Val-Saint-Gilles is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in northwestern

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, in the

Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality (''English: Abitibi West'') is a regional county municipality located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec. Its seat is La Sarre. Subdivisions There are 23 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Citi ...

about north of

La Sarre La Sarre is a town in northwestern Quebec, Canada, and is the most populous town and seat of the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. It is located at the intersection of Routes 111 and 393, on the La Sarre River, a tributary of Lake A ...

. It covers 109.39 km² and with a population of 169 in the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...

, it is the least populous incorporated municipality in the regional county. It lies at the northern edge of the Abitibi

Clay Belt The Clay Belt is a vast tract of fertile soil stretching between the Cochrane District in Ontario, and Abitibi County in Quebec, covering in total with of that in Ontario. It is generally subdivided into the Great Clay Belt to the north runni ...

. The undulating land is dotted with swamps, a few small lakes, and sand and gravel deposits. Its high point is marked by two hills near the village with an altitude of . The Turgeon River, the only notable river and tributary of the

Harricana River The Harricana River (french: Rivière Harricana) (also known as Harricanaw River) is a river in western Quebec and northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is long, has a drainage area of , and has a mean discharge of . While 80% of its drainage area is ...

, flows through the north-western part of the municipality.

History

The first settlers, arriving circa 1935 as part of the

Vautrin Vautrin is a character from the novels of French writer Honoré de Balzac in the ''La Comédie humaine'' series. His real name is Jacques Collin . He appears in the novels '' Le Père Goriot'' (Father Goriot, 1834/35) under the name Vautrin, a ...

Settlement Plan, came from Clermont,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, and

Mont-Laurier Mont-Laurier () is a town and incorporated municipality in northwest Quebec, Canada, located on the banks of the Lièvre River (''Rivière du Lièvre''), a tributary of the Ottawa River. Known as the "Capital of the Haute-Laurentides", the motto ...

. In 1937, they founded the Saint-Gilles-de-Clermont Parish, and two years later, the place separated from Clermont Township and was incorporated as the Municipality of Val-Saint-Gilles, named after

Saint Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

. But because of the harsh land, the settlers could barely make a living and many soon left, reducing the population from over 600 persons to less than 200 today. Its residents mostly commute to La Sarre and the surrounding area, working particularly in the mining and forestry sectors.

Demographics

Population

Language

Government

Municipal council (as of 2023): * Mayor: Alain Guillemette * Councillors: Nancy Filiatrault, Réjean Dicaire, Chloé Roux, Roger Paul, Jean-Marie Lavoie, Marianne Bergeron List of former mayors: * Marc Quirion (...–2005) * Benoît Sarrazin (2005–2009) * Réjean Lambert (2009–2021) * Alain Guillemette (2021–present)

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Abitibi-Témiscamingue Populated places established in 1939 1939 establishments in Quebec