Laforce

For the surname, see LaForce. For other uses, see La Force.

Laforce (French pronunciation: [lafɔʁs]) is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality.

Laforce
Municipality
Location within Témiscamingue RCM
Laforce Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 47°32′N 78°44′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Abitibi-Témiscamingue
RCM	Témiscamingue
Settled	1937
Constituted	January 1, 1979
Government [2]
• Mayor	Gérald Charron
• Federal riding	Abitibi—Témiscamingue
• Prov. riding	Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue
Area [2][3]
• Total	590.46 km2 (227.98 sq mi)
• Land	436.78 km2 (168.64 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4]
• Total	266
• Density	0.6/km2 (2/sq mi)
• Pop (2016–21)	15.2%
• Dwellings	110
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0Z 2J0
Area code	819
Website	laforce.ca

History

The place saw its first settlers in 1937, and was originally called Devlin, after the geographic township of Devlin, in turn named in honour of Charles Ramsay Devlin. In 1938, the Parish of Saint-Charles-Borromée-de-Devlin was founded. In June of that same year, the place received the name Laforce, named after Ernest Laforce (1879–1977), deputy minister of Colonization of Quebec at that time. In 1940, the Laforce Post Office opened.^[1]

On January 1, 1979, the Municipality of Laforce was created out of previously unincorporated area.^[5]

Demographics

Canada census – Laforce community profile

	2021
Population	266 (+15.2% from 2016)
Land area	436.78 km2 (168.64 sq mi)
Population density	0.6/km2 (1.6/sq mi)
Median age	31.4 (M: 32.8, F: 31.2)
Private dwellings	110 (total)  95 (occupied)
Median household income	$62,000

Notes: 2021 population, delta, and density based on revised count.^[4]
References: 2021^[6]

Historical census populations – Laforce

Year Pop. ±% 1976 303 —     1981 290 −4.3% 1986 264 −9.0% 1991 225 −14.8% 1996 295 +31.1%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 303 +2.7% 2006 174 −42.6% 2011 147 −15.5% 2016 231 +57.1% 2021 266 +15.2%
Population figures based on revised counts. Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[4][7]

Mother tongue (2021):^[3]

• English as first language: 59.4%
• French as first language: 32.8%
• English and French as first language: 1.6%
• Other as first language: 6.3%

Local government

List of former mayors:^[5]

• Patrice Rioux (1979–1979)
• Yves Nolet (1979–1981, 1987–1989)
• Bertrand Pichette (1981–1987)
• Alain Sinotte (1989–2000)
• Gérald Charron (2000–2013, 2017–present)
• Isabelle Morin (2013–2017)

See also

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