Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield (French pronunciation: [salabɛʁi də valefiɫd]) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Regional County Municipality of Beauharnois-Salaberry. The population as of 2021 was 42,410.^[4]

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
City
Skyline of downtown Valleyfield
Coat of arms Logo
Nickname:  The Venice of Quebec
Motto:  Ubi lux ibi labor
Location within Beauharnois-Salaberry RCM
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°15′N 74°08′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Beauharnois-Salaberry
Founded	1874
Constituted	April 24, 2002
Named after	Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry
Boroughs	List of boroughs Grande-Île Nitro Georges-Leduc Champlain La Baie Robert-Cauchon Jules-Léger Saint-Timothée
Government [2][3]
• Type	Mayor-council government
• Mayor	Miguel Lemieux
• Federal riding	Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon
• Prov. riding	Beauharnois
Area [2][4][5]
• Total	126.99 km2 (49.03 sq mi)
• Land	108.56 km2 (41.92 sq mi)
• Urban	33.93 km2 (13.10 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4][5]
• Total	42,787
• Density	394.1/km2 (1,021/sq mi)
• Urban	41,655
• Urban density	1,227.6/km2 (3,179/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	5.0%
• Dwellings	20,962
Demonym(s)	Campivallensien, Campivallensienne (fr) Campivallensian (en)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J6S, J6T, J7X
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways A-30 A-530	R-132 R-201
Website	www.ville.valleyfield.qc.ca

The historic downtown is a major touristic centre for the area.

Due to the presence of Lake St. Francis on the St. Lawrence River, St. Francis Bay in downtown, and of numerous rivers and canals all over the town, the city is nicknamed "The Venice of Quebec".^{[citation needed]}

History

The actual city was founded in 1874, the first mayor was Moise Plante. The first settlers arrived in 1798. At that moment, the settlement was named Pointe-du-Lac (Lake Point). The colony was then renamed Saranac, then Sainte-Cécile. Salaberry-de-Valleyfield was officially named in 1874 after Colonel Charles de Salaberry who served with the British army during the War of 1812. "Valleyfield" came from the Valleyfield Mills, a paper mill south of Edinburgh in Scotland.

The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Valleyfield, founded in 1892.

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is also the seat of the judicial district of Beauharnois since 1901.^[6]

Merger

In 2002, the city of 26,170 amalgamated with the following communities^[7] (2001 Canada census figures):

• Saint-Timothée (8,299)
• Grande-Île (4,559)

Geography

Situated on Grande-Île, an island in the Saint Lawrence River, it is bordered at its western end by Lake Saint Francis, with the Saint Lawrence to the north and the Beauharnois Canal to its south. The Port of Valleyfield is on the canal.

Climate

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers and long, cold, and snowy winters.

Climate data for Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	14.0 (57.2)	16.0 (60.8)	23.0 (73.4)	30.0 (86.0)	35.0 (95.0)	34.4 (93.9)	35.6 (96.1)	36.5 (97.7)	35.0 (95.0)	28.9 (84.0)	22.5 (72.5)	17.0 (62.6)	36.5 (97.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−5.4 (22.3)	−3.3 (26.1)	2.3 (36.1)	11.2 (52.2)	18.7 (65.7)	23.8 (74.8)	26.1 (79.0)	25.3 (77.5)	20.6 (69.1)	12.8 (55.0)	5.8 (42.4)	−1.4 (29.5)	11.4 (52.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−9.6 (14.7)	−7.8 (18.0)	−2.2 (28.0)	6.3 (43.3)	13.3 (55.9)	18.7 (65.7)	21.1 (70.0)	20.2 (68.4)	15.6 (60.1)	8.6 (47.5)	2.2 (36.0)	−5.1 (22.8)	6.8 (44.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−13.8 (7.2)	−12.3 (9.9)	−6.7 (19.9)	1.3 (34.3)	7.9 (46.2)	13.5 (56.3)	16.0 (60.8)	15.1 (59.2)	10.6 (51.1)	4.3 (39.7)	−1.4 (29.5)	−8.8 (16.2)	2.1 (35.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−38.3 (−36.9)	−33.5 (−28.3)	−29 (−20)	−15.6 (3.9)	−4.4 (24.1)	2.2 (36.0)	6.5 (43.7)	1.7 (35.1)	−2.0 (28.4)	−8.9 (16.0)	−21.0 (−5.8)	−32.0 (−25.6)	−38.3 (−36.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	74.8 (2.94)	59.3 (2.33)	61.9 (2.44)	77.3 (3.04)	82.9 (3.26)	94.7 (3.73)	97.6 (3.84)	92.5 (3.64)	82.6 (3.25)	92.0 (3.62)	85.7 (3.37)	76.8 (3.02)	978.0 (38.50)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	24.2 (0.95)	19.9 (0.78)	31.9 (1.26)	70.3 (2.77)	82.9 (3.26)	97.4 (3.83)	97.6 (3.84)	92.5 (3.64)	82.6 (3.25)	90.6 (3.57)	74.4 (2.93)	33.1 (1.30)	794.7 (31.29)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	50.6 (19.9)	39.3 (15.5)	30.1 (11.9)	7.2 (2.8)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.3 (0.5)	11.3 (4.4)	43.7 (17.2)	183.5 (72.2)
Source: Environment Canada[8]

