Pointe-des-Cascades

Pointe-des-Cascades (French pronunciation: [pwɛ̃t de kaskad]) is a village municipality in Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on a spit of land where the St. Lawrence River flows into Lake Saint-Louis. The river has here a significant drop, forming several cascades which give the village its name.^[5] The islands of Île des Cascades and Île des Joybert are connected by a narrow causeway, but Île des Cascades and Pointe-des-Cascades are only connected artificially.

Pointe-des-Cascades
Village municipality
Parc des Ancres Lighthouse
Coat of arms
Location within Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM
Pte-des-Cascades Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°20′N 73°58′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Constituted	May 1, 1961
Government [2][3]
• Mayor	Peter Zytynsky
• Federal riding	Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon
• Prov. riding	Soulanges
Area [2][4]
• Total	9.98 km2 (3.85 sq mi)
• Land	2.74 km2 (1.06 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4]
• Total	1,775
• Density	646.8/km2 (1,675/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	19.9%
• Dwellings	762
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0P 1M0
Area codes	450 and 579
Highways	R-338
Website	www.pointe-des-cascades.com

History

Starting in the mid-seventeenth century until 1700, many military expeditions arrived at this place in order to portage around the cascades on the Saint Lawrence River. The first reference to Pointe-des-Cascades appeared in a text of Louis-Armand de Lahontan in 1684 and on a map of Deshayes in 1695, when Pointe des Cascades was included in the Vaudreuil Lordship.^[5]

In 1893, the post office opened under the English name Cascades Point (renamed in 1951 to Pointe-des-Cascades). A few years later construction began on the Soulanges Canal and when it was completed in 1899, the village became the eastern, downstream terminus of the canal.^[5] In 1958, it closed when it was superseded by the new Beauharnois Canal. The paths along the canal are now used as a regional cycling route.^[6]

In 1961, the Village Municipality of Pointe-des-Cascades was formed on the territory of the Parish Municipalities of Saint-Joseph-de-Soulanges (now Les Cèdres) and Saint-Michel-de-Vaudreuil (now part of Vaudreuil-Dorion).^[5]

Demographics

Historical Census data - Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1976 726 —     1981 692 −4.7% 1986 641 −7.4% 1991 691 +7.8% 1996 910 +31.7%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 913 +0.3% 2006 1,046 +14.6% 2011 1,340 +28.1% 2016 1,481 +10.5% 2021 1,775 +19.9%
Source: Statistics Canada[7]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pointe-des-Cascades had a population of 1,775 living in 743 of its 762 total private dwellings, a change of 19.9% from its 2016 population of 1,481. With a land area of 2.74 km² (1.06 sq mi), it had a population density of 647.8/km² (1,677.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[8]

Canada census – Pointe-des-Cascades community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	1,775 (+19.9% from 2016)	1,481 (10.5% from 2011)	1,340 (+28.1% from 2006)
Land area	2.74 km2 (1.06 sq mi)	2.68 km2 (1.03 sq mi)	2.67 km2 (1.03 sq mi)
Population density	646.8/km2 (1,675/sq mi)	553.1/km2 (1,433/sq mi)	502.2/km2 (1,301/sq mi)
Median age	37.2 (M: 38.0, F: 37.2)	39.7 (M: 39.2, F: 40.2)	40.9 (M: 41.1, F: 40.7)
Private dwellings	762 (total)	672 (total)	600 (total)
Median household income	$88,000	$68,045	$55,754

References: 2021^[9] 2016^[10] 2011^[11]

Canada Census mother tongue - Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec[7]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		1,775		1,335	8.1%	75.2%		230	58.6%	13.0%		55	175.0%	3.1%		145	81.3%	8.2%
2016		1,480		1,235	4.7%	83.4%		145	45.0%	9.8%		20	20.0%	1.4%		80	128.6%	5.4%
2011		1,340		1,180	19.8%	88.1%		100	185.7%	7.5%		25	n/a%	1.9%		35	133.3%	2.6%
2006		1,035		985	13.2%	95.2%		35	22.2%	3.4%		0	0.0%	0.0%		15	n/a%	1.5%
2001		915		870	2.2%	95.1%		45	350.0%	4.9%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
1996		920		890	n/a	96.7%		10	n/a	1.1%		10	n/a	1.1%		10	n/a	1.1%

Local government

Pointe-des-Cascades federal election results^[12]

Year		Liberal		Conservative		Bloc Québécois		New Democratic		Green
	2021	32%	273	18%	154	36%	300	9%	79	2%	14
	2019	38%	349	6%	56	38%	350	10%	88	6%	53

Pointe-des-Cascades provincial election results^[13]

Year		CAQ		Liberal		QC solidaire		Parti Québécois
	2018	48%	447	21%	200	15%	140	12%	108
	2014	0%	0	39%	294	13%	101	42%	322

Pointe-des-Cascades forms part of the federal electoral district of Salaberry—Suroît and has been represented by Claude DeBellefeuille of the Bloc Québécois since 2019. Provincially, Pointe-des-Cascades is part of the Soulanges electoral district and is represented by Marilyne Picard of the Coalition Avenir Québec since 2018.

List of former mayors:^[14]

• Joseph-Pierre-Amable Clément (1961–1968, 1971–1979)
• Joseph-Bruno-Germain Vallée (1968–1971)
• Joseph-Thomas-Ronald-Maurice Hayes (1979–2005)
• Francis Masse (2005–2007)
• Jean-Pierre Dupont (2007–2008)
• Maryse Morin Sauvé (2008–2013)
• Gilles Santerre (2013–2020)
• Pierre Lalonde (interim 2020)
• Peter Zytynsky (2021–present)

Education

Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs operates Francophone schools.^[15]

Lester B. Pearson School Board operates Anglophone schools. It is zoned to Birchwood Elementary School in Saint-Lazare and St. Patrick Elementary School in Pincourt.^[16]

See also

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