Wentworth, Quebec

Wentworth
Township municipality
Location within Argenteuil RCM
Wentworth Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 45°48′N74°22′W / 45.8°N 74.37°W / 45.8; -74.37 [1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Laurentides
RCM	Argenteuil
Settled	1830s
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government [2]
• Mayor	Jason Morrison
•  Federal riding	Les Pays-d'en-Haut
•  Prov. riding	Argenteuil
Area [2] [3]
• Total	95.26 km2 (36.78 sq mi)
• Land	85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [3]
• Total	682
• Density	8.0/km2 (21/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	28.0%
• Dwellings	802
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J8H 0C7
Area codes	450 and 579
Highways	No major routes
Website	www.wentworth.ca

Wentworth is a township municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, north-west of Lachute.

Its population centres are Louisa ( 45°45′48″N74°21′54″W / 45.76333°N 74.36500°W / 45.76333; -74.36500 ), ^[4] Lac-Louisa ( 45°45′53″N74°24′41″W / 45.76472°N 74.41139°W / 45.76472; -74.41139 ), ^[5] and Dunany ( 45°44′28″N74°19′49″W / 45.74111°N 74.33028°W / 45.74111; -74.33028 ). ^[6]

History

The Gale and Duberger map of 1795 already shows the Wentworth Township, but it was not officially established until 1809. ^[7] It is unclear if it is named after a village in York County, England, or that it is a tribute to Sir John Wentworth (1737–1820), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1792 to 1808. ^[8]

Around 1830, a group of settlers composed of Irish and French Canadians, began clearing the rough land with difficulty. In 1845, the Gore Municipality was established, which included the Gore and Wentworth Townships, but it was abolished two years later. In 1855, the Wentworth Township Municipality was formed. ^[8]

In 1914, a small portion of the Wentworth and Montcalm Townships separated and formed the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles, ^[9] and in 1958, Wentworth lost a large chunk of its territory when the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord separated. ^[10]

Geography

Louisa

The township is in the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains, not exceeding 487 metres (1,598 ft) above sea level, with a rocky, sandy, gravelly soil that is not conducive to agriculture. However, much of the land was cleared by early Irish settlers for farming and there remains small pockets of pastures along the Dalesville River, especially in the Glen and around the town centre. It is dotted with many lakes, such as Curran, Black, McDougall, Rainbow, and most notably Lake Louisa—the largest lake in the Regional County. These lakes attract many cottage vacationers and fishing enthusiasts. ^{[7] [8]}

The headwater of the Dalesville River, the largest river in Wentworth, begins at the outlet of Barrows Lake on the western edge of the municipality and meanders for approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) through the municipality.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wentworth had a population of 682 living in 378 of its 802 total private dwellings, a change of 28% from its 2016 population of 533. With a land area of 85.03 km² (32.83 sq mi), it had a population density of 8.0/km² (20.8/sq mi) in 2021. ^[3]

Canada census – Wentworth, Quebec community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	682 (+28.0% from 2016)	533 (6.2% from 2011)	502 (3.9% from 2006)
Land area	85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi)	87.69 km2 (33.86 sq mi)	87.16 km2 (33.65 sq mi)
Population density	8.0/km2 (21/sq mi)	6.1/km2 (16/sq mi)	5.8/km2 (15/sq mi)
Median age	59.6 (M: 60.4, F: 59.2)	56.9 (M: 57.4, F: 56.2)	53.5 (M: 53.9, F: 53.2)
Private dwellings	802 (total)  378 (occupied)	788 (total)  266 (occupied)	754 (total)
Median household income	$73,500	$66,816	$n/a

References: 2021 ^[11] 2016 ^[12] 2011 ^[13]