Demographics

Historical census data - Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1921 9,215 —     1931 11,411 +23.8% 1941 17,052 +49.4% 1951 22,414 +31.4% 1956 23,584 +5.2% 1961 27,297 +15.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1966 29,111 +6.6% 1971 30,173 +3.6% 1976 29,716 −1.5% 1981 29,574 −0.5% 1986 27,875 −5.7% 1991 27,598 −1.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1996 26,600 −3.6% 2001 26,170 −1.6% 2006 39,672 +51.6% 2011 40,077 +1.0% 2016 40,745 +1.7% 2021 42,787 +5.0%
Amalgamated with Saint-Timothée and Grande-Île in 2002. Source: Statistics Canada[9]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield had a population of 42,787 living in 20,073 of its 20,962 total private dwellings, a change of 5% from its 2016 population of 40,745. With a land area of 108.56 km² (41.92 sq mi), it had a population density of 394.1/km² (1,020.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[4]

	2021	2016	2011
Population	42,787 (+5.0% from 2016)	40,745 (+1.7% from 2011)	40,077 (+1.0% from 2006)
Land area	108.56 km2 (41.92 sq mi)	107.13 km2 (41.36 sq mi)	107.10 km2 (41.35 sq mi)
Population density	394.1/km2 (1,021/sq mi)	380.3/km2 (985/sq mi)	374.2/km2 (969/sq mi)
Median age	47.2 (M: 45.2, F: 49.6)	48.3 (M: 46.0, F: 50.1)	47.1 (M: 45.1, F: 48.7)
Private dwellings	20,962 (total)	19,356 (total)	19,050 (total)
Median household income	$62,000	$50,952	$44,510

Canada census – Salaberry-de-Valleyfield community profile

Notes: Amalgamated with Saint-Timothée and Grande-Île in 2002.
References: 2021^[10] 2016^[11] 2011^[12]

Canada Census mother tongue - Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec[9] Amalgamated with Saint-Timothée and Grande-Île in 2002.
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2016		39,670		37,480	0.01%	94.48%		1,160	5.0%	2.92%		395	13.2%	1.00%		570	46.2%	1.44%
2011		39,425		37,475	1.7%	95.05%		1,105	6.8%	2.80%		455	89.6%	1.15%		390	12.4%	0.99%
2006		38,565		36,845	51.9%	95.54%		1,035	40.8%	2.68%		240	20.0%	0.62%		445	74.5%	1.15%
2001		25,450		24,260	2.4%	95.32%		735	11.4%	2.89%		200	14.9%	0.79%		255	4.1%	1.00%
1996		25,995		24,855	n/a	95.61%		660	n/a	2.54%		235	n/a	0.90%		245	n/a	0.94%

Government

Nicholson Street with city hall in the centre

The city council is composed of the mayor and eight city councillors. The municipal elections are held every four years. Each councillor stands for his/her district.

