Châteauguay, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Châteauguay is an off-island suburb of Montreal
, in southwestern Quebec
, located both on the Chateauguay River
and Lac St-Louis
, which is a section of the St. Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census
was 42,786.
at the time, the Comte de Frontenac with the intention of setting up a seigneurie
in the area. Afterwards the seigneurie was assumed by Zacharie Robutel de la Noue in 1706. In 1763 France
relinqueshed its claims in Canada and Châteauguay was now under British mandate. The seigneurie was bought by Marguerite d'Youville, a founder of the Quebec religious society the Grey Nuns
in 1765 and 10 years later construction began on the Church of Saint-Joachim.
Châteauguay played an important part in the colonial history of North America. With the United States having declared war on Britain in 1812, Châteauguay was seen as little more than a good vantage point to post troops to defend Montreal against an invasion. This prong of the American advance on Montreal ended with the Battle of the Châteauguay, where on October 25, 1813 Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Salaberry
succeeded in halting the American force of 4,000 advancing on Montreal with only some 400 troops, mostly French-Canadian and 170 Kahnawake Mohawk warriors. The second American incursion towards Montreal was defeated shortly after at Crysler's Farm
on November 11.
During the Lower Canada Rebellion
, Châteauguay was taken by the British army, who carried out the arrests of dozens of French-Canadians, including the leader of the rebels, François-Maurice Lepailleur, who was later exiled to Australia
. Two natives of Châteauguay, Joseph Duquet and another sympathiser were later hanged at the prison at Au-pied-du-courant.
The actual village of Châteauguay was created in 1855, after the abolition of the seigneurie system in Quebec by the British colonial regime. Later on the city annexed two neighboring districts, Châteauguay-Heights (1968) and Châteauguay-Centre (1975). In 1982, with the passage of the Loi sur l'aménagement et l'urbanisme, Québec, the city became part of the Roussillon Regional County Municipality
.
. She was elected on November 1, 2009.
within the city limits expanded its jurisidction over the nearby cities of Lery, Mercier, Beauharnois and Saint-Isidore between 2002 and 2007 through agreements between the municipalities.
(Conseil Intermunicipal de Transport du Sud-Ouest). They run two Chateauguay-Angrignon loop bus routes circulating in opposite directions. A city minibus transfers commuters from the western part of the suburb to the downtown, where the other off-peak routes pass. During rush hours, more bus routes connect the various neighbourhoods with the Angrignon
bus terminal and metro station. A special express bus route connects western Chateauguay and the Chateauguay Park-and-ride with downtown Montreal, only during rush hours. A reserved lane on Highway 138 eastbound makes the connection significantly faster when the Mercier Bridge is congested. The Chateauguay public transit system also offers a Taxi-Bus service which allows those people who live outside of the normal bus routes to, by way of transfer, use a taxi
funded by CITSO to drop them off at specific points in the city usually within walking distance of their residence. This service has proven itself quite useful and popular amongst those residents who utilize it.
NOVA Career Centre for adult students recently established itself in a building adjacent to Howard S. Billings. Their previous location was in the High School.
During the 1980s, three English elementary schools became French due to a demographic shift.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, in southwestern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, located both on the Chateauguay River
Chateauguay River
The Chateauguay River has its source in northern New York State in the United States. It winds its way through several towns and villages in Quebec, Canada, such as Huntingdon, Dewittville, Ormstown and Châteauguay before emptying into the Saint Lawrence River near Montreal.The river is home to...
and Lac St-Louis
Lake Saint-Louis
Lake Saint-Louis, or in French , is a lake in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, adjoining the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers.The lake is bounded to the north and east by the Island of Montreal...
, which is a section of the St. Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
was 42,786.
History
The land was first given to Charles Lemoyne by the governor of New FranceNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
at the time, the Comte de Frontenac with the intention of setting up a seigneurie
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
in the area. Afterwards the seigneurie was assumed by Zacharie Robutel de la Noue in 1706. In 1763 France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
relinqueshed its claims in Canada and Châteauguay was now under British mandate. The seigneurie was bought by Marguerite d'Youville, a founder of the Quebec religious society the Grey Nuns
Grey Nuns
The Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, formerly called The Order of Sisters of Charity of the Hôpital Général of Montreal and more commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal, is a Canadian order of Roman Catholic religious sisters...
in 1765 and 10 years later construction began on the Church of Saint-Joachim.
Châteauguay played an important part in the colonial history of North America. With the United States having declared war on Britain in 1812, Châteauguay was seen as little more than a good vantage point to post troops to defend Montreal against an invasion. This prong of the American advance on Montreal ended with the Battle of the Châteauguay, where on October 25, 1813 Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Salaberry
Charles de Salaberry
Lieutenant Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry was a French-Canadian of the seigneurial class who served as an officer of the British army in Lower Canada and won distinction for repelling the American advance on Montreal during the War of 1812.-Early years:Born at the manor house of...
succeeded in halting the American force of 4,000 advancing on Montreal with only some 400 troops, mostly French-Canadian and 170 Kahnawake Mohawk warriors. The second American incursion towards Montreal was defeated shortly after at Crysler's Farm
Battle of Crysler's Farm
The Battle of Crysler's Farm, also known as the Battle of Crysler's Field, was fought on 11 November 1813, during the Anglo-American War of 1812. A British and Canadian force won a victory over an American force which greatly outnumbered them...
on November 11.
During the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
, Châteauguay was taken by the British army, who carried out the arrests of dozens of French-Canadians, including the leader of the rebels, François-Maurice Lepailleur, who was later exiled to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Two natives of Châteauguay, Joseph Duquet and another sympathiser were later hanged at the prison at Au-pied-du-courant.
The actual village of Châteauguay was created in 1855, after the abolition of the seigneurie system in Quebec by the British colonial regime. Later on the city annexed two neighboring districts, Châteauguay-Heights (1968) and Châteauguay-Centre (1975). In 1982, with the passage of the Loi sur l'aménagement et l'urbanisme, Québec, the city became part of the Roussillon Regional County Municipality
Roussillon Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Roussillon is a regional county municipality of Quebec in Canada. The seat is in Saint-Constant, Quebec. The region's population was 149,996 in 2006.-Communities:*Cities and Towns**Candiac**Châteauguay**Delson**La Prairie**Léry**Mercier...
.
Recent history
In the 1970s the community was terrorized by a serial rapist and murderer who, while arrested, has never been identified.Population
Population trend| Census | Population | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 42,786 | 4.3% |
| 2001 | 41,003 | 1.0% |
| 1996 | 41,423 | 4.0% |
| 1991 | 39,833 | N/A |
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French only | 27,285 | 65.01% |
| English only | 10,710 | 25.52% |
| Both English and French | 395 | 0.94% |
| Other languages | 3,580 | 8.53% |
Government
The current mayor of Châteauguay is Nathalie SimonNathalie Simon
Nathalie Simon is the mayor of Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada. She won the position in the Quebec Municipal Elections of November 1, 2009, taking over from Sergio Pavone.-References:...
. She was elected on November 1, 2009.
Public Security
The Chateauguay Police have more than one hundred and fifty police officers. Their duties include investigations, crime prevention and routine city patrols. The force also participates in many community efforts. The majority of these outreach programs are aimed at Chateauguay youth and focus on the prevention of drug and alcohol use which is widespread among the youth( up to 78% of the teens have used a drug on the course of last month according to a survey). The force, originally having only jurisdictionJurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
within the city limits expanded its jurisidction over the nearby cities of Lery, Mercier, Beauharnois and Saint-Isidore between 2002 and 2007 through agreements between the municipalities.
Public transit
Public transportation is assured by CITSOCIT du Sud-Ouest
The CIT du Sud-Ouest , officially the Conseil Intermunicipal de Transport du Sud-Ouest, is the bus service that operates bus routes from Montreal to Kahnawake, Châteauguay, and Valleyfield, on the south shore of the St...
