La Sarre

La Sarre
City
Church of La Sarre
Coat of arms
Motto:  Oblivisci Nescius
Location within Abitibi-Ouest RCM
La Sarre Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 48°48′N79°12′W / 48.800°N 79.200°W / 48.800; -79.200 [1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Abitibi-Témiscamingue
RCM	Abitibi-Ouest
Settled	1912
Constituted	19 April 1980
Government [2]
• Mayor	Yves Dubé
•  Federal riding	Abitibi—Témiscamingue
•  Prov. riding	Abitibi-Ouest
Area [2] [3]
• Total	153.24 km2 (59.17 sq mi)
• Land	148.36 km2 (57.28 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [3]
• Total	7,358
• Density	49.6/km2 (128/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	1.0%
• Dwellings	3,698
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J9Z
Area code	819
Highways	R-111 R-393
Website	www.ville.lasarre.qc.ca

La Sarre (French pronunciation: [lasaʁ] ) is a town in northwestern Quebec, Canada, and is the most populous town and seat of the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. ^{[1] [4]} It is located at the intersection of Routes 111 and 393, on the La Sarre River, a tributary of Lake Abitibi.

In addition to La Sarre itself, the town's territory also includes the community of Bienvenu, located along Route 111 west of the La Sarre River.

History

Tribute panel to the pioneer families of La Sarre, installed in the municipal park.

Before colonization, the area was home to the indigenous Algonquin who called the place Wabakin, from wàba and akin meaning "there is a mountain of hardwood", and called the La Sarre River Adikameg Sibi, which was also identified as Amikitik. ^[1]

The first white settlers, six in number, settled as squatters on the land in the late 19th century and were discovered during the survey of the township in 1908. Real colonization began at the time when the National Transcontinental Railway running through the Abitibi region was completed. The first permanent pioneer family arrived in 1912, followed by more settlers and development drawn to the area for its mining, forestry, and agricultural potential, and resulted in the formation of the settlement. In 1915, the post office opened, and a year later, the La Sarre Township was proclaimed, named after the La Sarre Regiment that was recognized for its part in the Battle of Carillon and the capture of Fort Oswego. In 1917, the Township Municipality of La Sarre was established, the same year as the Parish of Saint-André-de-la-Sarre. The Hudson's Bay Company opened a post in 1932, and only operated until 1941. ^{[1] [5]}

In 1937, the village separated from the township and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of La Sarre. It gained town (ville) status on 17 August 1949. In April 1980, the town and township municipality merged to form the current municipality. ^[1]

Geography

Climate

La Sarre has a borderline humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), close to a subarctic climate (Dfc). Winters are very cold and snowy, with an annual snowfall of 2.47 metres or 97.24 inches, although thaws due to inflows of warm air from the southeast can raise temperatures above freezing and on 6 February 1988 temperatures rose to a remarkable 20.5 °C or 68.9 °F. The hotter half of the year is pleasantly warm, though it can rain frequently.

Climate data for La Sarre
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	7.8 (46.0)	20.5 (68.9)	17.0 (62.6)	29.0 (84.2)	31.7 (89.1)	35.0 (95.0)	37.2 (99.0)	33.3 (91.9)	32.2 (90.0)	26.1 (79.0)	17.8 (64.0)	11.1 (52.0)	37.2 (99.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−11.7 (10.9)	−8.9 (16.0)	−1.8 (28.8)	7.2 (45.0)	15.9 (60.6)	21.5 (70.7)	23.5 (74.3)	21.5 (70.7)	15.7 (60.3)	8.7 (47.7)	−0.6 (30.9)	−8.6 (16.5)	6.9 (44.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−18.2 (−0.8)	−16.2 (2.8)	−8.8 (16.2)	0.8 (33.4)	8.9 (48.0)	14.3 (57.7)	16.9 (62.4)	15.2 (59.4)	10.3 (50.5)	4.3 (39.7)	−4.5 (23.9)	−14 (7)	0.7 (33.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−24.6 (−12.3)	−23.4 (−10.1)	−15.7 (3.7)	−5.7 (21.7)	1.8 (35.2)	7.0 (44.6)	10.3 (50.5)	8.7 (47.7)	4.7 (40.5)	−0.2 (31.6)	−8.4 (16.9)	−19.4 (−2.9)	−5.4 (22.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−47 (−53)	−47 (−53)	−43.9 (−47.0)	−31.7 (−25.1)	−12 (10)	−6.7 (19.9)	−2 (28)	−3.5 (25.7)	−8.5 (16.7)	−13 (9)	−34 (−29)	−44.5 (−48.1)	−47 (−53)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	58.6 (2.31)	37.9 (1.49)	52.4 (2.06)	55.9 (2.20)	78.2 (3.08)	84.7 (3.33)	101.0 (3.98)	99.0 (3.90)	110.7 (4.36)	81.5 (3.21)	67.6 (2.66)	62.3 (2.45)	889.8 (35.03)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	5.4 (0.21)	2.8 (0.11)	14.4 (0.57)	40.5 (1.59)	74.8 (2.94)	84.7 (3.33)	101 (4.0)	99 (3.9)	110.1 (4.33)	73.5 (2.89)	30.1 (1.19)	7.3 (0.29)	643.6 (25.35)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	53.3 (21.0)	35.1 (13.8)	38 (15)	15.5 (6.1)	3.4 (1.3)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.6 (0.2)	8.1 (3.2)	37.5 (14.8)	55 (22)	246.5 (97.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	14.8	11.0	10.2	10.0	12.6	13.4	14.8	14.4	16.1	14.9	15.1	16.7	164
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	0.76	0.67	3.1	7.4	12.3	13.4	14.8	14.4	15.9	13.3	5.5	1.5	103.03
Average snowy days	14.5	10.7	8.4	4.3	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	2.8	11.0	15.7	68.5
Source: Environment Canada [6]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Sarre had a population of 7,358 living in 3,493 of its 3,698 total private dwellings, a change of 1% from its 2016 population of 7,282. With a land area of 148.36 km² (57.28 sq mi), it had a population density of 49.6/km² (128.5/sq mi) in 2021. ^[3]

