Val-Saint-Gilles

Val-Saint-Gilles is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality about 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of La Sarre. It covers 109.39 km² and with a population of 169 in the 2021 Canadian census, it is the least populous incorporated municipality in the regional county.

Val-Saint-Gilles
Municipality
Location within Abitibi-Ouest RCM
Val-Saint-Gilles Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 48°58′N 79°07′W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Abitibi-Témiscamingue
RCM	Abitibi-Ouest
Settled	c. 1935
Constituted	April 1, 1939
Government
• Mayor	Alain Guillemette
• Federal riding	Abitibi—Témiscamingue
• Prov. riding	Abitibi-Ouest
Area
• Total	109.42 km2 (42.25 sq mi)
• Land	109.39 km2 (42.24 sq mi)
Elevation	345 m (1,132 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	169
• Density	1.5/km2 (4/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	7.6%
• Dwellings	79
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0Z 3T0
Area code	819
Highways	R-393
Website	valst-gilles.ao.ca

It lies at the northern edge of the Abitibi Clay Belt. The undulating land is dotted with swamps, a few small lakes, and sand and gravel deposits. Its high point is marked by two hills near the village with an altitude of 345 metres (1,132 ft). The Turgeon River, the only notable river and tributary of the Harricana River, flows through the north-western part of the municipality.

History

The first settlers, arriving circa 1935 as part of the Vautrin Settlement Plan, came from Clermont, Montreal, and Mont-Laurier. In 1937, they founded the Saint-Gilles-de-Clermont Parish, and two years later, the place separated from Clermont Township and was incorporated as the Municipality of Val-Saint-Gilles, named after Saint Giles.

But because of the harsh land, the settlers could barely make a living and many soon left, reducing the population from over 600 persons to less than 200 today. Its residents mostly commute to La Sarre and the surrounding area, working particularly in the mining and forestry sectors.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Val-Saint-Gilles community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	169 ( 7.6% from 2016)	157 (-11.8% from 2011)	178 ( 4.1% from 2006)
Land area	109.39 km2 (42.24 sq mi)	109.74 km2 (42.37 sq mi)	110.52 km2 (42.67 sq mi)
Population density	1.5/km2 (3.9/sq mi)	1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi)	1.6/km2 (4.1/sq mi)
Median age	46.0 (M: 47.6, F: 44.8)	51.1 (M: 51.5, F: 50.2)	46.0 (M: 43.5, F: 47.2)
Private dwellings	79 (total)	81 (total)	79 (total)
Median household income	$.N/A	$51,840	$.N/A

Notes: Income data for this area has been suppressed for data quality or confidentiality reasons.
References: 2021 2016 2011 earlier

Historical census populations – Val-Saint-Gilles, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1941 511 —     1951 675 32.1% 1956 579 −14.2% 1961 489 −15.5% 1966 483 −1.2% 1971 340 −29.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1976 272 −20.0% 1981 221 −18.8% 1986 208 −5.9% 1991 207 −0.5% 1996 187 −9.7% 2001 169 −9.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2006 171 1.2% 2011 178 4.1% 2016 157 −11.8% 2021 169 7.6%
Source: Statistics Canada

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Val-Saint-Gilles, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2016		155		160	11.1%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2011		185		180	5.9%	97.3%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		5	n/a%	2.7%
2006		170		170	10.5%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2001		190		190	9.5%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
1996		210		210	n/a	100.0%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%

Government

Municipal council (as of 2023):

• Mayor: Alain Guillemette
• Councillors: Nancy Filiatrault, Réjean Dicaire, Chloé Roux, Roger Paul, Jean-Marie Lavoie, Marianne Bergeron

List of former mayors:

• Marc Quirion (...–2005)
• Benoît Sarrazin (2005–2009)
• Réjean Lambert (2009–2021)
• Alain Guillemette (2021–present)

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec

External links

• Official website