Grenville, Quebec

Grenville is a village municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality of the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. It is located opposite Hawkesbury, Ontario, on the Ottawa River.

Not to be confused with the neighbouring municipality of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Quebec or its borough Grenville.

Grenville
Village municipality
Location within Argenteuil RCM
Location within Argenteuil RCM
Grenville is located in Central Quebec
Grenville
Grenville
Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 45°38′N 74°36′W[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionLaurentides
RCMArgenteuil
Settled1810
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1876
Government
[2]
 • MayorPierre Thauvette
 • Federal ridingArgenteuil—La Petite-Nation
 • Prov. ridingArgenteuil
Area
[2][3]
 • Total3.14 km2 (1.21 sq mi)
 • Land2.82 km2 (1.09 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total1,816
 • Density644.6/km2 (1,670/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016-2021
Increase 6.1%
 • Dwellings
951
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J0V 1J0
Area code819
Highways R-344
Websitegrenville.ca

History

Although Grenville was already shown on the Gale and Duberger Map of 1795, it was not until January 28, 1808, that Grenville Township was officially established; the township's name commemorated Lord George Grenville. Two years later, in 1810, the first French and English settlers arrived in the area.[4][5]

Its strategic location on the Ottawa River and the construction of the Carillon Canal in 1819 led to the town's real growth.[6] In 1826 the first general store opened and in 1828, the first school. In 1830 "Kingsey" sawmill was built, and a flour mill was added in 1838. In 1857 construction began on the Carillon and Grenville Railway, which was completed six years later.[5]

In 1861 the village and its surroundings had about 900 inhabitants. On January 1, 1876, the Village Municipality of Grenville was formed at which time it exceeded one thousand persons.[6]

In 1910 the Carillon and Grenville Railway was abandoned and later on dismantled.[5]

Grenville Canal

The Grenville Canal, the Chute-à-Blondeau Canal, and the Carillon Canal were built to navigate the Long Sault Rapids on the Ottawa River which stretched for 21 kilometers (13 mi) from Carillon to Grenville. The impetus for these canals was the War of 1812. During this war, attacks along the Saint Lawrence River jeopardized the communication lines between Kingston and Montreal, the two main military positions of Upper and Lower Canada. The Ottawa River Canal and the Rideau Canal were thus designed as an alternative military supply route in the event of war with the Americans.[7][8]

Grenville Canal

Work on the canal began in 1818 with the construction of a storage warehouse. In 1819 Captain Henry Vernet of the Royal Engineers arrived from Britain to lead the construction of the project. Hundreds of Irish immigrants and French Canadians were used to excavate the canal under the direction of a hundred British soldiers. In 1833 the Grenville Canal was completed with an original length of 9.5 kilometers (5.9 mi) and the entire network on the Ottawa River, including the 11 locks, was not fully completed until about 1843.[9]

The military requirements decided all aspects of the canal. The size of the locks were set to 134 feet (41 m) long, 33 feet (10 m) wide, and only 5 feet (1.5 m) deep at the thresholds. These dimensions, standards adopted for military use, were insufficient for any commercial use.[9] Forestry had become the main economic activity in this region, and from 1867, local business people demanded that the government carry out improvements to the network because the original canal network had become outdated. In 1870 the Canals Commission recommended making the Ottawa River deeper between Lachine and Ottawa. Therefore, between 1873 and 1882, the Grenville and Carillon Canals were enlarged (the dam built upstream from the village of Carillon raised the level of the Ottawa River at Chute-à-Blondeau, making the need for a lock there no longer necessary).[7]

Further changes were made from 1959 to 1963 with the construction of the Carillon hydroelectric dam and a modern 20 meters (66 ft) high lock at Carillon. This work substantially and irreversibly changed the canal network. The dam raised the water level by over 62 feet (19 m) at Carillon and over 9 feet (2.7 m) at Grenville. The new water level flooded Greece's Point and its surroundings several feet underwater and inundated the rapids of Long-Sault, transforming them into calm water.[9] Shortly afterwards, the steel swing bridge and canal locks were dismantled.[5]

Demographics
Historical census populations – Grenville, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1976 1,517—    
1981 1,417−6.6%
1986 1,354−4.4%
1991 1,362+0.6%
1996 1,443+5.9%
2001 1,315−8.9%
2006 1,398+6.3%
2011 1,577+12.8%
2016 1,711+8.5%
2021 1,816+6.1%
Source: Statistics Canada[10]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Grenville had a population of 1,816 living in 903 of its 951 total private dwellings, a change of 6.1% from its 2016 population of 1,711. With a land area of 2.82 km2 (1.09 sq mi), it had a population density of 644.0/km2 (1,667.9/sq mi) in 2021.[11]

Canada census – Grenville community profile
202120162011
Population1,816 (+6.1% from 2016)1,711 (+8.5% from 2011)1,577 (+12.8% from 2006)
Land area2.82 km2 (1.09 sq mi)2.87 km2 (1.11 sq mi)2.81 km2 (1.08 sq mi)
Population density644.6/km2 (1,670/sq mi)597.2/km2 (1,547/sq mi)560.4/km2 (1,451/sq mi)
Median age47.2 (M: 46.0, F: 48.8)42.8 (M: 42.9, F: 42.6)42.3 (M: 41.3, F: 43.0)
Private dwellings951 (total)  862 (total)  738 (total) 
Median household income$44,971$n/a
References: 2021[12] 2016[13] 2011[14] earlier[15][16]

Mother tongue (2006):[17]

  • English as first language: 9%
  • French as first language: 88%
  • English and French as first language: 2%
  • Other as first language: 1%

Local government

List of former mayors:

  • Ronald Tittlit (2003–2015)
  • Luc Grondin (2015–2019)
  • Pierre Thauvette (2019–present)

Education

The Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools.[18]

  • École Dansereau/Saint-Martin
  • École polyvalente Lavigne in Lachute

The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates the English-language public schools.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Reference number 26968 in Banque de noms de lieux du Québec". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. "Geographic code 76055 in the official Répertoire des municipalités". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
  3. "Grenville, Village (VL) Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  4. "Grenville (Canton)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  5. "Historique" (in French). Village de Grenville. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  6. "Grenville (Municipalité de village)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  7. "Carillon Canal National Historic Site of Canada, Cultural Heritage". Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-05-06. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  8. "Canal" (in French). Village de Grenville. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
    "La construction du canal était la conséquence des conflits militaires de 1812. Ce canal devait constituer avec son réseau de canalisation, en temps de guerre, une voie d’approvisionnement militaire vers Kingston et les Grands Lacs."
    English: "The construction of the [Grenville] canal was a consequence of the military conflicts in 1812. This canal was to constitute, along with a network of other canals, a military supply route towards Kingston and the Great Lakes during wartime."
  9. "Canal" (in French). Village de Grenville. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  10. 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  11. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  12. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  13. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  14. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  15. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  16. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  17. "Grenville, Quebec (Code 2476055) Community Profiles". 2006 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
  18. "Trouver une école ou un centre." Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord. Retrieved on September 24, 2017. For attendance boundary information, click "Par bassin d'école"
  19. "Home." Grenville Elementary School. Retrieved on September 16, 2017.
  20. "LAURENTIAN REGIONAL HS ZONE Archived 2010-12-14 at the Wayback Machine." Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. Retrieved on September 4, 2017.
  21. Hustak, Alan (11 February 2003). "Assistant publisher at La Presse leaves a great void". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. p. 6.icon of an open green padlock
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