Five more smaller temples, all located in northern North America, have been announced by the First Presidency. Two of the five temples will be in the United States and three will be in Canada. Two of the Canadian temples were announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley on his just-completed Canadian tour. The third was announced by President Hinckley shortly after his return.
The new temples will be located in Bismarck, N.D.; the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in Minnesota; Edmonton, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; and Montreal, Quebec.These five temples bring the number of small temples announced since last April general conference to 15, the halfway mark of the 30 temples that President Hinckley said would be constructed immediately.
The Montreal temple district will serve two stakes and one district in Quebec, as well as the Ottawa Ontario and Montpelier Vermont stakes. There are 11,842 members in the district.
The Church has had a presence in Quebec since the 1830s. The first missionary to serve in what is now the province of Quebec was Hazen Aldrich, who baptized 11 people in 1836.
In 1919, the Ottawa District was organized as part of the Canadian Mission, and a branch in Ottawa was organized in 1926. Growth increased in 1939 when missionaries, withdrawn from Europe, relocated in Canada and brought in a number of converts. The Montreal Branch was created in the 1930s and acquired its first building in 1942.
Missionary work in the French language began in Quebec City in 1961 under the direction of then-mission President Thomas S. Monson, now first counselor in the First Presidency. A French-speaking branch was created in the mid-1960s. In 1977, all missionaries in Montreal were French-speaking.
The Montreal Quebec Stake was created June 18, 1978, by Elder Thomas S. Monson, then of the Quorum of the Twelve. Membership in the province at the end of 1997 was 8,300.
The Regina temple district consists of one stake and one district and 3,459 members, all in Saskatchewan.
Missionary work began in Saskatchewan in 1925 with four elders of the North Central States Mission laboring in Regina and Saskatoon. A branch was organized in Regina on May 27, 1934. Later that year, two carloads of produce were donated by members and neighbors in Alberta to help drought-stricken farmers in Saskatchewan, including 20 members of the Regina Branch. A stake in Saskatchewan was created Nov. 5, 1978, from the combined Regina and Saskatoon districts. Membership in the province is currently about 4,400.
The Edmonton temple district will serve a membership of 14,802 living in the three Edmonton stakes, the Red Deer Alberta Stake, and the Grand Prairie Alberta District.
A branch was organized in Edmonton in 1933. Seven years later, the headquarters of the Western Canadian Mission was established in Edmonton in September 1941. In 1951, the first meetinghouse in Edmonton was dedicated and the Edmonton Stake was created Nov. 15, 1960. Additional stakes were created as members from the southern part of the province moved to Alberta's capital.
The temple in Bismarck will serve five stakes and one district, with a total membership of 16,049. The stakes are located in North Dakota, South Dakota, and in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Missionary work in North Dakota began before the turn of the century, but progress was slow.
In 1914, missionaries found success among the Indians of Shell Village, and the Sully Lake Branch was organized on the Fort Berthold Reservation. A meetinghouse was dedicated for this branch in 1919. By 1930, membership in North Dakota increased to 145, with about half in the Sully Lake Branch. North Dakota was the last state in the Union to have a stake, which was created in Fargo Aug. 7, 1977. Membership in the state at year-end 1997 was 5,000.
A temple in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area will serve six Minnesota stakes and one district, with a total membership of 19,130.
Missionary work began in Minnesota in 1868, but most of the converts, gathered from among the prominently Scandinavian population, immigrated to Utah. Some of the converts were baptized in the winter in minus-40 degree weather. In 1928 a large meetinghouse was erected in Minneapolis, and membership in the state in 1930 was 967. A stake was created with headquarters in Minneapolis on Nov. 29, 1960, and the St. Paul Minnesota Stake was created Feb. 15, 1976. Membership in the state at that time was 7,831. At year-end 1997, membership reached 21,000.
The announcement of five additional small temples brings the total number of temples in operation, under construction or announced to 87. Of these, 53 are in operation, 11 are under construction and 23 are awaiting groundbreakings.