Howick, Quebec

Howick is the third smallest municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in Le Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 850. Situated along the English River in the heart of the Châteauguay Valley, it is approximately 50 minutes southwest of Montreal and 20 minutes north of the Canada–United States border.

Howick
Municipality
Location within Le Haut-Saint-Laurent RCM
Howick Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°11′N 73°51′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Le Haut-Saint-Laurent
Constituted	October 29, 1915
Government [2][3]
• Mayor	Richard Raithby
• Federal riding	Salaberry—Suroît
• Prov. riding	Huntingdon
Area [2][4]
• Total	0.96 km2 (0.37 sq mi)
• Land	0.96 km2 (0.37 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4]
• Total	850
• Density	885.0/km2 (2,292/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	9.3%
• Dwellings	366
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0S 1G0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	R-138
Website	www.villagehowick.com

Geography

Lakes & Rivers

The following waterways pass through or are situated within the municipality's boundaries:^[1]

• English River – runs south to north along Howick's southeast boundary

History

Around 1804, George Ellice, son of Lord Alexander Ellice, built a mill on the west bank of the English River, that became a settlement bearing his name: George's Mill. Circa 1833, the place was known in English as Howick (named after either Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, or his son Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey, both known as Viscount Howick), but known in French as Village de la Fourche (French for "Village of the Fork" in refence to the nearby confluence of the Châteauguay and English Rivers).^[1][5]

On October 29, 1915, the Village Municipality of Howick was established when it split off from the Parish Municipality of Très-Saint-Sacrement.^[6]

On May 15, 2010, the village municipality changed statutes to become a regular municipality.^[1]

Demographics

Population

	2021	2016	2011
Population	850 (+9.3% from 2016)	778 (+23.5% from 2011)	630 (+4.4% from 2006)
Land area	0.96 km2 (0.37 sq mi)	0.97 km2 (0.37 sq mi)	0.99 km2 (0.38 sq mi)
Population density	885/km2 (2,290/sq mi)	803.5/km2 (2,081/sq mi)	634.2/km2 (1,643/sq mi)
Median age	34.4 (M: 34.8, F: 34.0)	37.1 (M: 34.9, F: 38.9)	39.1 (M: 37.5, F: 40.2)
Private dwellings	366 (total)  347 (occupied)	352 (total)	288 (total)
Median household income	$72,000	$54,016	$38,092

Canada census – Howick community profile

References: 2021^[7] 2016^[8] 2011^[9]

Historical Census Data - Howick, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1921 457 —     1931 471 +3.1% 1941 484 +2.8% 1951 549 +13.4% 1956 560 +2.0% 1961 647 +15.5% 1966 590 −8.8% 1971 575 −2.5% 1976 667 +16.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1981 639 −4.2% 1986 621 −2.8% 1991 636 +2.4% 1996 617 −3.0% 2001 580 −6.0% 2006 606 +4.5% 2011 630 +4.0% 2016 778 +23.5% 2021 850 +9.3%
Source: Statistics Canada[10]

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Howick, Quebec[10]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2016		780		525	32.9%	67.3%		225	9.8%	28.8%		20	0.0%	2.6%		10	0.0%	1.3%
2011		630		395	9.2%	62.7%		205	32.3%	32.5%		20	n/a%	3.2%		10	0.0%	1.6%
2006		600		435	38.1%	72.5%		155	35.4%	25.8%		0	100.0%	0.0%		10	33.3%	1.7%
2001		580		315	14.9%	54.3%		240	6.7%	41.4%		10	50.0%	1.7%		15	n/a%	2.6%
1996		615		370	n/a	60.2%		225	n/a	36.6%		20	n/a	3.3%		0	n/a	0.0%

Local government

List of former mayors:^[6]

• Thomas Gebbie (1915–1919, 1921–1923)
• Egbert G. Mahon (1919–1921)
• Charles Jodoin (1923–1925)
• J. S. Rorison (1925–1927, 1929–1931)
• Oscar Houle (1927–1929)
• Siméon Beaudin (1931–1933, 1939–1941, 1947–1949)
• J. A. Caruthers (1933–1935)
• Napoléon Parent (1935–1937, 1943–1945)
• W. Watson (1937–1939, 1941–1943)
• Syd Stewart (1945–1947)
• W. E. Logan (1949–1951)
• Isidore Jenneau (1951–1953)
• Ralph Reddick (1953–1955)
• Paul Laberge (1955–1957)
• William Brown (1957–1959)
• Léo Parent (1959–1961)
• William McArthur (1961–1963)
• Philippe Brault (1963–1965)
• Clarence Kerr (1965–1967)
• Antoine Meunier (1967–1975)
• Norman Fletcher (1975–1981)
• Roma Myre (1981–1988)
• Arthur Tellier (1988–1993)
• Claude Jodoin (1993–1995)
• Robert Doré (1995–2005)
• Denis Loiselle (2005–2013)
• Richard Raithby (2013–present)

Transportation

The CIT du Haut-Saint-Laurent provides commuter and local bus services.

See also

• Châteauguay River
• List of anglophone communities in Quebec
• List of municipalities in Quebec