Sacré-Coeur, Quebec

Not to be confused with Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus, Quebec.

Sacré-Cœur (French pronunciation: [sakʁe kœʁ]) is a municipality in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec in Canada.

Sacré-Cœur
Municipality
Location within La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM
Sacré-Coeur Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec
Coordinates: 48°14′N 69°48′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
RCM	La Haute-Côte-Nord
Constituted	June 13, 1973
Government [2]
• Mayor	Lise Boulianne
• Federal riding	Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan
• Prov. riding	René-Lévesque
Area [2][3]
• Total	341.08 km2 (131.69 sq mi)
• Land	303.15 km2 (117.05 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	1,684
• Density	5.6/km2 (15/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	6.6%
• Dwellings	77
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0T 1Y0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	R-172
Website	www.sacre-coeur.ca

In addition to the main namesake population centre, the municipality also contains the following hamlets and localities: Chicoutillette,^[4] L'Anse-Creuse,^[5] L'Anse-de-Roche,^[6] Le Trou,^[7] Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite,^[8]

History

Colonization of the area began in 1840 when families settled illegally in Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite. After 1842 settlement was encouraged but the communities remained isolated.^[9] Its post office opened in 1884 under the name Dolbeau (changed in 1927 to Sacré-Cœur–Saguenay). In 1904, the Parish of Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus was formed, devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, followed by the Parish Municipality of Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus in 1915.^[1]

In 1937, the village itself separated from the parish municipality and became the Village Municipality of Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus.^[1]

In 1973, the parish municipality and village municipality merged and became the Municipality of Sacré-Cœur.^[1]

Demographics

Historical census populations – Sacré-Cœur, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1976 2,049 —     1981 2,187 +6.7% 1986 2,121 −3.0% 1991 1,992 −6.1% 1996 2,081 +4.5%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 2,053 −1.3% 2006 2,024 −1.4% 2011 1,881 −7.1% 2016 1,803 −4.1% 2021 1,684 −6.6%
Source: Statistics Canada[3][10]

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 744 (total dwellings: 877)^[3]

Mother tongue (2021):^[3]

• English as first language: 0.3%
• French as first language: 99.4%
• English and French as first language: 0.3%
• Other as first language: 0%

Historical census populations – Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus Parish

Year Pop. ±% 1921 946 —     1931 1,328 +40.4% 1941 883 −33.5% 1951 657 −25.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1956 663 +0.9% 1961 685 +3.3% 1966 666 −2.8% 1971 562 −15.6%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[11]

Historical census populations – Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus Village

Year Pop. ±% 1941 242 —     1951 686 +183.5% 1956 896 +30.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1961 1,108 +23.7% 1966 1,305 +17.8% 1971 1,252 −4.1%
Source: Statistics Canada[11]

Economy

Agriculture and forestry are the basis of its economy. Several mills and factories dedicated to the secondary processing of wood form its industrial sector.

This economic base is increasingly supplemented by tourism, in particular in L'Anse-de-Roche sector along the Saguenay fjord. It provides accommodation, restaurants, an animal farm, and sea kayaking. Tourists can do various hiking, quad biking, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. At Sainte-Marguerite Bay, part of the Saguenay Fjord National Park, is an interpretation center and a site for beluga observation.

Local government

List of former mayors:

• Gilles Pineault (...–2013)
• Marjolaine Gagnon (2013–2017)
• Lise Boulianne (2017–present)

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec
• Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite Biodiversity Reserve