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Matapédia (; former name: Saint-Laurent-de-Matapédia) is a municipality at the southern tip of the
Gaspé Peninsula The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (, ; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on it ...
, in eastern
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 Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Matapédia is located along
Quebec Route 132 Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York (state), New York in the hamlet of Dundee, Quebec, Dundee (connecting with New York State Route 3 ...
on the border of
New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
. In addition to Matapédia itself, the municipality also includes the hamlets of Mann Settlement, Runnymede, and Matapédia West. Its name may derive from the
Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...
word ''matapegiag'', meaning "river junction", from the parts ''mata'' (junction) and ''pegiag'' (river), referring to the Matapédia River that crosses the town just before its confluence with the
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
. Another source from the late nineteenth century indicates that the
Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...
named the area ''Magabegeak'' which means "roughly flowing". It has also been spelled many different ways over time such as ''Matapediach'', ''Madapeguia', Matapeguia', Matapediac,'' ''Matakpediack,'' ''Madapeguia,'' ''Metapedia'', or ''Matapediac''. Residents and village expatriates are known as Matapedians.


History


Colonization

In 1808, colonization began with the arrival of
Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
, followed by Scottish settlers in 1828, then Irish settlers in 1850,
Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...
in 1860, and French Canadians in 1865. The feat of colonization was no simple act, the entire valley had undergone immense forest fires at the middle of the 19th century, with building woods scarce. According to a commissioned report, a thousand square miles of forest had burned in the 1864 blaze, and even worst, the river had flooded in 1865. In 1842, the geographic township was formed, named after the Matapédia River. In 1860, a mission is established, and in 1864, the Matapédia Post Office opened. On November 4, 1905, the place was incorporated as the Parish Municipality of Saint-Laurent-de-Matapédia, named after the local parish and township. But since 1973, it has been officially known by its abbreviated name Matapédia.


Present day

The village has one general store and a designated Heritage Railway Station since 1994. The economy is mainly focused on the local geography, with activities such as salmon fishing, fly tying, hunting and tourism. For many years the town contained a baseball field, them it was transformed into a soccer field, now it is the municipal campground. Matapédia contains a CLSC, although the closest hospital is on the
New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
side: the Restigouche Hospital Centre on Salmon Boulevard. The town also contains a belvedere facing the main part of town over 200 metres up. Fishing remains an important part of the Matapédia economy and heritage, conservation efforts have been made to help the
Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...
in both rivers, such as protection of breeding grounds. On February 27, 2010, the status of the parish municipality was changed to just municipality. A ski hill exists in the village, known as ''Petit Chamonix'' since the mid-twentieth century. The
Provigo Provigo is a grocery retailer based in Quebec, Canada, consisting of over 300 stores and franchises throughout the province. It operates a retailing chain of stores and distribution warehouses. It is owned by Loblaw Companies Limited. The chai ...
warehouse has been abandoned for the past 15 years, on the side of the 132 Highway.


Geography

Matapédia is located south of the
Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
on the south side of the
Gaspé Peninsula The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (, ; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on it ...
at the eastern end of the Matapédia Valley at the mouth of the Matapédia River in junction with the
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
. It is located 500 km northeast of
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
and 350 km southwest of the city of Gaspé. The major cities near Matapedia are
Campbellton, New Brunswick Campbellton is a city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially ...
25 km to the east and Amqui 80 km to the northwest. The municipality of Matapédia is part of the regional county municipality of Avignon in the administrative region of
Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine () is an administrative region of Quebec consisting of the Gaspé Peninsula () and the . It lies in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence at the eastern extreme of southern Quebec. The predominant economic activities are fishing, forestry and tourism. ...
. It includes three hamlets: * Mann Settlement * Matapédia West * Runnymede


Recurring floods

The junction of the Matapédia River and
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
floods into the village during the thaw of the ice during the onset of spring. Notable floods (
natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...
s) have occurred in: * 1861 - autumn - damage to the highway and minor damage to a bridge, the
Commissioner of Public Works The Walsh Act is a piece of legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits local government, municipalities to adopt a non-partisan City commission government, commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New ...
was warned that a breakwater could be built to help stop persistent flooding. * 1896-1897 - spring - very devastating flooding. * 1959 - April 23 - a large ice jam developed under the Matapédia bridge,
Transports Québec Le Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable du Québec (), known by its short form name Transports Québec or alternatively by the acronym MTQ, is a Quebec government ministry (government department), ministry responsible for transpor ...
attempted to unblock the jam with dynamite however never revealed the outcome of the attempt. * 1974 - January 19 - a flood develops at Routhierville, Quebec which causes 3 miles of the highway to flood and the town to flood. * 1974 - April 29 to May 18 - massive flooding caused evacuations as well as flooding of the Motel Restigouche, the CCGS Tupper was eventually called in to help. * 1992 - April 23 - a fast flood developed which caused evacuations in Runnymede while for a half day the Motel Restigouche and corresponding street "Rue des Saumons" were inundated, the flood was comparative to the 1974 flood but shorter in time. * 1994 - April 16 and 17 - 4 bridges destroyed or heavily damaged, Main Street inundated, all highway links to the town flooded, 100 citizens evacuated. * 2008 - April 21 -
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
overflows and causes minor damages and evacuations.


