Val-d'Or
Val-d'Or | |
|---|---|
 Val-d'Or city | |
 Location within La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM | |
  Val-d'Or Location in western Quebec | |
| Coordinates:48°06′N77°47′W/ 48.100°N 77.783°W[1][2] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Abitibi-Témiscamingue |
| RCM | La Vallée-de-l'Or |
| Constituted | January 1, 2002 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Céline Brindamour |
| •Federal riding | Abitibi—Baie-James— Nunavik—Eeyou |
| •Prov. riding | Abitibi-Est |
| Area | |
| •City | 3,979.63 km2(1,536.54 sq mi) |
| • Land | 3,536.84 km2(1,365.58 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 25.17 km2(9.72 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,539.98 km2(1,366.79 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 306 m (1,004 ft) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
| •City | 32,752 |
| • Density | 9.3/km2(24/sq mi) |
| •Urban | 25,473 |
| • Urban density | 1,011.9/km2(2,621/sq mi) |
| •Metro | 34,037 |
| • Metro density | 9.6/km2(25/sq mi) |
| • Pop(2016-21) |  0.8% |
| • Dwellings | 15,884 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00(EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00(EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code(s) | 819/873 |
| Highways |  R-111 R-113  R-117 (TCH) R-397 |
| Website | www |
Val-d'Or(/ˈvældɔːr/VAL-dor,[7]French:[valdɔʁ],locally[valdɑɔ̯ʁ];meaning "Golden Valley" or "Valley of Gold" ) is acityinQuebec,Canada with a population of 32,752 inhabitants according to the2021 Canadian census.The city is located in theAbitibi-TémiscamingueregionnearLa Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve.
TheAlgonquintoponym of the town isOzawaconia Odena.[8]
History
[edit]
Goldwas discovered in the area in 1923. The name of the town is French for "Valley of Gold." While gold is still mined in the area today, base metals, such ascopper(Cu),zinc(Zn), andlead(Pb) have become increasingly important resources. The ore is usually found in volcanic rocks that were deposited on the sea floor over 2.7 billion years ago. They are referred to as volcanic-hosted (orvolcanogenic) massive sulphide deposits (VMS).[2]
The city is known for its vast parks, cycle tracks, and forests. Some other attractions include theCity of Goldand the mining village ofBourlamaque,which were officially proclaimed historic sites in 1979.
The city hosted theQuebec Gamesin 1987. The local hockey team, theVal-d'Or Foreurs,have played in theQMJHLsince 1993, winning the league championship in 1998, 2001 and 2014 to claim a spot in theMemorial Cup.They play atCentre Air Creebec.The Foreurs' mascot is called Dynamit, named afterdynamitewhich was extensively used by the mining industry of Val-d'Or.
Val-d'Or was once home toCFS Val-d'Or,aCanadian Forces Station.
In themunicipal reorganizationsof January 1, 2002, Val-d'Or was merged with the neighbouring municipalities ofDubuisson,Sullivan,Val-SennevilleandVassan.[2]
TheRadio-Canadainvestigative television program,Enquête,revealed in October 2015 numerous allegations of assault and sexual abuse of local aboriginal women by members of the provincial police, theSûreté du Québec.[9]The news propelled the town into the national spotlight, causing Québec's Public Safety Minister,Lise Thériault,to suspend the officers and launch an independent investigation led by theMontréal police force.[10]
Geography
[edit]Val-d'Or is situated on theCanadian Shieldat an elevation of 1100 feet (330m) above sea level. Although its name refers to a valley ( "Val" ), the city is actually situated on a vast, slightly undulating plain.
Val-d'Or is at the heart of a vast hydrographic network which includes to the northLake Blouin,the head water of theHarricana Riverand to the south Baie Carrière, a reservoir which feeds theOttawa River.[11]
Climate
[edit]Val-d'Or has ahumid continental climate(Köppen Climate ClassificationDfb), closely bordering on asubarctic climate(Dfc) with warm, humid summers and severely cold winters. Winters are snowy with a January mean of −17.4 °C (0.7 °F). There are 18.4 days where the temperature will fall below −30 °C (−22.0 °F) although with the wind chill factored in, it can occasionally drop below −40 °C (−40.0 °F).[12]Snowfall totals are heavy, averaging 288 centimetres (113 in) with reliable snow cover from November to April.[12]Summers are warm with a July daily high of 23.7 °C (74.7 °F) though highs reach above 30.0 °C (86.0 °F) an average of 4.3 days per year. Val-d'Or receives 905 millimetres (36 in) of precipitation per year which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, though precipitation is heaviest during the warmest months. Val-d'Or receives 1853 hours of sunshine per or about 39.5 of possible daylight hours, ranging from a low of 19.2% in November to a high of 52.9% in July.
