Amos, Quebec

Amos
Town
Skyline of Amos and the Harricana River
Seal Coat of arms
Location within Abitibi RCM
Amos Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 48°34′N78°07′W / 48.567°N 78.117°W / 48.567; -78.117 [1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Abitibi-Témiscamingue
RCM	Abitibi
Settled	1910
Constituted	January 17, 1987
Government [2] [3]
• Mayor	Sébastien D'Astous
•  Federal riding	Abitibi—Témiscamingue
•  Prov. riding	Abitibi-Ouest
Area [2] [4]
• Total	437.38 km2 (168.87 sq mi)
• Land	429.04 km2 (165.65 sq mi)
• Urban [5]	8.43 km2 (3.25 sq mi)
• Metro [6]	2,298.16 km2 (887.32 sq mi)
Elevation [7]	310.00 m (1,017.06 ft)
Population  (2021) [4]
• Total	12,675
• Density	29.5/km2 (76/sq mi)
•  Urban [5]	9,281
• Urban density	1,101.2/km2 (2,852/sq mi)
•  Metro [6]	18,873
• Metro density	8.2/km2 (21/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	1.2%
• Dwellings	6,051
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J9T
Area code	819
Highways	R-109 R-111 R-395
Website	www.amos.quebec

Amos is a town in northwestern Quebec, Canada, on the Harricana River. It is the seat of Abitibi Regional County Municipality.

Amos is the main town on the Harricana River, and the smallest of the three primary towns — after Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or — in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec. The smaller communities of Lac-Gauvin and Saint-Maurice-de-Dalquier are also within the municipal boundaries of Amos.

History

The Amos Roman Catholic Cathedral

Rupert's Land, in which Abitibi was located, was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company and was bought by Canada in 1869. Abitibi itself was then annexed to the province in Quebec on June 13, 1898, by an act of the federal Parliament.

Amos was the starting point for the colonization of the region of Abitibi that began in 1910. The municipality was established in 1914 while the city itself was chartered in 1925. The name of the city came from the maiden name of the wife of Sir Lomer Gouin, then premier of Quebec.

A related municipality was created in 1917 under the name 'Municipalité de la partie ouest des cantons unis de Figuery et Dalquier' (Municipality of the western part of the united townships of Figuery and Dalquier) which changed its name to Amos-Ouest in 1949. In 1974 the municipality fused with the city of Amos proper. Another related municipality was created in 1918 under the name 'Municipalité de la partie est des cantons Figuery et Dalquier' (Municipality of the eastern part of the united townships of Figuery and Dalquier), which also changed its name later 1950 to Amos-Est. The municipality was finally integrated into the city of Amos itself in 1987.

Demographics

Historical census populations – Amos, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,488 —     1931 2,153 +44.7% 1941 2,862 +32.9% 1951 4,265 +49.0% 1956 5,145 +20.6% 1961 6,080 +18.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1966 6,838 +12.5% 1971 6,984 +2.1% 1976 9,213 +31.9% 1981 9,421 +2.3% 1986 9,261 −1.7% 1991 13,783 +48.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1996 13,632 −1.1% 2001 13,044 −4.3% 2006 12,584 −3.5% 2011 12,671 +0.7% 2016 12,823 +1.2% 2021 12,675 −1.2%
Source: Statistics Canada [8]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Amos had a population of 12,675 living in 5,760 of its 6,051 total private dwellings, a change of -1.2% from its 2016 population of 12,823. With a land area of 429.04 km² (165.65 sq mi), it had a population density of 29.5/km² (76.5/sq mi) in 2021. ^[9]

Climate

Amos has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), just above a subarctic climate (Dfc), with warm summers, frigid winters and heavy precipitation for most of the year.

