municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
Laurentides
The Laurentides (, ) is a region of Quebec. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the Laurentian Mountains. It has a total land area of and its population was 589,400 inhabitants as of the 2016 C ...
region of
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada. It is a predominantly Francophone community situated along the southern border of Quebec between
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
and
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
.
Most of the population of just over 2,800 live in a rural setting; the villages of Calumet and Pointe-au-Chêne comprise under 1,000 residents in total.
Geography
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge covers a rectangular area along the shore of the
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
and extends northward into the foothills of the
Laurentian Mountains
The Laurentian Mountains, also known as the Laurentians or Laurentides, are a mountain range in Canada. The range is long and ranges in height from with peaks over . The Laurentian Mountains extend across Labrador and Quebec within the Laurent ...
. The neighbouring village of Grenville is located on the Ottawa River.
The territory of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge includes several smaller neighbourhoods and communities, including Avoca, Bell Falls, Grenville Bay, Kilmar, Marelan, and Pointe-au-Chêne. The municipality includes a peninsula, ('the island'), that extends into the Ottawa River. Located between the outlets of the Rouge and , the peninsula's sheltered beaches, including the are known to birdwatchers for the variety of wading and shore birds that visit seasonally.
History
Although the area has been settled for over 200 years, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is a relatively new creation. It was formed in 2002 (as an ordinary municipality) by the merger of the village municipality of Calumet with the township municipality of Grenville; the latter is not to be confused with the neighbouring and still-independent village municipality of Grenville. Each of the two components, Calumet and Grenville, acquired the status of boroughs within the new municipality.
The name "Grenville" comes from William Wyndham Grenville, a British
statesman
A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field.
Statesman or statesmen may also refer to:
Newspapers United States
...
who served briefly as British
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
(1806–1807). While Canada was still under British rule, the Grenville Canal was built by the military to bypass a series of rapids in the Ottawa River. The canal and the settlement that arose in the region were named in Lord Grenville's honour.
The name "Rouge" derives from the municipality's location on the Rouge River, which runs from north to south roughly through the centre of the municipality. In English, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge means "Grenville-on-the-Rouge".
Flooding
In April 2019, record high water levels on the Rouge River made authorities order evacuation of parts of the community as a precaution in case the Bell Falls, or Chute-Bell, hydroelectric dam collapsed.
In 2021 the mayor of Grenville renewed calls for a beaver cull after nearly 200 beaver dams caused extensive flooding.
Demographics
*Languages:
** English as first language: 34%
** French as first language: 64%
** English and French as first language: 0.5%
** Other as first language: 1.5%
The following statistics are derived from the pre-amalgamation data collected by Statistics Canada in its 2001 census. Data reported is the combined data of the Municipality of Grenville and the Village of Calumet.
* Population density: 8.5 people per square km
* Language(s) First Learned / Still Understood:
** French 56.4%
** English 39.1%
** Both English/French 2.4%
** Other 2.1%
*
Religious affiliation
Religious identity is a specific type of identity formation. Particularly, it is the sense of group membership to a religion and the importance of this group membership as it pertains to one's self-concept. Religious identity is not necessarily the ...
:
**
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
62.9%
**
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
26.2%
** Christian Orthodox 0.7%
** Other religions 0.4%
** No religious affiliation 9.7%
*Experienced labour force:
**
Agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
and other resource-based industries 5.9%
**
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the
secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
and
construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
industries 37.0%
**
Wholesale
Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
and
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
trade 14.7%
**
Finance
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
Health
Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
and
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
9.7%
** Business services 10.9%
** Other services 16.4%
Economy
Many of the properties along the primary and secondary roads are established farms operated by third and fourth generation families. Forests cover a significant percentage of region and supports a limited amount of
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksThurso, Quebec.
Tourism is an important part of the local economy, with several whitewater adventure companies being established along the Rouge River. First commercialized in the late 1970s, the Rouge River has become Quebec's most popular whitewater rafting location and is considered one of the best in North America. Local owners have also turned century-old homes into Bed & Breakfasts, which are especially popular in the fall.
The 2001 Statistics Canada census reports that the majority of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge's residents earn income from non-resource based sectors.
Local government
Local government comprises a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and
councillors
A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regi ...
. The current mayor is Tom Arnold.
List of former mayors:
* H. Gary Cowan (2005–2009)
* Jean-Marc Fillion (2009–2010)
* John Saywell (2011–2012, 2013–2017)
* Diane Monette (interim, 2011–2013)
* Michel Brosseau (2013)
* Tom Arnold (2017–present)
Transportation
Route 148 and Route 344 are east–west highways that traverse the southern region of the municipality. Autoroute 50, an east–west highway, is also in the southern region with three interchanges in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. Route 344 briefly passes through the Village of Grenville where one can cross over the Long-Sault Bridge to Hawkesbury,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. The Long-Sault Bridge is the only bridge that crosses the
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
between
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
and
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
. The primary north–south access roads are the Rouge River Road, the Scotch Road, and Avoca Road. These secondary roads provide access to the communities of Avoca, Kilmar and Bell Falls.
Group of Seven
The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...
fame, spent some time in what is now known as Grenville-sur-la-Rouge capturing the beautiful scenery on the lower Ottawa Valley. Paul Duval, in his
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
of Casson wrote:
Examples of Casson's painting from the region include:
* ''Rain at Grenville, Quebec'' (1967)
* ''Grenville, Quebec'' (1968)
* ''Farm Near Grenville, Quebec'' (1968). This work sold for $106,000 CAD in 2005
* ''Hill Country, Harrington, Quebec'' (1969)
* ''Morning Mist Rouge River, Quebec'' (1971)
Lachute
Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord (Laurentides), Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport, the Mirabel International Airport. It i ...
The
Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB, , CSSWL) is a school board headquartered in Rosemère, Quebec in Greater Montreal.
It officially came into existence in July 1998 when English-language schools from eight former school boards were amalg ...
operates English-language public schools:
* Grenville Elementary School in Grenville serves most of the city, except what is east of Route 327 and Lac Keatley
* Laurentian Elementary School in
Lachute
Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord (Laurentides), Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport, the Mirabel International Airport. It i ...
Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB, , CSSWL) is a school board headquartered in Rosemère, Quebec in Greater Montreal.
It officially came into existence in July 1998 when English-language schools from eight former school boards were amalg ...
. Retrieved on September 4, 2017.
See also
*
List of anglophone communities in Quebec
This is a list of anglophone communities in the Canadian province of Quebec. Municipalities with a high percentage of English-speakers in Quebec are listed.
The provincial average of Quebecers whose mother tongue is English is 7.6%, with a tot ...
*
List of municipalities in Quebec
__FORCETOC__
Quebec is the Population of Canada by province and territory, second-most populous province in Canada with 8,501,833 residents as of 2021 and is the largest in land area at . For statistical purposes, the Provinces and te ...