Cause of floods

Since 1962, the
Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the Ministry (government department), department ...
hydrologic station located on the upper portion of the
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
has reported substantial increases of water flow, sometimes at over 400% above previous levels. Clear cutting of forest on both the Matapédia River and
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
has created areas with no shade along the banks of the river, resulting in a faster melt than in previous years. Furthermore, the clear cut land lacks the naturally occurring
moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...
which would help colloidal suspension in soil and retention. This creates the ideal condition for Spring thawing. Another factor in the flooding is the construction of bridges in the rivers, with the dykes acting as dams, further blocking passage of the flow. This information was sent to the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the United Nations System, overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a ...
in a complaint by former owner of the Motel, Peter Dubé.


Demographics

According to
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, the population of Matapédia, Quebec was 566 inhabitants in 2021. The demographic trend in recent years follows the overall pattern of
Gaspé Peninsula The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (, ; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on it ...
and
Bas-Saint-Laurent The Bas-Saint-Laurent (, 'Lower Saint-Lawrence) is an administrative region of Quebec located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The river widens at this place, later becoming a bay that discharges into the Atlan ...
, that is to say a steady decrease. This corresponds to a decrease of 12.2% in five years. The median age of Matapédia residents is higher than in most 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, ...
at 58.8 years. The total number of dwellings in the municipality is 357, however only 307 of these units are occupied by permanent residents. The majority of homes are Matapedia villas and apartment buildings. According to Statistics Canada immigration is nearly non-existent in Matapédia. 77% of the population has French listed as mother tongue and 19% are
English-speaking Quebecer English-speaking Quebecers, also known as Anglo-Quebecers, English Quebecers, or Anglophone Quebecers (all alternately spelt Quebeckers; in French ''Anglo-Québécois'', ''Québécois Anglophone'') or simply Anglos in a Quebec context, are a ...
s. However, 44% of the population masters the two official languages of Canada. For single language speakers, 44% speak only French and 13% speak only English. Two percent of Matapédians identify as indigenous. The unemployment rate in the municipality was 16% in 2021. The median income of Matapédiens was $33,200 in 2020. According to Statistics Canada, 31% of the population 15 years and over Matapédia has no high school diploma education. 29% of the population has only a high school diploma or vocational. All Matapedia graduates completed their studies in Canada.


Statistics


Language

Mother tongue (2021): * English as mother tongue: 19.3% * French as mother tongue: 77.1% * English and French as mother tongue: 3.7% * Other as mother tongue: 0.9%


Attractions

The Matapédia River is internationally recognized for its many pools for fishing for Atlantic salmon. To safeguard these pools for future generations, the wildlife reserve Rivières-Matapédia-et-Patapédia was established on a part of its course to protect this resource. The Matapédia flat is located near the mouth of the Restigouche just north of the bridge.


Government

The Matapédia municipal council consists of a mayor and six councilors elected in rotating block every four years without territorial division. Furthermore, Geneviève Moffatt is the
Director-general A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
, secretary treasurer and coordinator for emergency measures for the municipality.


Political representation

Federally, Matapédia is part of the federal riding of Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia. In the
2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Writ of election, writs of election were issued by Governor General of ...
, the incumbent Kristina Michaud of the
Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...
was re-elected to represent the population Matapédia in the
House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...
. Provincially it is part of the riding of Bonaventure . In the
2022 Quebec general election The 2022 Quebec general election was held on October 3, 2022, to elect the members of the National Assembly of Quebec. Under the province's Fixed election dates in Canada, fixed election date law, passed in 2013, "the general election following t ...
MNA Catherine Blouin, of the
Coalition Avenir Québec The Coalition Avenir Québec (, , CAQ) is a Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist, Autonomism in Quebec, autonomist and conservatism, conservative
, was elected to represent the population of Matapédia in the
National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...
.


Notable people

* Jean-Eudes Dubé, lawyer and politician, born in 1926 in Matapédia; * Maurice Harquail, politician, born in 1938 in Matapédia.


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 ...
* Matapedia River * Matapedia Valley *
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...
* Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matapedia, Quebec Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine