Lac-du-Cerf

Lac-du-Cerf (French pronunciation: [lak dy sɛʁf]) is a municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Antoine-Labelle Regional County Municipality. It is located on and named after Lac du Cerf (Deer Lake). It is an area of 71.7 sq km, and a low population density 6.2 people per sq kilometer as of data recorded in 2021 (less than the overall population density of Quebec which was recorded as 6.5 in 2021).

Lac-du-Cerf
Municipality
Location within Antoine-Labelle RCM
Lac-du-Cerf Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°18′N 75°30′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Laurentides
RCM	Antoine-Labelle
Constituted	January 1, 1955
Government [2]
• Mayor	Nicolas Pentassuglia
• Federal riding	Laurentides—Labelle
• Prov. riding	Labelle
Area [2][3]
• Total	94.38 km2 (36.44 sq mi)
• Land	71.73 km2 (27.70 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	445
• Density	6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)
• Pop. 2016-2021	2.3%
• Dwellings	458
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0W 1S1
Area code	819
Highways	R-311
Website	www.lacducerf.ca

The main economic activities are agriculture, forestry, and tourism.^[1]

History

At the beginning of the 20th century, the area was still only visited by trappers and log drivers. In 1915, the first 2 settler families arrived and built their homes on the north shore of Petit Lac-du-Cerf (Little Deer Lake). They were followed by more settlers in 1918. In 1919, two bridges were built over the Lièvre River at Île Longue (Long Island), connecting the new settlement to Notre-Dame-de-Pontmain by road.^[4]

The place continued to attract more settlers throughout the 1920s and 1930s.^[4] In 1939, its post office opened (which closed in 1970).^[1]

In January 1955, the Municipality of Lac-du-Cerf was created out of territory ceded from Saint-Aimé-du-Lac-des-Îles and Notre-Dame-de-Pontmain.^[1] Its first mayor was Joseph Boismenu, who in 1918, at age 22, moved to Lac-du-Cerf together with his wife.^[4]

Demographics

Canada census – Lac-du-Cerf community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	445 (+2.3% from 2016)	435 (+4.8% from 2011)	415 (-2.1% from 2006)
Land area	71.73 km2 (27.70 sq mi)	73.29 km2 (28.30 sq mi)	73.14 km2 (28.24 sq mi)
Population density	6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)	5.9/km2 (15/sq mi)	5.7/km2 (15/sq mi)
Median age	62.8 (M: 64.0, F: 62.4)	61.8 (M: 62.1, F: 61.5)	60.0 (M: 60.6, F: 58.8)
Private dwellings	458 (total)  245 (occupied)	466 (total)	479 (total)
Median household income	$50,800	$40,064	$39,527

References: 2021^[5] 2016^[6] 2011^[7]

Historical census populations – Lac-du-Cerf

Year Pop. ±% 1956 355 —     1961 393 +10.7% 1966 385 −2.0% 1971 372 −3.4% 1976 378 +1.6% 1981 382 +1.1% 1986 371 −2.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1991 409 +10.2% 1996 425 +3.9% 2001 420 −1.2% 2006 424 +1.0% 2011 415 −2.1% 2016 435 +4.8% 2021 445 +2.3%
Source: Statistics Canada

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 245 (total dwellings: 458)^[3]

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 3.4%
• French as first language: 96.6%
• English and French as first language: 1.1%
• Other as first language: 1.1%

Government

Municipal Hall of Lac-du-Cerf

List of former mayors:^[4]

• Joseph Boismenu (1955–1956, 1959–1960)
• Patrice Bondu (1956–1958)
• Gerald Ouimet (1961–1962)
• Henri Filion (1963–1964)
• Gerard Boismenu (1965–1971)
• Raymond Charbonneau (1971–1973)
• Mario Bondu (1973–...)
• Denis Simard (...–2009)
• Pauline Ouimet (2009–2013)
• Danielle Ouimet (2013–2021)
• Nicolas Pentassuglia (2021–present)

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec