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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada
Population distribution of Mormon Canadians by census division, 2021 census
AreaNA Central
NA Northeast
NA West
Members203,339 (2023)[1]
Stakes53
Districts4
Wards347
Branches142
Total Congregations[2]489
Missions6
Temples
  • 9 Operating
  • 1 Announced
  • 10 Total
FamilySearch 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

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The Cardston Alberta Temple is the oldest LDS temple outside the United States.

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 Ernestown Township, Ontario.[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

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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

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An LDS Meetinghouse in Stratford, Ontario

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]

As of 2024, the LDS church has 489 congregations in 322 locations in Canada. The number of wards has declined from 352 to 347 and the number of branches from 147 to 142.[14][15]

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.[16]

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.[17][18]

Geographical distribution

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Data from this section from Statistics Canada, 2021.[19]

Provinces & territories

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Province / Territory Percent Latter Day Saints Total Latter Day Saints
 Alberta 1.1% 47,125
 British Columbia 0.3% 12,875
 Manitoba 0.1% 1,640
 New Brunswick 0.1% 800
 Newfoundland and Labrador 0.0% 170
 Northwest Territories 0.2% 85
 Nova Scotia 0.2% 1,685
 Nunavut 0.1% 25
 Ontario 0.1% 16,420
 Prince Edward Island 0.1% 175
 Quebec 0.1% 4,600
 Saskatchewan 0.2% 2,060
 Yukon 0.2% 70
 Canada — Total 0.2% 87,725

Stakes and districts

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As of August 2023, Canada had the following stakes:

Stake/District Organized Mission Temple Area
Juneau Alaska[a] 8 Oct 1995 Alaska Anchorage Anchorage Alaska NA West
Calgary Alberta Stake 15 Nov 1953 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta Bow River Stake 6 Dec 2015 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta Confederation Park Stake 14 Feb 1993 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta Fish Creek Stake 3 Feb 1980 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta Foothills Stake 5 Dec 1999 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta North Stake 17 Apr 1966 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta West Stake 27 May 1979 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Calgary Alberta YSA Stake 5 May 2019 Canada Calgary Calgary Alberta NA Central
Cardston Alberta Stake 9 Jun 1895 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Cardston Alberta West Stake 13 Nov 1983 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Edmonton Alberta Bonnie Doon Stake 3 Nov 1974 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Edmonton Alberta Gateway Stake 6 Nov 1983 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Edmonton Alberta North Stake 9 Sep 2001 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Edmonton Alberta Riverbend Stake 15 Nov 1960 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Edmonton Alberta YSA Stake 11 Oct 2020 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Fort Macleod Alberta Stake 29 Sep 1985 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Grande Prairie Alberta Stake 12 Apr 1998 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Lethbridge Alberta Stake 10 Nov 1921 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Lethbridge Alberta East Stake 24 Nov 1974 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Lethbridge Alberta North Stake 26 Oct 1997 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Lethbridge Alberta YSA Stake 27 Aug 2017 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Magrath Alberta Stake 26 Oct 1980 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Medicine Hat Alberta Stake 20 Nov 1994 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Raymond Alberta Stake 30 Aug 1903 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Red Deer Alberta Stake 13 Jun 1982 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Sherwood Park Alberta Stake 9 Apr 2017 Canada Edmonton Edmonton Alberta NA Central
Taber Alberta Stake 11 Sep 1960 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Abbotsford British Columbia Stake 12 Jun 1994 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Cranbrook British Columbia Stake 14 Jan 1979 Canada Calgary Cardston Alberta NA Central
Nanaimo British Columbia Stake 26 Oct 1997 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Prince George British Columbia Stake 8 Apr 1979 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Surrey British Columbia Stake 8 Apr 1979 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Terrace British Columbia District 13 May 1980 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Vancouver British Columbia Stake 21 Nov 1960 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Vernon British Columbia Stake 12 Oct 1975 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Victoria British Columbia Stake 9 Feb 1975 Canada Vancouver Vancouver British Columbia NA West
Winnipeg Manitoba East Stake 12 Nov 1978 Canada Winnipeg Winnipeg Manitoba NA Central
Winnipeg Manitoba West Stake 14 Nov 2021 Canada Winnipeg Winnipeg Manitoba NA Central
Duluth Minnesota Stake[a] 9 May 1993 Minnesota Minneapolis St. Paul Minnesota NA Central
Saint John New Brunswick Stake 26 Jun 1988 Canada Montreal Halifax Nova Scotia NA Northeast
Newfoundland and Labrador District 30 Jul 1978 Canada Montreal Halifax Nova Scotia NA Northeast
Dartmouth Nova Scotia Stake 12 May 1985 Canada Montreal Halifax Nova Scotia NA Northeast
Barrie Ontario Stake 19 Feb 2012 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Brampton Ontario Stake 11 Jan 1981 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Hamilton Ontario Stake 6 Sep 1970 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Kingston Ontario District 10 Jun 1996 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Kitchener Ontario Stake 22 Jun 1986 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
London Ontario Stake 11 Apr 1976 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Oshawa Ontario Stake 13 Jun 1976 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Ottawa Ontario Stake 12 Dec 1976 Canada Montreal Montreal Quebec NA Northeast
Sudbury Ontario Stake 5 May 1996 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Toronto Ontario Stake 14 Aug 1960 Canada Toronto Toronto Ontario NA Northeast
Longueuil Québec Stake 7 May 2006 Canada Montreal Montreal Quebec NA Northeast
Montréal Québec Stake 18 Jun 1978 Canada Montreal Montreal Quebec NA Northeast
Montréal Québec Mount Royal Stake 6 Jul 1980 Canada Montreal Montreal Quebec NA Northeast
Québec City District 27 Mar 1977 Canada Montreal Montreal Quebec NA Northeast
Regina Saskatchewan Stake 27 Oct 2001 Canada Winnipeg Regina Saskatchewan NA Central
Saskatoon Saskatchewan Stake 5 Nov 1978 Canada Winnipeg Regina Saskatchewan NA Central
  1. ^ a b Stake located outside Canada with congregation(s) meeting in Canada

Missions

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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

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

Temples in Canada (edit)

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

edit
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.
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Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Rededicated:
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
23 March 2025 by Jeffrey R. Holland
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.
edit
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
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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
edit
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
edit
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[20]
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
edit
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.[21][22][23] First temple in British Columbia and 6th in Canada.
edit
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.
edit
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.[24][25]
Map
edit
Location:
Announced:
Size: 		Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
2 April 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[26][27]
45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) on a 9[28]-acre (3.6 ha) site
edit
Location:
Announced: 		Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
7 April 2024 by Russell M. Nelson[29][30]

Communities

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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

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References

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  1. ^ "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Canada", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 10 April 2024
  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. ^ a b c Deseret News Church Almanac 1993–1994 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News) p. 203.
  7. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ https://local.churchofjesuschrist.org/en/ca
  15. ^ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/province/quebec
  16. ^ "Church Donation Helps Medicine Hat Food Bank Serve Up Cooking Skills". LDS Church. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (9 February 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  20. ^ Weaver, Sarah Jane. "Montreal temple rededication", Church News, 22 November 2015. Retrieved on 21 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Dedication and Open House Dates Announced for the Vancouver British Columbia Temple", Newsroom (News Story), LDS Church, retrieved 2012-10-15
  22. ^ Satterfield, Rick, "Vancouver British Columbia Temple", LDSChurchTemples.com, retrieved 2012-10-15
  23. ^ 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
  24. ^ The official release from the Newsroom and subsequent update from the Church News confirmed details. The temple was dedicated as scheduled, as shown here.
  25. ^ Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, ldschurchtemples.com. Last accessed on April 2, 2021.
  26. ^ Full summary of Sunday’s LDS General Conference: Nelson urges members to be peacemakers, announces 15 new temples, Salt Lake Tribune, 2 April 2023
  27. ^ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 15 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2 April 2023
  28. ^ While the exact acreage of this site is currently unknown, the announcement states that the site is more than 9 acres in size.
  29. ^ Full summary of Sunday’s LDS General Conference: Nelson names temples; Oaks reaffirms wearing of garments; Kearon points to a welcoming God, Salt Lake Tribune, 7 April 2024
  30. ^ "President Russell M. Nelson Announces 15 Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, 7 April 2024

Additional reading

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