Lac-des-Seize-Îles (; French for Sixteen Islands Lake) is a village and municipality in the
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, Canada, part of the
Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality
Les Pays-d'En-Haut () is a regional county municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. The population according to the 2016 Canadian Census was 41,877.
Subdivisions
There are 10 subdivisions within the RCM:
;Cities & Towns (4)
...
. The municipality surrounds and is named after Sixteen Island Lake (''Lac des Seize Îles'') with the village situated at the northern end of this lake.
Geography
Lac-des-Seize-Îles is located about west of
Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts
Saint-Sauveur () is a town and municipality within the Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is in the administrative region of Laurentides in the Laurentian Mountains, located about 60 kilometres north of Montreal.
...
in 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 municipality is rectangular in shape, completely encompassing Sixteen Island Lake. This lake is long and has an elevation of . Its descriptive name, which was in use as early as 1899 refers to its islands, however is a misnomer. There are in fact eighteen small islands on the lake, although the two smallest have no official name and have been judged too small for habitation:
One of the two unnamed islands is commonly referred to as 'Ile aux Bleuets', although Île Armitage was previously named as such.
The shores of Sixteen Island Lake and most of the islands are developed with cottages, making it a popular summer location when the population swells significantly.
Most cottages are inaccessible by land and must be reached by boat.
History

Prior to European contact, this territory was occupied by the
Weskarini Algonquin First Nation, and recent archaeological searches have uncovered 500-year old Huron and 700-year old Iriquoan pottery vases, suggesting the lake was possibly a meeting place.
The first pioneers arrived in this place in 1897, coming mainly from
Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford and
Roxton Falls
Roxton Falls is a village municipality in Acton Regional County Municipality, in the Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canad ...
. The post office opened a year later in 1898, identified under the English name of Sixteen Island Lake. In 1901, the mission of Notre-Dame-de-la-Sagesse was established and became a parish in 1937. In 1914, the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles was formed by separating from the Township Municipalities of
Montcalm and
Wentworth.
Pine Lake, located 1.5 km from Lac-des-Seize-Îles, received its first share of summer vacationers in 1907. A post office, identified as Lac-des-Pins, was serving vacationers between 1922 and 1954.
Demographics
Population trend:
* Population in 2016: 172 (2011 to 2016 population change: -22.9%)
* Population in 2011: 223 (2006 to 2011 population change: 39.4%)
* Population in 2006: 160 (2001 to 2006 population change: -33.9%)
* Population in 2001: 242
* Population in 1996: 184
* Population in 1991: 205
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 89 (total dwellings: 190)
Mother tongue:
* English as first language: 8.6%
* French as first language: 82.9%
* English and French as first language: 0%
* Other as first language: 5.7%
Education
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:
* Morin Heights Elementary School in
Morin-Heights
Morin-Heights () is a town in the Laurentian Mountains region of Quebec, Canada. It is west of Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Saint-Sauveur and north of Lachute; municipally, it is within the Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality, Regional Co ...
serves all of the town limits
* 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 ...
also serves a portion
*
Laurentian Regional High School
Laurentian Regional High School () is an English secondary school in Lachute in the region of Laurentides, Québec, Canada. It contains classes for grades seven through eleven, and is run by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board.
It serves Lachute ...
in Lachute
[LAURENTIAN REGIONAL HS ZONE]
." 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 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 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lac-des-Seize-Iles, Quebec
Incorporated places in Laurentides
Municipalities in Quebec