Long-Awaited Open House Begins for Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

The doors to the new Winnipeg Manitoba Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are finally open to the public after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic and more than 10 years after the temple was announced.

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“We know that the Latter-day Saints in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario are excited to share this sacred space with their friends and neighbours,” said Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela, the second counselor in the Church’s North America Central Area presidency. “This is the first temple in the province, and we believe it will be a wonderful addition to the community.”

Members of the public are invited to attend the open house, scheduled for Saturday, October 9, through Saturday, October 23, 2021, except Sunday, October 10; Monday, October 11; and Sunday, October 17. The tours give people of all faiths the opportunity to see the temple’s beautiful interior and grounds and learn about the purpose of these sacred structures.

Tours are free, but to ensure compliance with provincial COVID-19 guidelines, visitors are encouraged to register in advance at thewinnipegtemple.org. Masks and social distancing will be required in the building.

The 991–square-metre temple, which is located in the city of Winnipeg’s Bridgwater Forest neighbourhood, features a brick exterior with a terra-cotta clay tile roof. The interior rooms are decorated in soft purples, aqua and green. The prairie crocus, the provincial flower of Manitoba, is a prominent motif throughout the temple. It is seen in the art glass, rugs, woodwork carvings and door hardware.

Many of the materials in the temple were made in Canada and much of the work was done by local craftspeople. Other high-quality materials in the building come from Belgium, China, Italy, Korea, Turkey and the United States.

The temple stands 31 metres tall and is crowned with a gilded statue of Moroni, a Book of Mormon prophet who is significant to Latter-day Saints for his role in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are over 4,700 members of the Church in Manitoba organized into 14 congregations. Currently, these Latter-day Saints travel to Regina, Saskatchewan, for temple worship.

“We are thrilled to be able to have a temple closer to home,” said Yvonne Robison, who is coordinating the open house with her husband, Allan. “In a world that is often chaotic and confusing, the temple is a place of peace and we hope our friends and neighbours will feel that as they visit this beautiful building.”

The Winnipeg Manitoba Temple will be the ninth in operation for Canada and the 169th for the Church worldwide. In addition to Regina, the other Canadian temples are in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Cardston, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

The temple was announced in April 2011 and ground was broken in December 2016. Following the public open house, the temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, October 31, by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

A youth devotional will be held the week prior on Sunday, October 24, 2021, where youth ages 12–18 will hear from Church leaders. The devotional will be broadcast throughout the temple district at 7:00 p.m. CDT. 

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ from meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Each temple is considered a “house of the Lord,” where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity.