Montpellier, Quebec

Montpellier (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃pəlje] ^ⓘ) is a town and municipality in the Papineau Regional County Municipality in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. The town is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Papineauville.

Montpellier
Municipality
Road 315 in Montpellier
Location within Papineau RCM
Montpellier Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 45°51′N 75°10′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Outaouais
RCM	Papineau
Settled	1890s
Constituted	October 11, 1920
Government [2]
• Mayor	Pierre Bernier
• Federal riding	Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation
• Prov. riding	Papineau
Area [2][3]
• Total	266.00 km2 (102.70 sq mi)
• Land	246.12 km2 (95.03 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	1,112
• Density	4.5/km2 (12/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	12.9%
• Dwellings	954
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0V 1M0
Area code	819
Highways	R-315
Website	montpellier.ca

The municipality includes the settlements of Montpellier and Lac-Schryer. Its western portion consists mostly of undeveloped Laurentian Hills, part of the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve.

History

In the late 19th century, pioneers arrived in the area searching for work in logging and agriculture. In 1882, in the north-west of what would later become the village, the forestry company W.C. Edwards opened a project to exploit timber at Muskrat Lake. Under the supervision of foreman, a man named Schraire, the log drivers brought logs down the creek to Lake Schryer to reach the saw mill downstream of the lake.^[4]

Settlement occurred slowly along the shores of Lake Schryer. In 1892, Louis Beaulieu, called Montpellier, settled here on a farm and opened a post office and general store. After his marriage to Albina Bissonnette, they settled in the village known as Montpellier today. Shortly after, Moses Faubert left Mulgrave Township and settled here with his sixteen children. Several other families from neighboring townships came to reside in the village, contributing to the development of the small community.^[4][5]

In 1900, construction began on a chapel at the village center. On 25 September 1902, the mission of Notre-Dame-de-la-Consolation was founded, and on 21 October 1907, the Archbishop of Ottawa decreed the establishment of the parish. On 23 October 1920, the Municipality of Montpellier was formed, matching the boundaries of the parish.^[4]

In 1998, the southern portion of the Lac-des-Écorces Unorganized Territory was annexed by Montpellier, adding about 136 square kilometres (53 sq mi) and more than doubling its size.^[5]

Demographics

Canada census – Montpellier community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	1,112 (+12.9% from 2016)	985 (-0.1% from 2011)	986 (2.1% from 2006)
Land area	246.12 km2 (95.03 sq mi)	249.14 km2 (96.19 sq mi)	248.34 km2 (95.88 sq mi)
Population density	4.5/km2 (12/sq mi)	4.0/km2 (10/sq mi)	4.0/km2 (10/sq mi)
Median age	60.4 (M: 60.8, F: 60.0)	58.1 (M: 58.8, F: 57.4)	56.1 (M: 56.2, F: 55.8)
Private dwellings	954 (total)  589 (occupied)	896 (total)	789 (total)
Median household income	$54,800	$45,184	$37,456

References: 2021^[6] 2016^[7] 2011^[8]

Historical census populations – Montpellier, Quebec

Year	Pop.	±%
1986	647	—
1991	734	+13.4%
1996	835	+13.8%
2001	734	−12.1%
2006	966	+31.6%
2011	986	+2.1%
2016	985	−0.1%
2021	1,112	+12.9%
Source: Statistics Canada

Mother tongue:^[3]

• English as first language: 4%
• French as first language: 92.4%
• English and French as first language: 2.7%
• Other as first language: 0.4%

Local government

Montpellier federal election results^[9]

Year		Liberal		Conservative		Bloc Québécois		New Democratic		Green
	2021	38%	275	12%	88	43%	311	4%	28	0%	0
	2019	30%	214	14%	97	46%	327	4%	28	5%	35

Montpellier provincial election results^[10]

Year		CAQ		Liberal		QC solidaire		Parti Québécois
	2018	47%	292	18%	110	14%	86	15%	95
	2014	17%	110	42%	273	4%	29	34%	223

Montpellier forms part of the federal electoral district of Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation and has been represented by Stéphane Lauzon of the Liberal Party since 2015. Provincially, Montpellier is part of the Papineau electoral district and is represented by Mathieu Lacombe of the Coalition Avenir Québec since 2018.

List of former mayors:

• Rhéo Faubert (2001–2005)
• Stéphane Séguin (2005–2009)
• Pierre Bernier (2009-2013)
• Stéphane Séguin (2013–present)