Lac-Sainte-Marie, Quebec

Lac-Sainte-Marie is a municipality in the La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada, 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Gatineau. It is named after the adjacent lake.

Lac-Sainte-Marie
Municipality
Lac-Ste-Marie
Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 45°57′N 75°57′W[1]
Country Canada
Province Quebec
RegionOutaouais
RCMLa Vallée-de-la-Gatineau
Settled1840s
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1872
Government
 • MayorGary Lachapelle
 • Federal ridingPontiac
 • Prov. ridingGatineau
Area
 • Total240.40 km2 (92.82 sq mi)
 • Land209.52 km2 (80.90 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total611
 • Density2.9/km2 (8/sq mi)
 • Pop (2006–11)
 5.6%
 • Dwellings
897
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J0X 1Z0
Area code(s)819
Websitewww.lac-sainte-marie.com

History

In 1840, the area was opened to settlement, and that same year the Saint-Nom-de-Marie Parish was founded. The municipality was formed in 1872. It was originally called Hincks, in honour of politician Sir Francis Hincks (1807-1885), who was then finance minister in the Macdonald cabinet. After this cabinet fell in 1873, Hincks name was replaced in popular usage by the name of the parish, and then by the name of the lake. In 1882, the post office opened, using the English name Lake St. Mary and renamed to Lac-Sainte-Marie in 1916.[1]

In 1928 the village was flooded to create the Paugan hydroelectric dam. Ninety percent of the village had to be relocated to higher ground. The church, located in the center of the old town, was submerged. The submerged town attracted the attention of many tourists from the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau.

In 1975, Lac-Sainte-Marie became the official name, and paid tribute to a forgotten pioneer, Marie Léveillée, mother of Jean-Marie Léveillée who was the first settler in the area.[1]

Demographics

Population trend:[4]

  • Population in 2016: 566
  • Population in 2011: 611
  • Population in 2006: 647
  • Population in 2001: 488
  • Population in 1996: 492

Private dwellings (occupied by usual residents): 295

Mother tongue languages:[5]

  • French as first language: 77%
  • English as first language: 21%
  • English and French as first language: 2%

References
  1. Reference number 33337 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Lac-Sainte-Marie Archived 2013-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Lac-Sainte-Marie census profile". 2011 Census data. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  4. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  5. "Lac-Sainte-Marie community profile". 2006 Census data. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
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