St-Vincent de Paul Parish

Built in 1914, this is the first French Roman Catholic church constructed in North Bay.

A community endeavor, the church was built under the leadership of Henri Marceau with the help of local parishioners. Each man had to give one day of voluntary work per week for its construction.

The original building was a simple basement with a low tin embossed ceiling. In 1932, a new superstructure was designed and built over the existing structure.

Derived from the Romanesque style, the heavy massing of this church is achieved through the use of local cut stone, round-headed arches over most openings, and the twin towers.

In 2013, the North Bay Historical Society added St-Vincent de Paul cathedral to the list of historical buildings. 

Places of faith and worship are often where people gravitate to find information on where to find food that meets religious dietary needs, and to stay connected to language, culture and traditions. North Bay is home to many places of worship including all types of churches, mosques and synagogues.

Caisse Populaire St Vincent de Paul Ltée was established in 1951. 

Since the city's francophones tended to gather at St. Vincent de Paul Church,,  the founders decided it wise to locate the first Caisse in the parish basement. This provided a secure base and the support of the clergy. After Sunday morning mass, the members carried out their necessary transactions.

The house pictured here was located in front of the church. When assets began to grow, it was purchased and established as the first storefront location of the Caisse in North Bay.

Members joined the Caisse and the assets accumulated to about 19,000 dollars. When the Caisse experienced a decline in assets due to challenges of the time, it joined the Caisse Régionale Nipissing-Sudbury, an organization that included 13 Caisses.

The union of these 13 Caisses with the Regional Caisse became a strong voice for the francophone people of Ontario.

Today, l’Alliance is a federation of Caisses Populaires offering administrative services to its members and their employees in the areas of finance, management, training, marketing and central banking system. 

The network that forms L’Alliance share the vision of becoming the financial institution of choice for all residents of Northern Ontario.

Although many francophones can be found working in education, nursing, and government services, a key aspect to our community and economy are its entrepreneurs.

A prime example is that of Julie Rioux, a local francophone entrepreneur, who gathered a number of professional francophone women all working in health services to create Remissio. 

This particular practice provides advanced therapies such as Massage Therapy, Matrix Repatterning, Physiotherapy, Cupping Therapy and BrainTap in a safe, comfortable, and relaxing environment. Enjoy a French guided meditation through BrainTap technology.