Thomas S. Monson
December 3, 2016 by Larry Y. Wilson
31 October 2021 by Gerrit W. Gong
16,100 sq ft (1,500 m2) on a 7.7-acre (3.1 ha) site
Dedication originally scheduled for November 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Revised arrangements were announced on August 30, 2021.[22][23]
Location:
Announced:
Size:
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
2 April 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[24][25]
45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) on a 9[26]-acre (3.6 ha) site

Communities

Latter-day Saints have had a significant role in establishing and settling communities within the "Mormon Corridor" and other locations, including the following in Alberta, Canada:

See also

References

  1. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Canada", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 29 May 2023
  2. Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
  3. Category:Canada Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved 29 May 2022
  4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics
  5. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (9 February 2022). "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Canada [Country]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Deseret News Church Almanac 1993–1994 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News) p. 203.
  7. 1 2 Richard E. Bennett, "Canada: From Struggling Seed, the Church Has Risen to Branching Maple," Ensign, September 1988, p. 30.
  8. Joseph Smith (B.H. Roberts ed., 1902). History of the Church 1:416–425.
  9. Church Educational System (1993, rev. ed.). Church History in the Fulness of Times (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church) p. 609.
  10. "Country/State Profiles: Canada-Alberta". LDS Newsroom. LDS Church.
  11. 1 2 Deseret News Church Almanac 1993–1994 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News) p. 199.
  12. The Laie Hawaii Temple was dedicated in 1919 during the time it was a territory of the United States.
  13. "Facts and Statistics:Canada". Mormon Newsroom. LDS Church. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  14. "Church Donation Helps Medicine Hat Food Bank Serve Up Cooking Skills". LDS Church. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  15. Angelovski, Ivan; Sawa, Timothy; Kelly, Mark (October 27, 2022). "Mormon Church in Canada moved $1B out of the country tax free — and it's legal". The Fifth Estate. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  16. Schneiders, Ben; Steinfort, Tom; Clancy, Natalie (October 29, 2022). "Mormon church invests billions of dollars while grossly overstating its charitable giving". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  17. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (9 February 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  18. Weaver, Sarah Jane. "Montreal temple rededication", Church News, 22 November 2015. Retrieved on 21 March 2020.
  19. "Dedication and Open House Dates Announced for the Vancouver British Columbia Temple", Newsroom (News Story), LDS Church, retrieved 2012-10-15
  20. Satterfield, Rick, "Vancouver British Columbia Temple", LDSChurchTemples.com, retrieved 2012-10-15
  21. Size verified on: "Rezoning Application No. 100276 (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)" (PDF), Report to Mayor and Council, Regular Meeting (Report: 07-79, File: 08-26-0094), Community Development Division, Township of Langley, May 7, 2007, retrieved 2012-10-15
  22. The official release from the Newsroom and subsequent update from the Church News confirmed details. The temple was dedicated as scheduled, as shown here.
  23. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, ldschurchtemples.com. Last accessed on April 2, 2021.
  24. Full summary of Sunday’s LDS General Conference: Nelson urges members to be peacemakers, announces 15 new temples, Salt Lake Tribune, 2 April 2023
  25. "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 15 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2 April 2023
  26. While the exact acreage of this site is currently unknown, the announcement states that the site is more than 9 acres in size.

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