The mandate of Les Auvergnois de Ponteix’s is to represent all the local francophone groups working in the different sectors of this local Fransaskois community. It also asserts the needs and rights of its members at the various levels of government.
Its mission is to ensure the vitality of the local francophone culture and to promote its development in the Ponteix region. Les Auvergnois de Ponteix is also interested in various economic issues aimed at ensuring the future of the community.
The organization offers different types of services to the community as well as annual and one-off activities. All services and activities aim to promote and retain the French language and culture.
President – Daniel Roberge
Vice president – Guy Roberge
Treasurer / Secretary – Ghislaine Aka
Advisor- Michel Couture
Advisor – Charlotte Assi
Advisor – Jonathan Cyr
Advisor – Amadou Toure
Deputy District Ponteix – Khaidher Hammami
Community Development Officer – Walter Chizzini
The Caisse Populaire de Ponteix became Southwest Credit Union in the fall of 1961. It relocated in 1971 just south of the Ponteix Post Office and in 2001 became Innovation Credit. To this day, it proudly offers financial services in both English and French.
Bumper to Bumper Thibault’s Auto Ltd has existed in Ponteix since 1995. Owner Murray Thibault and his team provide residents of the entire region with auto parts, tires, ag parts and hydraulics.
The Ponteix Post Office has been serving local residents since 1908. The present building, which is on Center Street, dates back to 1961. Canada Post continues to provide residents throughout the region with excellent service in both French and English. Marnie Bourquois has been postmistress for approximately six years.
Giselle St. Cyr owns and operates Splitter’s Bar and Restaurant. If you are passing through Ponteix, this is the perfect place to eat a good meal with the family or have a drink with friends. Make sure you try out their delicious homemade pizza!
The Foyer St. Joseph Nursing Home was founded in December 1959 by the Sisters of Notre Dame d’Auvergne. The nursing home is licensed under the provisions of the Housing and Special Care Homes Act to operate for the accomodation of thirty Long Term Care residents and two Respite rooms. On July 29, 2001, the Foyer St. Joseph Nursing Home was transferred from the Sisters of Notre Dame d’Auvergne to the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Corporation.
For more information : https://emmanuelcare.ca/our-facilities/st-joseph-nursing-home-ponteix/
The Foyer St. Joseph Nursing Home was founded in December 1959 by the Sisters of Notre Dame d’Auvergne. The nursing home is licensed under the provisions of the Housing and Special Care Homes Act to operate for the accomodation of thirty Long Term Care residents and two Respite rooms. On July 29, 2001, the Foyer St. Joseph Nursing Home was transferred from the Sisters of Notre Dame d’Auvergne to the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Corporation.
For more information : https://emmanuelcare.ca/our-facilities/st-joseph-nursing-home-ponteix/
A native of Ponteix, Odette Carignan published her first book in 1985, a historical novel entitled: Mon homestead, mes amours. This first novel was followed by three other literary works: La Saskatchewan en rimes et monologues (1991), Mélanie (1996) and Clémentine du parc des prairies (2000). On September 18, 2013, Odette Carignan was decorated with the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique (Order of Francophones of America) in recognition of her years of dedication in the promotion of francophone culture in Saskatchewan. She died in Ponteix in 2019 at the age of 88.
Details: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/632874/deces-odette-carignan
A native of Ponteix, Odette Carignan published her first book in 1985, a historical novel entitled: Mon homestead, mes amours. This first novel was followed by three other literary works: La Saskatchewan en rimes et monologues (1991), Mélanie (1996) and Clémentine du parc des prairies (2000). On September 18, 2013, Odette Carignan was decorated with the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique (Order of Francophones of America) in recognition of her years of dedication in the promotion of francophone culture in Saskatchewan. She died in Ponteix in 2019 at the age of 88.
