La Martre, Quebec

La Martre (French pronunciation: [la maʁtʁ]) is a municipality in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of the province of Quebec in Canada.

La Martre
Municipality
La Martre lighthouse and village
Location within La Haute-Gaspésie RCM
La Martre Location in eastern Quebec
Coordinates: 49°10′N 66°10′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	La Haute-Gaspésie
Constituted	December 18, 1923
Government [2]
• Mayor	Yves Sohier
• Federal riding	Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj
• Prov. riding	Gaspé
Area [2][3]
• Total	179.11 km2 (69.15 sq mi)
• Land	175.23 km2 (67.66 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	194
• Density	1.1/km2 (3/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	20.2%
• Dwellings	119
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0E 2H0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	R-132
Website	www.la-martre.ca

In addition to La Martre itself, the municipality also includes the communities of Cap-au-Renard, Christie, and Sainte-Marthe-de-Gaspé.^[4]

History

La Martre ca. 1935

The area saw permanent settlement in the late 19th century and was originally called Rivière-à-la-Marthe, after the Marten River (French: Rivière à la Marthe) that flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence there. The marten is found along this river's banks and is abundant in the Gaspé region.^[1]

In 1923, the place separated from the municipality of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to form the Township Municipality of Christie, named in honour of Robert Christie. In 1950, the township municipality was split in two when Marsoui was incorporated as a village municipality.^[5]

In 1970, the municipality was renamed to La Martre.^[1]

Demographics

La Martre Lighthouse, built in 1906

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Martre had a population of 194 living in 84 of its 119 total private dwellings, a change of -20.2% from its 2016 population of 243. With a land area of 175.23 km² (67.66 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.1/km² (2.9/sq mi) in 2021.^[6]

Canada census – La Martre community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	194 (-20.2% from 2016)	243 (-0.8% from 2011)	245 (-3.2% from 2006)
Land area	175.23 km2 (67.66 sq mi)	175.46 km2 (67.75 sq mi)	173.24 km2 (66.89 sq mi)
Population density	1.1/km2 (2.8/sq mi)	1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi)	1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi)
Median age	55.2 (M: 57.2, F: 48.0)	52.1 (M: 51.8, F: 53.0)	50.2 (M: 50.2, F: 50.2)
Private dwellings	119 (total)  84 (occupied)	147 (total)  99 (occupied)	184 (total)
Median household income	$.N/A	$45,184	$.N/A

Notes: 2021 and 2011 income data for this area has been suppressed for data quality or confidentiality reasons.
References: 2021^[7] 2016^[8] 2011^[9]

Historical Census Data - La Martre, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1931 519 —     1941 966 +86.1% 1951 736 −23.8% 1956 779 +5.8% 1961 652 −16.3% 1966 565 −13.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1971 471 −16.6% 1976 430 −8.7% 1981 376 −12.6% 1986 383 +1.9% 1991 336 −12.3% 1996 315 −6.2%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 266 −15.6% 2006 253 −4.9% 2011 245 −3.2% 2016 243 −0.8% 2021 194 −20.2%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[10][11]

Government

List of former mayors:^[12]

• Louis Roy (1924–1926)
• Pierre Maloney (1926–1937)
• Roger L'Italien (1937–1939, 1949–1953)
• Willie Gagnon (1939–1945, 1947–1949)
• Marcellin Campion (1945–1947)
• Gérard Gagnon (1953–1957, 1958–1959)
• Damase Morin (1957–1958)
• Maurice Gasse (1959–1965)
• Grégoire Gasse (1965–1971)
• Jean-Yves Gagnon (1971–1973, 1980–1989)
• Ovilla Vallée (1973–1976, 1977–1980)
• Noël Vallée (1976–1977)
• Albert Robinson (1980)
• Jean-Guy Vallée (1989–1990)
• Fernand Hanley (1990–1992)
• Raymond St-Pierre (1992–1996, 2005–2009)
• Théodule Dion (1996–1999)
• Harold Gagnon (1999–2005)
• Claudette Robinson (2009–2013)
• Michel Laperle (2013–2014)
• Yves Sohier (2014–present)

Gallery

• 
  Cap-au-Renard

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec