Saint-Fabien-de-Panet

Not to be confused with Saint-Fabien, Quebec.

Saint-Fabien-de-Panet (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ fabjɛ̃ də panɛ]) is a parish municipality in Quebec, Canada.

Saint-Fabien-de-Panet
Parish municipality
Coat of arms
Location within Montmagny RCM
St-Fabien-de-Panet Location in province of Quebec
Coordinates: 46°39′N 70°09′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Chaudière-Appalaches
RCM	Montmagny
Constituted	March 26, 1907
Government [2]
• Mayor	Laurent Laverdière
• Fed. riding	Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata
• Prov. riding	Côte-du-Sud
Area [2][3]
• Total	188.53 km2 (72.79 sq mi)
• Land	187.01 km2 (72.20 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	945
• Density	5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	0.9%
• Dwellings	611
Postal code(s)	G0R 2J0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	R-283
Website	www.saintfabiendepanet.com

History

In 1868, the geographic township of Panet was proclaimed, named after Bernard-Claude Panet, twelfth bishop of Quebec.^[1] To encourage colonization of the township, the government's Colonization Society No. 1 begun clearing lots in the 1870s, but did not immediately attract settlers. Settlement began at the end of the 19th century by people coming from Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice-de-Buckland. By 1895, the first school was opened.^[4]

In 1901, the Mission of Saint-Théodore was founded, named in honour of Joseph-Théodore Mercier, then parish priest of Saint-Magloire. In 1904, the chapel was built and the parish was renamed to Saint-Fabien-de-Panet, in honour of Joseph-Fabien Dumais, who was parish priest of Saint-Magloire from 1901 to 1906.^[1] An influx of settlers from Saint-Ephrem, Saint-Paul, and Saint-Pierre led to quick growth of the community.^[4]

In 1908, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Fabien-de-Panet was established, taking its name from the mission,^[1] and with Alphonse Brisson as its first mayor.^[4]

In July 1948, the village was partially destroyed by fire. Shortly after, in 1948-1949, Saint-Fabien-de-Panet was connected to the electrical grid. At the same time, nickel was discovered just west of the village, leading to a period of prosperity for Saint-Fabien-de-Panet until the mine closed in the late 1950s.^[4]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Fabien-de-Panet had a population of 945 living in 462 of its 611 total private dwellings, a change of -0.9% from its 2016 population of 954. With a land area of 187.01 km² (72.20 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.1/km² (13.1/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

Historical census populations – Saint-Fabien-de-Panet

Year Pop. ±% 1911 574 —     1921 1,039 +81.0% 1931 942 −9.3% 1941 1,417 +50.4% 1951 1,464 +3.3% 1956 1,654 +13.0% 1961 1,537 −7.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1966 1,270 −17.4% 1971 1,126 −11.3% 1976 1,054 −6.4% 1981 1,067 +1.2% 1986 1,078 +1.0% 1991 985 −8.6% 1996 1,061 +7.7%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 1,021 −3.8% 2006 1,057 +3.5% 2011 992 −6.1% 2016 954 −3.8% 2021 945 −0.9%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[3][5][6]

Local government

List of former mayors:

• Alphonse Bisson (1907)
• Ferdinand Corriveau (1907–1908, 1910–1911)
• Jean Mercier (1908–1910)
• Joseph Goulet (1911–1912)
• Édouard Farrell (1912–1914, 1921–1923)
• Alphonse Brochu (1914–1917)
• Pierre Doyon (1917–1919)
• J.-Cyprien Tanguay (1919–1921)
• Joseph Fortier (1923–1925)
• Jean Laflamme (1925–1929)
• Philippe Tardif (1929–1933, 1935–1937)
• Joseph Goulet (1933–1934)
• Alphonse Bilodeau (1934–1935)
• Hilaire Fortier (1937–1939)
• Joseph Chabot (1939–1940)
• Achille Guénard (1940–1948)
• Alfred Lemelin (1948–1958)
• Cajetan McNeil (1958–1963)
• Joseph E. Goulet (1963–1965)
• Eugène Guénard (1965–1965)
• Alyre Charbonneau (1965–1969, 1972–1975)
• Pierre Dion (1969–1972)
• Charles Bissonnette (1975–1977)
• Gérard Bélanger (1977–1978)
• Laurent Lapointe (1978–1982)
• Rita Lapointe (1982–1984)
• Pierre Thibaudeau (1984–2013)
• Claude Doyon (2013–2021)
• Laurent Laverdière (2021–present)

Notable people

• Rosaire Bertrand, politician

See also

• List of parish municipalities in Quebec