City Council^[13]

Function/district	2005-2009	2009-2013	2013-2017	2017-2021
Mayor	Denis Lapointe	Denis Lapointe	Denis Lapointe	Miguel Lemieux
1 - Grande-Île	Denis Laître	Denis Laître	Denis Laître	Lyne Lefebvre
2 - Nitro	Jean-Marc Rochon	Jean-Marc Rochon	Jean-Marc Rochon	Jason Grenier
3 - Georges-Leduc	Claude Reid	Louise Sauvé	Louise Sauvé	Jean-Marc Rochon
4 - Champlain	Robert Savard	Robert Savard	Jean-Luc Pomerleau	France Chenail
5 - La Baie	Roger Levert	Jean-Jacques Leduc	François Labossière	Guillaume Massicotte
6 - Robert-Cauchon	Jacques Smith	Jacques Smith	Jacques Smith	Jacques Smith
7 - Jules-Léger	Pierre-Paul Messier	Pierre-Paul Messier	Patrick Rancourt	Patrick Rancourt
8 - Saint-Timothée	Normand Amesse	Normand Amesse	Normand Amesse	Normand Amesse

List of former mayors:^[14]

• Moise Laplante (1875–1878, 1880–1885, 1886–1890)
• Alexander Anderson (1878–1880)
• Zéphirin Boyer (1885–1886, 1890–1892)
• John Hugh O'Sullivan (1892–1895)
• Georges Madeiros Loy (1895–1899)
• Narcisse Langevin (1899–1901)
• Onésime Longtain (1901–1903)
• Joseph Georges Henri Thibault (1903–1906)
• James Alexander Robb (1906–1910)
• Charles Ovide Ephrem Ostigui (1910–1912)
• Noel Adélard Ostilly (1912–1916)
• Stanislas Abraham Laroche (1916–1922)
• Daniel Eusèbe Dion (1922–1924)
• Joseph Donat Leboeuf (1924–1930)
• Bernard Gustave Ludger Codebecq (1930–1932)
• Olivier Philorum Billette (1932–1938)
• Joseph Armand Larin (1938–1942)
• Louis Major (1942–1944)
• Joseph Abel Eugène Cauchon (1944–1948, 1960–1969)
• Joseph Olivier Edmond Caza (1948–1954)
• Joseph Mathias Louis Covignon (1954–1960)
• Joseph-Henri Raphaël Barrette (1969–1975)
• Marie Blanche Alberta Marcelle Besner-Trépanier (1975–1983)
• Martinus Maria Petrus Mooijekind (1983–1987)
• Joseph Eugène Gaetan Rousse (1987–1995)
• Denis Lapointe (1995–2017)
• Miguel Lemieux (2017–present)

Attractions

The Musée de Société des Deux-Rives (MUSO), which covers the economic and cultural history of the region, is located in the city.

The city houses one of the 10 minor basilicas in Quebec. Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Cecilia, built in 1934–1935, is one of the largest churches in the country.

The city has been the site of the Valleyfield Regattas since 1938. The event takes place every year at the beginning of July over a three-day period in the heart of the city on Bay Saint-François. It is an international hydroplane competition, in which power boats achieve speeds of up to 225 km/h. Attracting over 130,000 visitors per year, it also includes other cultural activities.^[15]

Education

• 9 daycare facilities
• 3 pre-kindergarten centres
• 12 elementary schools (some with daycare services), of which one is English-language.
• 1 high school
• 1 adult education centre
• 1 vocational training centre
• 1 CEGEP: Collège de Valleyfield
• 1 French-language university centre

Gault Institute

The Gault Institute was created by Andrew Frederick Gault. He created this school during the time that the Gault Cotton Mills were up and running. To heat the school at one time he used underground pipes connecting from the school to the Cotton Mills since at the time there was no electricity.

Notable people

• Lise Bacon: Quebec politician
• Line Beauchamp: Quebec politician
• Jean-Luc Brassard: Olympic gold medalist in skiing
• Pierre Cossette: television and Broadway producer
• Mélodie Daoust: Olympics gold medalist in ice hockey
• Suzanne Fortier: principal at McGill University
• Armand Frappier: physician and microbiologist
• Karla Homolka: serial killer^[16]
• Vladimir Katriuk (1921–2015): alleged Nazi war criminal
• Dominic Larocque: para ice hockey athlete
• J. Albert Leduc: ice hockey player and businessman
• Paul-Émile Léger: cardinal of the Catholic Church
• Serge Marcil: politician and Minister of Employment in 1994
• Anne Minh-Thu Quach: MP for Beauharnois—Salaberry
• Jean Ouimet: former leader of the Green Party of Quebec

See also

• Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality
• Beauharnois Canal
• List of cities in Quebec