| Climate data for Val-d'Or (1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | 10.6 | 11.9 | 17.9 | 29.0 | 39.3 | 46.0 | 47.9 | 41.5 | 39.9 | 31.5 | 20.8 | 16.2 | 47.9 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.7 (49.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
28.2 (82.8) |
32.8 (91.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
36.1 (97.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
36.1 (97.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −10.9 (12.4) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
7.2 (45.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
16.0 (60.8) |
8.9 (48.0) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −17.4 (0.7) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
1.4 (34.5) |
9.2 (48.6) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −23.9 (−11.0) |
−21.4 (−6.5) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
7.9 (46.2) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −43.9 (−47.0) |
−42.2 (−44.0) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−11.1 (12.0) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−30.0 (−22.0) |
−40.6 (−41.1) |
−43.9 (−47.0) |
| Record lowwind chill | −55.2 | −53.5 | −47.2 | −32.8 | −18.7 | −9.2 | 0.0 | −2.9 | −10.0 | −18.3 | −36.0 | −50.1 | −55.2 |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 51.7 (2.04) |
39.3 (1.55) |
58.6 (2.31) |
66.4 (2.61) |
85.1 (3.35) |
90.4 (3.56) |
97.4 (3.83) |
93.5 (3.68) |
94.8 (3.73) |
83.7 (3.30) |
83.9 (3.30) |
60.4 (2.38) |
905.1 (35.63) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 5.6 (0.22) |
4.2 (0.17) |
16.5 (0.65) |
35.3 (1.39) |
82.3 (3.24) |
90.3 (3.56) |
97.4 (3.83) |
93.5 (3.68) |
93.3 (3.67) |
70.8 (2.79) |
40.9 (1.61) |
9.4 (0.37) |
639.4 (25.17) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 52.2 (20.6) |
39.6 (15.6) |
44.3 (17.4) |
29.9 (11.8) |
2.6 (1.0) |
0.07 (0.03) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.5 (0.6) |
12.6 (5.0) |
46.6 (18.3) |
58.8 (23.1) |
288.1 (113.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 18.3 | 15.6 | 14.4 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.5 | 16.6 | 17.8 | 20.6 | 21.4 | 196.8 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.1 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 8.9 | 13.7 | 14.4 | 15.3 | 14.4 | 16.6 | 13.8 | 7.7 | 2.7 | 115.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 18.2 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 8.3 | 1.7 | 0.27 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.9 | 16.3 | 20.9 | 101.0 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 86.5 | 124.4 | 162.3 | 177.8 | 220.7 | 243.0 | 255.9 | 227.2 | 139.9 | 99.0 | 53.7 | 62.9 | 1,853.4 |
| Percentpossible sunshine | 31.5 | 43.3 | 44.1 | 43.5 | 47.0 | 50.7 | 52.9 | 51.3 | 37.0 | 29.4 | 19.2 | 24.0 | 39.5 |
| Source:Environment Canada[12] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]In the2021 Census of Populationconducted byStatistics Canada,Val-d'Or had a population of32,752living in15,033of its15,884total private dwellings, a change of0.8% from its 2016 population of32,491.With a land area of 3,536.84 km2(1,365.58 sq mi), it had a population density of9.3/km2(24.0/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
| 2021 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,752 (+0.8% from 2016) | 32,491 (+2.0% from 2011) |
| Land area | 3,536.84 km2(1,365.58 sq mi) | 3,550.70 km2(1,370.93 sq mi) |
| Population density | 9.3/km2(24/sq mi) | 9.2/km2(24/sq mi) |
| Median age | 43.2 (M: 42.0, F: 44.0) | 42.5 (M: 41.4, F: 43.8) |
| Private dwellings | 15,884 (total) 15,033 (occupied) | 15,352 (total) 14,565 (occupied) |
| Median household income | $75,500 | $64,864 |
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| Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mother Tongue (2021):[4]
- English: 2.6%
- French: 93.3%
- English and French: 1.1%
- Other only: 2.4%
Economy
[edit]
Air Creebec,a regional airline, has its headquarters in Val-d'Or and theVal-d'Or Airportserves as its hub.[17]
Val-d'Or's proximity to theAbitibi gold belthas made it a large gold producer, being part of a region that produced 45 million ounces of gold since the 1930s.[18][19]
In 2012, Quebec Lithium Corp. re-opened alithiummine which had operated as an underground mine from 1955–65, planning to carve an open pit mine overpegmatitedikes. the mine is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Val d'Or, 38 kilometres (24 mi) southeast ofAmos,and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) km west ofBarraute.Access to the mine is via paved road from Val d'Or.[20]
ACanadian National Railwayline passes through the community. TheVal-d'Or stationformerly served CN andVIA Rail Canadapassenger trains.[21][22][23]
Transit and paratransit services within Val-d'Or are provided by a contractor.[24]Intercity bus service from and to Val-d'Or is provided byAutobus Maheux.Autobus Maheux(Q111902254)
Government
[edit]City council (as of 2022):[25]
- Mayor:Céline Brindamour
- Councillors: Maxime Gagné, Benjamin Turcotte, Èveline Laverdière, Martin Lavoie, Jean St-Jules, Sylvie Hébert, Lisyane Morin, Yvon Rodrigue
List of former mayors since 2002 amalgamation:
- Fernand Trahan (2002–2013)
- Pierre Corbeil(2013–2021)
- Céline Brindamour (2021–present)
Education
[edit]TheCentre de services scolaire de l'Or-et-des-Boisoperates French-language public schools, while theWestern Quebec School Boardoperates English-language public schools.