Details: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/632874/deces-odette-carignan
Producer and publisher, Roland Stringer was born and raised in Ponteix. The youngest of five children born to parents Jean Stringer, of Belgian origin, and Rachel Lacoursière, of French-Canadian origin, Roland attended primary school in Ponteix, then completed high school as a boarder at the College Mathieu in Gravelbourg under the direction of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. After working as a journalist for Manitoba’s francophone weekly La Liberté, Roland embarked on a long career as an impresario for the Campagne family’s musical group, Folle Avoine, and went on to play an important role in advancing the careers of internationally acclaimed artists Hart-Rouge and Carmen Campagne. In 2000, Roland founded The Secret Mountain which publishes audio books for children. Its catalog includes the works of renowned Quebébois singers and songwriters such as Gilles Vigneault, Claude Léveillée, Lionel Daunais and Félix Leclerc.
Producer and publisher, Roland Stringer was born and raised in Ponteix. The eldest of five children born to parents Jean Stringer, of Belgian origin, and Rachel Lacoursière, of French-Canadian origin, Roland did his primary studies in Ponteix, then completed his secondary as a boarder at the College Mathieu in Gravelbourg under the direction of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. After working as a journalist for the Manitoba’s francophone weekly La Liberté, Roland embarked on a long career as an impresario for the Campagne family’s musical group, Folle Avoine, and would play an important role in advancing the careers of internationally acclaimed artists Hart-Rouge and Carmen Campagne. In 2000, Roland founded “La Montagne secrète” which publishes record books for children. Its catalog includes the works of renowned Quebec songwriters such as Gilles Vigneault, Claude Léveillée, Lionel Daunais and Félix Leclerc.
Fransaskois sculptor Maurille Hammond lives in Shaunovan, 80 kilometers from Ponteix. Maurille grew up in Rimouski, Quebec, not far from the Gaspé and the province of New Brunswick, before moving to Saskatchewan with his family. An accomplished sculptor, he is well known in the region for his exceptional works of art. Among his most acclaimed pieces are the Stations of the Cross at Christ the King Church in Shaunovan as well as the Church Cross which stands nearly seven and a half feet tall. Over the years, Maurille has produced more than 200 sculptures. Thousands of people from all over the world have visited his workshop.
“You never know if you’re going to be successful with each piece of art, but you have to have the courage to start” – Maurille Hammond
Fransaskois sculptor Maurille Hammond lives in Shaunovan, 80 kilometers from Ponteix. Maurille grew up in Rimouski, Quebec, not far from the Gaspé and the province of New Brunswick, before moving to Saskatchewan with his family. An accomplished sculptor, he is well known in the region for his exceptional works of art. Among his most acclaimed pieces are the Stations of the Cross at Christ the King Church in Shaunovan as well as the Church Cross which stands nearly seven and a half feet tall. Over the years, Maurille has produced more than 200 sculptures. Thousands of people from all over the world have visited his workshop.
“You never know if you’re going to be successful with each piece of art, but you have to have the courage to start” – Maurille Hammond
The parish of Notre-Dame-d’Auvergne was born from the dream of Father Albert-Marie Royer to found a parish that he would dedicate to the Virgin Mary.
Father Albert-Marie Royer was born in Combronde, in the department of Puy-de-Dôme, in Auvergne, France. He studied at the school of the Brothers of the Cross, in Combronde, at the Minor Seminary of Saint-Sauveur and then at the Major Seminary of the Diocese of Clermont, run by the Sulpicians. After his ordination, he was appointed vicar at Aubière, then parish priest of Ponteix (France), hence the current name of the village of Ponteix. It was an article by Father Jean Gaire, founder of St-Maurice de Bellegarde, in Saskatchewan, which encouraged Father Royer to explore Western Canada to establish his dream parish there. In 1907, after having studied the quality of the soil, Father Royer made his choice of fertile land without woods in southern Saskatchewan where the parish of Notre-Dame d’Auvergne would be erected. The arrival in 1913 of the new Canadian Pacific railway line decided the townspeople to move the town of Notre Dame nearer to the tracks, hence the change of name to Ponteix. Father Royer is also responsible for convincing the Sisters of Notre-Dame, in Chamalières, France’s Auvergne region, to establish themselves in Ponteix in order to help the community as teachers and nurses. Father Royer passed away in September 1922 at the Ponteix presbytery.
