Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues

Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t‿ɑ̃twan də lil o ɡʁy]) is a parish municipality in Quebec, Canada, in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality in the administrative region of Chaudière-Appalaches. It is known for birdwatching, goose-hunting, and cheeses.

Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues
Parish municipality
Location within La Matapédia RCM
St-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues Location in province of Quebec
Coordinates: 47°04′N 70°33′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Chaudière-Appalaches
RCM	Montmagny
Constituted	January 1, 1860
Government [2]
• Mayor	Frédéric Poulin
• Federal riding	Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata
• Prov. riding	Côte-du-Sud
Area [2][3]
• Total	24.16 km2 (9.33 sq mi)
• Land	23.97 km2 (9.25 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	122
• Density	5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	15.3%
• Dwellings	102
Time zone	EST
• Summer (DST)	EDT
Postal code(s)	G0R 1P0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	No major routes
Website	www.isle-aux-grues.com

History

In 1831, the local parish was formed, called Saint-Antoine in honour of Anthony of Padua. In 1845, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues was created, taking its name from the parish and the archipelago.^[1]

2010 plane crash

On May 19, 2010, at about 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, a Cessna 172 airplane carrying four people crashed on Isle-aux-Grues, killing three people.^[4]

Geography

Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues includes of the majority of islands in the Isle-aux-Grues Archipelago [fr]. Its major islands are:

• Île aux Grues,^[5] largest island and the only one permanently inhabited
• Île aux Oies,^[6] formerly also known by its English name Île Goose^[7]
• Grosse Île,^[8] long a quarantine site for immigrants and now a national historic site
• Île Sainte-Marguerite^[9]
• Île au Canot^[10]
• Île Longue^[11]
• Île à Deux Têtes^[12]
• Île du Cheval^[13]
• Île la Sottise^[14]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues had a population of 122 living in 72 of its 102 total private dwellings, a change of -15.3% from its 2016 population of 144. With a land area of 23.97 km² (9.25 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.1/km² (13.2/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

Historical census populations – Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues

Year Pop. ±% 1871 639 —     1881 630 −1.4% 1891 586 −7.0% 1901 517 −11.8% 1911 681 +31.7% 1921 646 −5.1% 1931 510 −21.1% 1941 528 +3.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1951 461 −12.7% 1956 425 −7.8% 1961 364 −14.4% 1966 260 −28.6% 1971 234 −10.0% 1976 215 −8.1% 1981 236 +9.8% 1986 238 +0.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1991 202 −15.1% 1996 176 −12.9% 2001 158 −10.2% 2006 163 +3.2% 2011 146 −10.4% 2016 144 −1.4% 2021 122 −15.3%
Source: Statistics Canada[3][15][16]

Government

List of former mayors:^[17]

• George Painchaud (1867–1869, 1887–1889, 1892–1893)
• Gatien Lachaîne (1869–1875)
• Louis Lavoie (1875–1887)
• Wilfrid Lavoie (1889–1892)
• Fénélon Vézina (1893–1903)
• Paul Charles Painchaud (1903–1911, 1920–1929)
• Joseph Lavoie (1911–1920)
• Joseph N. Lemieux (1929–1935)
• Olivier Gagné (1935–1939)
• Alfred Roy (1939–1945)
• François-Marcellin Bernier (1945–1947, 1954–1960)
• Joseph Jean Baptiste Painchaud (1947–1954)
• Paul-Eugène Lavoie (1960–1977)
• Gaston Bernier (1977–1978)
• Gabriel Vézina (1978–1979)
• Michel Normand (1979–1990)
• Louise Dion Roy (1990–2003)
• Jacques-André Roy (2003–2009)
• Frédéric Poulin (2009–2015, 2023–present)^[18]
• Lisette Vézina Painchaud (2015–2017)
• Pierre Gariepy (2017–2023)

Transportation

L'Isle-aux-Grues has a small airstrip, which provides the only access to the island during the winter, with Air Montmagny the main airline. A ferry operates during the summer months.^[4]

Education

Children from Isle-aux-Grues attend school in Montmagny, Quebec, travelling by plane each day.^[4]

See also

• List of parish municipalities in Quebec