The city also hosts campuses ofCégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingueand ofUQAT.
Media
[edit]Almost all media in Val-d'Or and the nearby city ofRouyn-Norandaserves both cities. Although the cities are far enough apart that radio and television stations in the area serve the cities from separate transmitters, almost every broadcast station in either city has arebroadcasterin the other city. The only nominal exceptions are the cities' separateÉnergiestations, although at present even these stations share the majority of their broadcast schedule.
Notable people
[edit]- Yolette Lévy(1938–2018), Haitian-born Canadian politician and activist
- Serge Aubin,hockey player
- Dany Bédar,musician and singer
- Pierre Brassard,actor and comedian
- Lucien Cliche,politician
- Boom Desjardins,singer
- Raôul Duguay,singer and poet
- Sophie Dupuis,director
- Robin L'Houmeau,actor
- Anthony Mantha,hockey player
- Dany Sabourin,hockey player
- Diane Tell,singer
- Pierre Yergeau,writer
See also
[edit]- Parc Roland-Veillet,a public park
- List of towns in Quebec
References
[edit]- ^"Val-d'Or".Geographical Names Data Base.Natural Resources Canada.
- ^abc"Val-d'Or (Ville)"(in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.Retrieved2010-12-03.
- ^ab"Répertoire des municipalités:Geographic code 89008 ".www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca(in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
- ^abcd"Val-d'Or, Ville (V) [Census subdivision] census profile".2021 Census data.Statistics Canada. 29 March 2023.Retrieved2023-06-08.
- ^ab"Val-d'Or [Population centre] Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.Retrieved7 November2023.
- ^ab"Val-d'Or Quebec [Census agglomeration] census profile".2021 Census data.Statistics Canada. 29 March 2023.Retrieved2023-06-08..The census agglomeration includes the Indian reserve ofLac-Simon.
- ^"Val-d'Or".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.Retrieved14 September2019.
- ^« L'homme de Neawigak: et autres histoires algonquine » de Joseph 'Josie' Mathias,ISBN2-920579-12-6.Fiche sur le site de la[dead link]
- ^"Aboriginal women's claims of police sex abuse under investigation".CBC News.Retrieved2015-10-29.
- ^"Quebec police officers put on leave pending sex abuse investigation".CBC News.Retrieved2015-10-29.
- ^"Unknown".[permanent dead link]
- ^abc"Val-D'Or A".Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010.Environment Canada.Archived fromthe originalon 2020-07-17.RetrievedNovember 6,2013.
- ^"2021 Community Profiles".2021 Canadian census.Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022.Retrieved2023-11-07.
- ^"2016 Community Profiles".2016 Canadian census.Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021.Retrieved2023-11-07.
- ^"2006 Community Profiles".2006 Canadian census.Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^"2001 Community Profiles".2001 Canadian census.Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^"Contact UsArchived2008-01-22 at theWayback Machine."Air Crebeec. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.
- ^"titan resources plans exploration of abitibi gold belt, val d'or property".2010-02-10.
- ^"malartic val d'or projects".Retrieved2010-05-03.
- ^"Quebec Lithium".Canada Lithium Corp. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-10.Retrieved2013-03-07.
- ^Dionne, Yves(1986)."Abitibi: gare aux gares!".Continuité(in French) (30): 36.ISSN0714-9476.
- ^"Railway stations in Val d'Or Quebec".www.canada-rail.com.Retrieved2024-07-01.
- ^"Gare de Val-d'Or | Le monde en images - des collections pour l'éducation".monde.ccdmd.qc.ca.Retrieved2024-07-01.
- ^"Transport collectif".Ville de Val-d’Or(in French). 2024-06-19.Retrieved2024-07-01.
- ^"Conseil municipal".
External links
[edit]
- Municipal website(in French)
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 Subdivisions ofLa Vallée-de-l'Or Regional County Municipality | |
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