Canada census – La Sarre community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	7,358 (+1.0% from 2016)	7,282 (-5.7% from 2011)	7,719 (+5.2% from 2006)
Land area	148.36 km2 (57.28 sq mi)	148.50 km2 (57.34 sq mi)	148.74 km2 (57.43 sq mi)
Population density	49.6/km2 (128/sq mi)	49.0/km2 (127/sq mi)	51.9/km2 (134/sq mi)
Median age	50.4 (M: 48.8, F: 52.8)	48.2 (M: 46.3, F: 50.5)	46.6 (M: 44.9, F: 47.9)
Private dwellings	3,698 (total)  3,493 (occupied)	3,643 (total)	3,617 (total)
Median household income	$59,600	$52,119	$43,315

References: 2021 ^[7] 2016 ^[8] 2011 ^[9]

Historical Census Data - La Sarre, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1941 2,167 —     1951 2,744 +26.6% 1956 3,155 +15.0% 1961 3,944 +25.0% 1966 4,798 +21.7% 1971 5,185 +8.1% 1976 4,978 −4.0% 1981 8,861 +78.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1986 8,622 −2.7% 1991 8,513 −1.3% 1996 8,345 −2.0% 2001 7,728 −7.4% 2006 7,336 −5.1% 2011 7,719 +5.2% 2016 7,282 −5.7% 2021 7,358 +1.0%
Source: Statistics Canada [10]

Canada Census Mother Tongue - La Sarre, Quebec [10]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		7,310		7,175	0.6%	98.2%		35	22.2%	0.5%		40	100.0%	0.5%		40	0.0%	0.5%
2016		7,235		7,130	5.1%	98.5%		45	30.8%	0.6%		20	33.3%	0.3%		40	33.3%	0.6%
2011		7,665		7,510	5.8%	98.0%		65	30.0%	0.9%		30	20.0%	0.4%		60	33.3%	0.8%
2006		7,220		7,100	5.6%	98.3%		50	66.7%	0.7%		25	16.7%	0.4%		45	18.2%	0.6%
2001		7,635		7,520	8.0%	98.5%		30	20.0%	0.4%		30	0.0%	0.4%		55	450.0%	0.7%
1996		8,240		8,175	n/a	99.2%		25	n/a	0.3%		30	n/a	0.4%		10	n/a	0.1%

Economy

The main local resource is the forest, which covers over 4,700 square kilometres (1,800 sq mi) and provides lumber to the town's main employers Norbord and Tembec, as well as agriculture, with over 60% of its land under cultivation. The mining industry, together with small service sector businesses, complements the economy. ^{[1] [5]} The area's flying needs are served by La Sarre Airport.

Government

Municipal council

• Mayor: Yves Dubé
• Councillors: Pierre Bourget, Steve Fontaine, Réjean Fournier, Victor Fournier, Karine Goulet, Renée Thiboutot

List of mayors

Former mayors of La Sarre were: ^[11]

Adélard Cousineau 1917 Félix Brousseau 1919 Léonidas Boisvert 1920 Hormidas Gauthier 1921–23 Jules Lavigne 1923–31 Edmond Mercier 1931–33 Oscar Létourneau 1933–36 Adrien Mercier 1936–39 Gustave Rheault 1939–41 Paul Bélanger 1941–44 G. Eugène Lambert 1944–47 Arthur Fortin 1947 Fernand Doyon 1947–48 Gérard Mercier 1948

François-Xavier Martel 1948–51 Gérard Mercier 1951–53 Adélard Pelletier 1953–55 Clément Déry 1955–63 Hector Gagné 1963–68 Roger Cousineau 1968–69 Yves Baltazard 1969–72 Raymond Thibault 1972–77 Paul-Aurèle St-Pierre 1977–92 Guy Carignan 1992–93 Guillaume Marquis 1993–96 J-Horace Lessard 1996–2003 Normand Houde 2003–2017 Yves Dubé (2017–present)

Notable people

• Aurèle Audet, (1920-2015), former Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
• Marie-Claude Audet, former cyclist
• Yvan Bordeleau, former Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
• Gérard Laprise, (1925-2000), former Member of Parliament
• Bob Mongrain, former ice hockey player
• Christine Moore, former Member of Parliament
• Doris Piché, badminton player
• Sébastien Piché, ice hockey player
• Pierre St-Amand, CMM CD , Royal Canadian Air Force Lieutenant-General
• Gilles Ste-Croix, vice president and co-creator of Cirque du Soleil.

See also

• List of cities in Quebec

References

1. "La Sarre (Ville)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
2. "La Sarre". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
3. "La Sarre (Code 2487090) Census Profile". 2021 census . Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
4. "Région 08: Abitibi—Témiscamingue (page 3)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
5. "Histoire de La Sarre" (in French). Ville de La Sarre. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
6. Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000, accessed 23 July 2010
7. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
8. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
9. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
10. 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 census
11. "Historique des maires" (in French). Ville de La Sarre. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.

External links

• Ville de La Sarre (French only)
• Vidéo : La Sarre en 1976
• Vidéo : La Sarre en 1989