Climate data for Amos
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	8.3 (46.9)	11.0 (51.8)	21.7 (71.1)	29.0 (84.2)	32.2 (90.0)	37.2 (99.0)	37.2 (99.0)	35.6 (96.1)	32.8 (91.0)	26.7 (80.1)	20.0 (68.0)	14.5 (58.1)	37.2 (99.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−11.7 (10.9)	−9.0 (15.8)	−2.2 (28.0)	6.4 (43.5)	15.6 (60.1)	21.0 (69.8)	23.1 (73.6)	21.3 (70.3)	15.4 (59.7)	8.0 (46.4)	−0.6 (30.9)	−8.5 (16.7)	6.6 (43.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−17.3 (0.9)	−15.2 (4.6)	−8.2 (17.2)	0.9 (33.6)	9.3 (48.7)	14.7 (58.5)	17.2 (63.0)	15.6 (60.1)	10.5 (50.9)	4.1 (39.4)	−4.0 (24.8)	−13.2 (8.2)	1.2 (34.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−22.8 (−9.0)	−21.3 (−6.3)	−14.1 (6.6)	−4.6 (23.7)	3.0 (37.4)	8.3 (46.9)	11.2 (52.2)	9.9 (49.8)	5.5 (41.9)	0.2 (32.4)	−7.4 (18.7)	−18 (0)	−4.2 (24.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−48.9 (−56.0)	−52.8 (−63.0)	−42.2 (−44.0)	−29.4 (−20.9)	−16.7 (1.9)	−5.6 (21.9)	−3.9 (25.0)	−1.7 (28.9)	−7.2 (19.0)	−14.4 (6.1)	−33.3 (−27.9)	−47.8 (−54.0)	−52.8 (−63.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	55.1 (2.17)	35.1 (1.38)	52.7 (2.07)	62.6 (2.46)	79.0 (3.11)	96.9 (3.81)	112.8 (4.44)	99.8 (3.93)	110.7 (4.36)	84.4 (3.32)	71.5 (2.81)	57.9 (2.28)	918.4 (36.16)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	4.8 (0.19)	2.2 (0.09)	14.3 (0.56)	39.9 (1.57)	77.7 (3.06)	96.9 (3.81)	112.8 (4.44)	99.8 (3.93)	110.2 (4.34)	75.3 (2.96)	29.6 (1.17)	7.3 (0.29)	670.7 (26.41)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	50.6 (19.9)	33.0 (13.0)	38.2 (15.0)	22.8 (9.0)	1.3 (0.5)	0.1 (0.0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.4 (0.2)	9.1 (3.6)	41.8 (16.5)	51.0 (20.1)	248.4 (97.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	11.6	8.1	9.4	10.2	12.2	14.1	14.9	14.0	16.7	15.3	13.3	12.5	152.3
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	0.82	0.75	3.2	6.9	12.0	14.1	14.9	14.0	16.6	13.9	5.3	1.4	103.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	11.0	7.8	6.9	4.2	0.45	0.03	0	0	0.14	2.6	9.4	11.5	54.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours	81.3	121.4	152.1	173.3	212.8	235.3	249.4	215.6	131.5	83.7	52.9	59.8	1,769
Source: Environment Canada [7]

Economy

Its main resources are spring water, gold, and wood products, including paper.

In 2012, Quebec Lithium Corp. re-opened Canada's first lithium mine, which had operated as an underground mine from 1955–65. They are planning to carve an open pit mine over pegmatite dikes. (The pegmatite is about 1% lithium carbonate.) The mine is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Val-d'Or, 38 kilometres (24 mi) southeast of Amos, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) km west of Barraute. It is in the northeast corner of La Corne Township. Access to the mine is via paved road from Val d'Or. ^[10]

Government

Former Mayor Ulrick Chérubin during an event associated with Amos's centennial celebration.

The current mayor of the city is Sébastien D'Astous, who took office on February 20, 2015, after winning a by-election ^[11] following the death in office of former Mayor Ulrick Chérubin in September 2014. In the by-election D'Astous, formerly a city councillor, defeated Donald Blanchet, who had served as interim mayor between Chérubin's death and the by-election.

In the National Assembly of Quebec, Amos is within the electoral district of Abitibi-Ouest, represented by Coalition Avenir Québec MNA Suzanne Blais. In the House of Commons of Canada, the city is in the Abitibi—Témiscamingue district, represented by Bloc Québécois MP Sébastien Lemire.

Amos is the seat of the judicial district of Abitibi. ^[12]

Mayors

List of former mayors: ^[13]

• Hector Authier, 1914-1918
• David Gourd, 1918-1921 ^[14]
• Joseph Grenier, 1921-1923
• J.O. Germain, 1923-1928
• T.A. Lalonde, 1928-1929
• J.É. Montambault, 1929-1931
• Julien Beaudry, 1931-1934
• G.A. Brunet, 1934-1939
• Fridolin Simard, 1939-1943
• G.A. Brunet, 1943-1947
• Fridolin Simard, 1947-1957
• G.A. Brunet, 1957-1965
• Gérard Magny, 1965-1971
• Jean-Hugues Boutin, 1971-1974
• Laurier St-Laurent, 1974-1982
• Marcel Lesyk, 1982-1987
• Jean-Paul Veilleux, 1987-1990
• André Brunet, 1990-1998
• Murielle Angers-Turpin, 1998-2002
• Ulrick Chérubin, 2002-2014 ^[15]
• Donald Blanchet, 2014-2015
• Sébastien D'Astous, 2015–present

Transportation

Passenger trains no longer serve Amos, but the town once had a Canadian National Railway station. ^[16] Amos is served by Quebec highways 109, 111 and 395 and Amos/Magny Airport.

Media

Main article: Media in Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Notable people

• Fany Britt, playwriter
• Maxime Brinck-Croteau, olympian
• Karol-Ann Canuel, cyclist
• Ulrick Chérubin, first black mayor of the Province of Québec
• Roy Dupuis, actor
• Keven Lacombe, cyclist
• Guillaume Lefebvre, hockey player
• Marc Lemay, politician and lawyer
• Martin Lemay, politician
• Pierrick Naud, cyclist
• Marc Ouellet, cardinal
• Mathieu Roy, hockey player
• Nicolas Roy, hockey player
• Samian, rapper and actor

References

1. "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 1229". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
2. "Amos". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
3. Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: ABITIBI--TÉMISCAMINGUE (Quebec)
4. "Census Profile, 2021 Census Amos, Ville [Census subdivision], Quebec and Abitibi, Municipalité régionale de comté [Census division], Quebec". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada. April 6, 2021. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
5. "Amos (Population centre) census profile". 2016 Census data . Statistics Canada. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
6. "Amos (Census agglomeration) census profile". 2021 Census data . Statistics Canada. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-06. The census agglomeration consists of Amos, Berry, Saint-Dominique-du-Rosaire, Saint-Félix-de-Dalquier, Saint-Marc-de-Figuery, Saint-Mathieu-d'Harricana, Sainte-Gertrude-Manneville, Trécesson and Pikogan.
7. Environment Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000 ^{[ permanent dead link ]}. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
8. "Population. Volume 1. General characteristics, households and families = Population. Volume 1. Caractéristiques générales, ménages et familles". 1958.
9. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
10. "Quebec Lithium". Canada Lithium Corp. Archived from the original on 2013-03-10. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
11. "D'Astous gagne le cœur des Amossois" Archived 2015-02-16 at the Wayback Machine . L'Écho Abitibien, February 15, 2015.
12. Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.
13. "Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Amos (ville) 3.1.1914 - ..." www.mairesduquebec.com. Institut généalogique Drouin. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
14. "David Gourd, M.P., Long Leader in Amos and Abitibi District". Val-d'Or Star, July 8, 1949.
15. "Le maire d'Amos, Ulrick Chérubin, est mort". Radio-Canada. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
16. "Station C.N.R. Amos, Abitibi. Gare du chemin de fer. | Landmarks, Railway station, Quebec". Pinterest. Retrieved 2021-10-30.

External links

• Ville d'Amos
• "Station C.N.R. Amos, Abitibi. Gare du chemin de fer. | Landmarks, Railway station, Quebec". Pinterest. Retrieved 2021-10-30.