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Val-des-Bois

Coordinates: 45°55′N 75°36′W / 45.917°N 75.600°W / 45.917; -75.600
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Val-des-Bois
Municipal office
Municipal office
Location within Papineau RCM
Location within Papineau RCM
Val-des-Bois is located in Western Quebec
Val-des-Bois
Val-des-Bois
Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 45°55′N 75°36′W / 45.917°N 75.600°W / 45.917; -75.600[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionOutaouais
RCMPapineau
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1885
Government
 • MayorRoland Montpetit
 • Federal ridingArgenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel
 • Prov. ridingPapineau
Area
 • Total245.60 km2 (94.83 sq mi)
 • Land222.67 km2 (85.97 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total920
 • Density4.1/km2 (11/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016–2021
Increase 6.4%
 • Dwellings
837
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
Area code819
Highways R-309
Websitewww.val-des-bois.ca Edit this at Wikidata

Val-des-Bois is a town and municipality in the Papineau Regional County Municipality in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. The town is located on the eastern shores of the Du Lièvre River, 47 kilometers (29 mi) north of Buckingham.

The main local economic activity depends on cottage tourism.[4] The eastern half of the municipality is part of the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve.

Geography

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As part of the Laurentian Highlands, its territory is dotted with lakes such Écho, de l'Argile, de l'Aqueduc, Vert, and Delphis. Echo Lake lies at an altitude of 243 meters (797 ft), while the surrounding relief rises to 472 meters (1,549 ft) above sea level.[5]

History

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In 1873, the Township of Villeneuve was formed and named after Léonard-Vincent-Léon Villeneuve (1808–1873), member of Society of Saint-Sulpice, professor at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal (1838–1846), and pastor of Oka from 1871 to 1873.[4]

In 1878, the local post office was named "Val-des-Bois". In 1883, the parish of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde was formed, and two years later, the United Township Municipality of Bowman-et-Villeneuve was established. In 1913, the townships separated, forming the Township Municipality of Bowman and the Township Municipality of Villeneuve.[4] In 1929, James Maclaren began construction on a dam at the High Falls of the Lièvre River, displacing 156 families because of the rising waters. The majority of them where German settlers, the average amount the families received from the MacLaren Co. were, depending on the acreage, between $1000 and $2000 each.[6]

In 1958, Villeneuve was renamed to Val-des-Bois (French for "Valley of the Woods"), in reference to the beautiful forest which decorated the banks of the Lièvre River.[4]

On 23 June 2010 a 5.0 earthquake struck the region, with its epicentre 8 km from Val-des-Bois, which was the closest settlement.[7]

Demographics

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Canada census – Val-des-Bois community profile
20162011
Population865 (-7.8% from 2011)938 (7.4% from 2006)
Land area225.42 km2 (87.04 sq mi)225.35 km2 (87.01 sq mi)
Population density3.8/km2 (9.8/sq mi)4.2/km2 (11/sq mi)
Median age58.4 (M: 58.4, F: 58.4)55.8 (M: 56.5, F: 55.3)
Private dwellings851 (total)  1,003 (total) 
Median household income$46,592$42,378
References: 2016[8] 2011[9] earlier[10][11]
Historical census populations – Val-des-Bois, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1986 544—    
1991 624+14.7%
1996 668+7.1%
2001 732+9.6%
2006 873+19.3%
2011 938+7.4%
2016 865−7.8%
2021 920+6.4%
Source: Statistics Canada

Mother tongue:[3]

  • English as first language: 5.8%
  • French as first language: 91.9%
  • English and French as first language: 1.2%
  • Other as first language: 0.6%

Local government

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List of former mayors:

  • Marcel Proulx (2001–2013)
  • Daniel Rochon (2013–2015)
  • Roland Montpetit (2015–present)

References

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  1. ^ "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 64777". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 80140". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
  3. ^ a b c "Data table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population – Val-des-Bois, Municipalité (MÉ) [Census subdivision], Quebec". 9 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "Val-des-Bois (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  5. ^ "Villeneuve (Canton)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  6. ^ "Tracing their footsteps" by research-author Anne Schnurr
  7. ^ "Earthquake Details (2010-06-23)".
  8. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  9. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  10. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
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Media related to Val-des-Bois at Wikimedia Commons