Pontiac () is a

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' ...

in the Outaouais Region of western

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, on the north 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 ...

. It is part of

Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais (, "The hills of the Outaouais") is a regional county municipality in the Outaouais region of western Quebec, Canada. The region nearly encircles the City of Gatineau, which is to the south. Its administrative seat is i ...

, included in the National Capital Region. It should not be confused with Pontiac Regional County Municipality, which is also in the Outaouais but not included in the National Capital Region. It was created by the 1975 amalgamation of the municipalities of North Onslow, South Onslow, Quyon and Eardley, and named after the Odawa war chief Pontiac. Pontiac has a low cost of living and is trying to attract new immigrants coming to Canada to improve the local economy. A large portion of

Gatineau Park Gatineau Park () is a federal park located in the Outaouais, Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region (Canada), National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a wedge ...

is within this municipality.

Communities

*Beech Grove *Breckenridge *Eardley *Heyworth *Lusk *Luskville *Mohr *North Onslow *Onslow Corners *Pontiac village * Quyon *Ruthledge *Steel *Wyman

History

The first European settlers in this area were Joseph Mondion and his family, who built a homestead in 1786 on what is known today as Indian Point. In 1800 his property was taken over by the

XY Company The XY Company, also known as the New North West Company, was a joint-stock fur trading enterprise based in Montreal that conducted business chiefly in the Canadian Northwest between 1798 and 1804.North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

in 1804, and then the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

in 1821, when these two companies merged. The HBC operated a small trading post, which closed in 1837. Onslow and Eardley Townships were already plotted on the Gale and Duberger Map of 1795, and it was early in the 19th century that these townships were opened to logging and settlement. One of the first settlements was on Pontiac Bay, founded by Philemon Wright and named at times Wright shanties, Pontiac Village, and Pontiacville. Quyon was founded in 1848 when a sawmill was built by John Egan at the mouth of the Quyon River. The Township Municipality of Onslow (likely named after George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow) was formed in 1855, with John Behan as first mayor. In January 1875, Quyon village separated from Onslow to form its own municipality, and the following year, the township split into Onslow South (''Onslow-Partie-Sud'') and Onslow, renamed to Onslow North (''Onslow-Partie-Nord'') in 1878.

Demographics

According to the

2016 Canadian Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial census. ...

, the population's mother tongue was 55.5% French, 38.6% English, and 3.2% other languages, including Portuguese, German, Arabic, Spanish, Dutch, and Russian. Approximately 64.3% of people are bilingual, speaking both French and English.

Local government

List of former mayors: * William Burke (1975–1979) * Marcel Lavigne (1979–1990) * Edward McCann (1990–1994) * Marcel Lavigne (1994–1998) * Bruce R. Campbell (1998–2005) * Edward McCann (2005–2013) * Roger Larose (2013–2017) * Joanne Labadie (2017–2021) * Roger Larose (2021–present)

References

{{authority control Incorporated places in Outaouais Municipalities in Quebec National Capital Region (Canada) Populated places on the Ottawa River

Communities

History

Demographics

Local government

See also

References