Val-des-Monts

Val-des-Monts is a municipality in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada, located about 40 km (25 mi) north of Ottawa, Ontario. It has a population of 11,582 residents in 2016. Formed in 1975 by the merger of the towns of Perkins, Saint-Pierre-de-Wakefield and Poltimore, it consists mainly of farms and mountainous forests. Many of its residents commute to Ottawa or Gatineau for work. Due to its numerous lakes, its population is boosted during summers by people living in cottages. Most of the people in Val-des-Monts live in the village of Perkins.

Val-des-Monts
Municipality
Location within Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais RCM
Val-des-Monts
Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 45°39′N 75°40′W[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionOutaouais
RCMLes Collines-de-l'Outaouais
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1975
Government
 • MayorJacques Laurin
 • Federal ridingPontiac
 • Prov. ridingGatineau
Area
 • Total481.40 km2 (185.87 sq mi)
 • Land441.84 km2 (170.60 sq mi)
Population
 • Total11,582
 • Density26.2/km2 (68/sq mi)
 • Pop 2011-2016
 11.2%
 • Dwellings
6,418
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J8N 4E9
Area code(s)819
Highways Route 307
Route 366
Websitewww.val-des-monts.net

Toponymy

The name of Val-des-Monts is from the French words Val which means "small valley" and Monts which means "mounts". This name is a reference to the fact that the territory of the municipality includes several valleys and mountains.[4]

Geography

The municipality of Val-des-Monts is located at approximately 10 km north of Gatineau and 220 km west of Montreal.[5] It is part of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality within Outaouais region.[2] It is also part of the National Capital Region which includes Ottawa and Gatineau as well as some adjacent municipalities.[4]

The territory of Val-des-Monts is composed mainly of lakes, farming lands and forests.[4] The largest lakes are McGregor, Grand, l'Écluse and Newcombe.[1]

The municipality of Val-des-Monts shares its borders with the municipalities of Denholm and Bowman to the north, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette and L'Ange-Gardien to the east, La Pêche to the west, and Cantley and Gatineau to the south.[4]

The two main highways crossing Val-des-Monts are provincial highways 307 and 366. The municipal road network includes more than 270 km of roads.[6]

History

The first settlers of the territory of Val-des-Monts arrived during the 19th century.[6] From 1878 the region is booming economically thanks to the discovery of phosphate. From 1892 the phosphate production is decreasing while the mica production is developing. The Blackburn brothers' mine that was located to the northeast of Perkins was recognized as the biggest mica mine in Canada. At end of the 1910s the mica production is falling. At this time, after having exploited the mining and forestry resources, the inhabitants start to leave the region.[7]

The municipality of Val-des-Monts is created in 1975 by the merging of the municipalities of Perkins, Saint-Pierre-de-Wakefield and Poltimore.[1][6][7] Nowadays it is mainly the attraction of living around the lakes that are drawing a large part of the population.[7]

On June 23, 2010, at 1:41 p.m. ET, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit Val-des-Monts. The earthquake was felt as far as Montreal, Boston and Cleveland.[8]

Demographics
Historical census populations – Val-des-Mont, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1986 4,353—    
1991 5,551+27.5%
1996 7,231+30.3%
2001 7,842+8.4%
2006 9,539+21.6%
2011 10,420+9.2%
2016 11,582+11.2%
Canada census – Val-des-Monts community profile
2016 2011
Population: 11,582 (11.2% from 2011) 10,420 (9.2% from 2006)
Land area: 441.84 km2 (170.60 sq mi) 439.12 km2 (169.55 sq mi)
Population density: 26.2/km2 (68/sq mi) 23.7/km2 (61/sq mi)
Median age: 40.2 (M: 40.6, F: 39.8) 40.0 (M: 40.4, F: 39.5)
Total private dwellings: 6,418 5,972
Median household income: $83,872 $79,816
References: 2016[9] 2011[10] earlier[11]

Languages

According to the 2016 Canadian Census by Statistics Canada, 59.5% of Val-des-Monts' population speak both official languages of Canada while 36% speak only French and 4.5% speak only English.[3]

At home, 86.9% speak only French, 11.1% only English, and 1.4% both English and French. Beside the language spoken the most often at home, 11.9% also speak English and 3.7% also speak French.[3]

Among the population who worked, 68.9% use French most often at work, 24.5% English, and 6.5% both English and French. Beside the language spoken the most often at work, 34.9% also use English and 15.6% also use French.[3]

Mayors

List of mayors of Val-des-Monts since 2005 and the year of their election:

  • Marc Carrière (2005)
  • Jean Lafrenière (2008 and 2009)
  • Jacques Laurin (2013 and 2017)

Tourism

Val-des-Monts is part of the Outaouais touristic region.[5] The main touristic attractions are outdoors activities, campgrounds and snowmobile trails. The municipality is also known for fishing since it has 125 lakes suitable for fishing.[12]

Every year since 2011, Val-des-Monts has hosted a country music festival.[13][14]

  • Poltimore
  • St-Pierre-de-Wakefield
  • Lac Clair and other lakes

See also

References
  1. Reference number 72613 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. Geographic code 82015 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (in French)
  3. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Val-des-Monts, Municipalité [Census subdivision], Quebec and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. "Profile". Municipality of Val-des-Monts. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. "Val-des-Monts". Quebecvacances.com (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  6. "History". Municipality of Val-des-Monts. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  7. Paul Gaboury (25 June 2019). "Perkins, un pionnier de Val-des-Monts". Le Droit (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  9. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 21, 2017. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  10. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  11. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  12. "Val-des-Monts". Tourisme Outaouais (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  13. "Festival country de Val-des-Monts". Tourisme Outaouais (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  14. "À propos". Festival country de Val-des-Monts (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2019.
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