Historical census populations – Wentworth, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1861 343 —     1871 656 +91.3% 1881 610 −7.0% 1891 898 +47.2% 1901 1,064 +18.5% 1911 855 −19.6% 1921 953 +11.5% 1931 986 +3.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1941 469 −52.4% 1951 727 +55.0% 1956 432 −40.6% 1961 72 −83.3% 1966 102 +41.7% 1971 146 +43.1% 1976 204 +39.7% 1981 225 +10.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1986 273 +21.3% 1991 329 +20.5% 1996 379 +15.2% 2001 434 +14.5% 2006 483 +11.3% 2011 502 +3.9% 2016 533 +6.2% 2021 682 +28.0%
Source: Statistics Canada [3] [14] [15]

Mother tongue (2021): ^[3]

• English as first language: 40.9%
• French as first language: 52.6%
• English and French as first language: 2.2%
• Other as first language: 2.9%

Government

Due to the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, Gore was redistricted to the new riding of Les Pays-d'en-Haut, which is represented by Tim Watchorn of the Liberal Party since 2025. Before that, Gore formed part of the federal electoral district of Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation and was represented by Stéphane Lauzon of the Liberal Party between 2015 and 2025. Provincially, Wentworth is part of the Argenteuil electoral district and is represented by Agnès Grondin of the Coalition Avenir Québec since 2018.

Wentworth federal election results ^[16]

Year		Liberal		Conservative		Bloc Québécois		New Democratic		Green
	2021	45%	217	14%	65	28%	134	9%	44	0%	0
	2019	41%	173	15%	63	27%	115	8%	35	7%	30
	2015	47%	128	14%	39	18%	50	19%	51	2%	6
	2011	26%	66	25%	65	13%	34	31%	80	4%	11
	2008	24%	59	47%	118	18%	46	4%	9	8%	19
	2006	34%	68	31%	62	20%	40	7%	14	8%	16
	2004	59%	131	18%	39	10%	23	2%	5	10%	21

Wentworth provincial election results ^[17]

Year		CAQ		Liberal		QC solidaire		Parti Québécois
	2022	31%	86	32%	89	5%	14	12%	33
	2018	23%	76	47%	156	5%	17	13%	45
	2014	5%	19	71%	260	1%	5	21%	77
	2012	11%	30	65%	174	2%	6	21%	55

List of former mayors:

• George Seale (1882-1903)
• Thomas Morrison (1903-1920)
• Stewart Boyd (1921-1932)
• Leslie Adamson (1932-1941)
• Harvey Barlow (1941-1947)
• Sylvio Deslauriers (1947-1949)
• William Bickerdike (1949-1951)
• Clarence Neill (1951-1979)
• William Murray (1979-1985)
• Edmund Kasprzyk (1985-1997)
• Marcel Raymond (1997–2003)
• Normand Champoux (2003–2009)
• Edmund Kasprzyk (2009–2013)
• Marcel Harvey (2013–2016)
• Jason Morrison (2016–present)

Education

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

• École polyvalente Lavigne in Lachute

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

• Laurentian Elementary School in Lachute ^[19]
• Laurentian Regional High School in Lachute ^[20]

See also

• List of anglophone communities in Quebec
• List of township municipalities in Quebec

References

1. "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 66892". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
2. "Répertoire des municipalités: Wentworth". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
3. "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Wentworth, Canton (Municipalité de) (CT) [Census subdivision], Quebec". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022.
4. "Louisa". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 15 July 2025.
5. "Lac-Louisa". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 15 July 2025.
6. "Dunany". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 15 July 2025.
7. "Wentworth (canton)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
8. "Wentworth (Municipalité de canton)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
9. "Lac-des-Seize-Îles (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
10. "Wentworth-Nord (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
11. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
12. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
13. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
14. Eighth Census of Canada 1941 - Volume II - Population by Local Subdivisions (Report). Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1944. CS98-1941-2.
15. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada. July 1973.
16. "Official Voting Results Raw Data (poll by poll results in block 4282)". Elections Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
17. "Official Voting Results by polling station (poll by poll results in block 4282)". Elections Québec. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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. "LAURENTIAN ELEMENTARY ZONE Archived 2017-09-16 at the Wayback Machine ." Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. 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.

External links

• Official website