The parish of Notre-Dame-d’Auvergne was born from the dream of Father Albert-Marie Royer to found a parish that he would dedicate to the Virgin Mary.
Father Albert-Marie Royer was born in Combronde, in the department of Puy-de-Dôme, in Auvergne, France. He studied at the school of the Brothers of the Cross, in Combronde, at the Minor Seminary of Saint-Sauveur and then at the Major Seminary of the Diocese of Clermont, run by the Sulpicians. After his ordination, he was appointed vicar at Aubière, then parish priest of Ponteix (France), hence the current name of the village of Ponteix. It was an article by Father Jean Gaire, founder of St-Maurice de Bellegarde, in Saskatchewan, which encouraged Father Royer to explore Western Canada to establish his dream parish there. In 1907, after having studied the quality of the soil, Father Royer made his choice of fertile land without woods in southern Saskatchewan where the parish of Notre-Dame d’Auvergne would be erected. The arrival in 1913 of the new Canadian Pacific railway line decided the townspeople to move the town of Notre Dame nearer to the tracks, hence the change of name to Ponteix. Father Royer is also responsible for convincing the Sisters of Notre-Dame, in Chamalières, France’s Auvergne region, to establish themselves in Ponteix in order to help the community as teachers and nurses. Father Royer passed away in September 1922 at the Ponteix presbytery.
Born in Ponteix in 1929, Henri Liboiron spent countless hours of his life walking the local fields and digging for what over the years would constitute an astonishing assortment of arrowheads, pottery and pipes. From an early age, Henri was interested in the collection of arrowheads. His passion for archeology grew with age. His intellectual curiosity lead him to reproduce techniques used by the First Nations in the creation of certain objects, such as arrowheads and dyes. The collection of First Nations artefacts at the Notukeu Heritage Museum is one of the most important in Western Canada.
All the discoveries of this extraordinary man are now collected and exhibited in the Notukeu Museum of the Royer Cultural Center. Henri Liboiron died in December 1996. The French-speaking community of Ponteix lost a great ally that day.
Born in Ponteix in 1929, Henri Liboiron spent countless hours of his life walking the local fields and digging for what over the years would constitute an astonishing assortment of arrowheads, pottery and pipes. From an early age, Henri was interested in the collection of arrowheads. His passion for archeology grew with age. His intellectual curiosity leads him to reproduce techniques used by the First Nations in the creation of certain objects, such as arrowheads and dyes. The collection of First Nations artefacts at the Notukeu Heritage Museum is one of the most important in Western Canada.
All the discoveries of this extraordinary man are now collected and exhibited in the Notukeu Museum of the Royer Cultural Center. Henri Liboiron died in December 1996. The French-speaking community of Ponteix lost a great ally that day.
A native of Ponteix, Lionel Bonneville worked as Director of Constitutional Affairs in the service of the late Premier of Saskatchewan Allan Blakeney. The major part of his life was spent working tirelessly as regional director of Radio-Canada’s CBKF station in Regina, Saskatchewan’s sole French radio and television station. Some might recall that Lionel was also one of three collaborators who created the original concept of the Fransaskois flag which was unveiled in 1979.
A native of Ponteix, Lionel Bonneville worked as Director of Constitutional Affairs in the service of the late Premier of Saskatchewan Allan Blakeney. The major part of his life was spent working tirelessly as regional director of Radio-Canada’s CBKF station in Regina, Saskatchewan’s sole French radio and television station. Some might recall that Lionel was also one of three collaborators who created the original concept of the Fransaskois flag which was unveiled in 1979.
