Donnacona, Quebec

Donnacona (French pronunciation: [dɔnakɔna]) is an industrial town located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Quebec City in Portneuf County, Quebec, Canada.

Donnacona
City
Recreation Centre
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Mets l'Épaule à la Roue (Put the shoulder to the wheel)
Location within Portneuf RCM
Donnacona Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°40′29″N 71°43′46″W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Capitale-Nationale
RCM	Portneuf
Constituted	21 January 1967
Government [2]
• Mayor	Jean-Claude Léveillée
• Federal riding	Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier
• Prov. riding	Portneuf
Area [2][3]
• Total	37.30 km2 (14.40 sq mi)
• Land	20.20 km2 (7.80 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	7,436
• Density	368.2/km2 (954/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	3.3%
• Dwellings	3,410
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G3M 1A1
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways A-40	R-138
Website	villededonnacona.com

History

Some people believe the city was named after Donnacona, a 16th-century St. Lawrence Iroquois chief who was taken to France. The chieftain lived further down-river in Stadacona.

It was actually named after the first paper mill erected at the mouth of the Jacques-Cartier River, The Donnacona Paper Ltd. It was located where the Jacques-Cartier River meets the St. Lawrence River. The local paper mill played a key role in creating and quickly developing the local settlement to the point of making Donnacona the most populous urban town in Portneuf County. Economic difficulties affected the lumber and pulp and paper industry and the local factory was sold a number of times. In 2007, Bowater had a debt of $7 billion and merged with Abitibi-Consolidated. The merger was to sell off Abitibi's assets and close its mills for liquidity to settle Bowater's debt.^{[citation needed]} It closed in January 2008. It had employed 240 people manufacturing of 230,000 tonnes per annum of commercial grade paper. The demolition was scheduled to take 12 to 14 months. For three years, the town unsuccessfully tried to find an entrepreneur to restart the industry. Demolition began in March 2011.^[4]

Prior to the chartering of Donnacona as a town in 1915, the area was named Pointe-aux-Écureuils. A New France Seigneurie existed under the name of Les Écureuils as a surrounding rural parish municipality prior to its final merge with Donnacona in 1967.

Geography

The Jacques-Cartier River forms the north-western boundary of the municipality, flowing south-west to its mouth in the estuary of St. Lawrence. The Rivière aux Pommes crosses the centre of the municipality from east to west towards its confluence with the Jacques-Cartier River.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Donnacona had a population of 7,436 living in 3,300 of its 3,410 total private dwellings, a change of 3.3% from its 2016 population of 7,200. With a land area of 20.2 km² (7.8 sq mi), it had a population density of 368.1/km² (953.4/sq mi) in 2021.^[5]

Population trend:^[6]

• Population in 2021: 7,436 (2016 to 2021 population change: 3.3%)
• Population in 2016: 7,200
• Population in 2011: 6,283
• Population in 2006: 5,564
• Population in 2001: 5,479
• Population in 1996: 5,739
• Population in 1991: 5,659
• Population in 1986: 5,435
• Population in 1981: 5,731
• Population in 1976: 5,800
• Population in 1971: 5,940
• Population in 1966: 4,815
• Population in 1961: 4,812
• Population in 1956: 4,147
• Population in 1951: 3,663
• Population in 1941: 3,064
• Population in 1931: 2,631
• Population in 1921: 1,225

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 1.0%
• French as first language: 95.8%
• English and French as first language: 0.9%
• Other as first language: 2.0%

Economy

A Canadian National rail line through Donnacona borders the St. Lawrence.^{[citation needed]} There is no rail station.

The Federal Correctional Service Canada maximum security Donnacona Institution is located along Route 138.^[7][8]

Infrastructure

• Autoroute 40 passes through the town.

Sister cities

Its sister city is Jarnac, France.^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• Gérald Gallant, (May 5, 1950), a contract killer who admitted to committing 28 murders and 12 attempted murders between 1978 and 2003.