Born in Ponteix, Jean Liboiron is the youngest of the seven children of Adrien and Marguerite (née Mercier) Liboiron. Jean attended Collège Mathieu in Gravelbourg and high school in Ponteix. He then left Saskatchewan to study electronics in Toronto, Ontario, and later spent four years in the Canadian Armed Forces before settling in Regina where he studied architectural design and worked in the construction industry before to pursue studies in political science at the University of Regina. In the mid-1970s, he returned to Ponteix and ran a construction business with his brother.
At the end of the 1970s, Jean became director of communications for the Association culturelle franco-canadienne de la Saskatchewan. In 1984, he left this organization to work as a civil servant in the information services of the Department of Tourism and Small Business. In 1987, he accepted a position at the Commission culturelle fransaskoise where he worked on the development of cultural tourism. From 1988 to 1998, he was executive director of this organization whose mission is to direct the cultural and artistic life of the Fransaskois community. Jean Liboiron continues to be active in the field of Francophone history and culture through the Société historique de la Saskatchewan
Born in Ponteix, Jean Liboiron is the youngest of the seven children of Adrien and Marguerite (née Mercier) Liboiron. Jean attends Collège Mathieu in Gravelbourg and secondary school in Ponteix. He then left Saskatchewan to study electronics in Toronto, Ontario, and then spent four years in the Canadian Armed Forces before settling in Regina where he studied architectural design and worked in the construction industry before to pursue studies in political science at the University of Regina. In the mid-1970s, he returned to Ponteix and ran a construction business with his brother.
At the end of the 1970s, Jean became director of communications for the Association culturelle franco-canadienne de la Saskatchewan. In 1984, he left this organization to work as a civil servant in the information services of the Department of Tourism and Small Business. In 1987, he accepted a position at the Commission culturelle fransaskoise where he worked on the development of cultural tourism. From 1988 to 1998, he was executive director of this organization whose mission is to direct the cultural and artistic life of the Fransaskois community. Jean Liboiron continues to be active in the field of Francophone history and culture through the Société historique de la Saskatchewan
Laurent Desrosiers arrived in Ponteix as an elevator agent where he met his first wife Aurore and, after her death, Annette. His involvement in the province’s Fransaskois community, in his local community, in the “designated school” dossier, and in the preservation of Ponteix’s religious heritage, made him a prominent figure in French-speaking life in Ponteix.
“Everyone who has met him will remember his playful side, but also his complicit side, always ready to help. He was involved in his community in a discreet way, always there. “(Source: Michel Vézina – L’Eau Vive)
Laurent Desrosiers arrived in Ponteix as an elevator agent where he met his first wife Aurore and, after her death, Annette. His involvement in the province’s Fransaskois community, in his local community, in the “designated school” dossier, and in the preservation of Ponteix’s religious heritage, made him a prominent figure in French-speaking life in Ponteix.
“Everyone who has met him will remember his playful side, but also his complicit side, always ready to help. He was involved in his community in a discreet way, always there. “(Source: Michel Vézina – L’Eau Vive)
Son of Gaston and Odette Carignan, Robert Carignan has spent much of his life serving the economic and cultural interests of our region. Robert worked as an economic development advisor for the Ponteix region for 11 years and is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan (CÉCS).
Committed, dedicated to advancing the economy of his region, Robert supported the efforts of a group of local entrepreneurs to set up pigsties in the Ponteix region as well as helping with the transformation of the town’s grain elevator. He also worked to set up the Ponteix emergency center and to maintain services for the elderly through the housing center.
Son of Gaston and Odette Carignan, Robert Carignan has spent much of his life serving the economic and cultural interests of our region. Robert worked as an economic development advisor for the Ponteix region for 11 years and is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan (CÉCS).
Committed, dedicated to advancing the economy of his region, Robert supported the efforts of a group of local entrepreneurs to set up pigsties in the Ponteix region as well as helping with the transformation of the town’s grain elevator. He also worked to set up the Ponteix emergency center and to maintain services for the elderly through the housing center.