(Conseil Intermunicipal de Transport du Sud-Ouest). They run two Chateauguay-Angrignon loop bus routes circulating in opposite directions. A city minibus transfers commuters from the western part of the suburb to the downtown, where the other off-peak routes pass. During rush hours, more bus routes connect the various neighbourhoods with the Angrignon
Angrignon (Montreal Metro)
Angrignon is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
bus terminal and metro station. A special express bus route connects western Chateauguay and the Chateauguay Park-and-ride with downtown Montreal, only during rush hours. A reserved lane on Highway 138 eastbound makes the connection significantly faster when the Mercier Bridge is congested. The Chateauguay public transit system also offers a Taxi-Bus service which allows those people who live outside of the normal bus routes to, by way of transfer, use a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
funded by CITSO to drop them off at specific points in the city usually within walking distance of their residence. This service has proven itself quite useful and popular amongst those residents who utilize it.
HVDC-back-to-back station
Since 1984, Châteauguay has been home to one of the largest HVDC-back-to-back stations in the world with an operating voltage of 140 kV and a maximum transmission rate of 1000 MW.Education
The majority of the education institutions within Chateauguay are public with the exception of College Heritage which is semi-private (And is actually a high school and not a College.) A small list of Chateauguay schools are.- Collège Héritage - Semi-Private High school for French speaking students. (also houses 5th and 6th grade elementary school students)
- Howard S. Billings Regional High SchoolHoward S. Billings Regional High SchoolHoward S. Billings Regional High School is an English-language public secondary school located in Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1967 and is part of the New Frontiers School Board....
- High school for English students. - Louis Philippe Paré or more commonly known as L.P.P - High school for French speaking students.
- Gabrielle-Roy - High school for french speaking students.
- Centennial Park Elementary - Elementary school for bilingual students.(Sometimes Known as CPS)
- St-Jude - * Elementary school for French speaking students
- Mary Gardner - Elementary school for English speaking students.
- Ecole de La Rive - Elementary school for French speaking students.
- Laberge - Elementary school for French speaking students.
- Harmony School - Elementary school for English speaking students.
- St-Jean Baptiste - Elementary school for French speaking students.
- St-Wilibrord - Elementary school for English speaking students.
- Gerin Lajoie - Elementary school for French speaking students.
- Notre Dame de l'Assomption - Elementary school for French speaking students.
- Marguerite-Bourgeois - High school for French speaking students.
NOVA Career Centre for adult students recently established itself in a building adjacent to Howard S. Billings. Their previous location was in the High School.
During the 1980s, three English elementary schools became French due to a demographic shift.
- St-Paul School: The first, an English Catholic elementary. It remained property at the time of the Commission Scolaire de Chateauguay. It later was re-named Ecole des Trois Sources.
- Julius Richardson: The oldest of the English elementary schools in Chateauguay. It closed in the early 80s and became the Centre l'Accore d'Abottsford. It is an adult education center now. It was a school belonging to the then "Chateauguay Valley School Board" it was ceded to the "Commission Scolaire de Chateauguay".
- Robert A. Jobber: This school was the final English school to close. It was shuttered at the end of the 1987-88 school year. During its final years classroom space was leased out to the Catholic school board to house grade 6 students from neighboring Ecole Laberge. Robert A. Jobber, which is architecturally identical to Centennial Park school, became Ecole Gabrielle Roy. To maintain the Robert A. Jobber name the gymnasium at Centennial Park was named in his honor.
Famous people
- Corey CrawfordCorey CrawfordCorey Crawford is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, who is currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. His teammates and coaches often refer to him as "Crawf" or "Crow".-Playing career:...
(born 31 December 1984 in Châteauguay, Quebec) is a hockey goalie, currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. Crawford was the Blackhawks' 2nd round choice (52nd overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was the second goaltender to be drafted that year after Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury.
- Caroline Van Vlaardingen, a reporter and occasional anchor for CTV Montreal grew up and went to school elementary and high school in Chateauguay, QC.
- Kim St-PierreKim St-PierreKim St-Pierre is a women's ice hockey player.-McGill:In 1998-99, she was the top rookie for the McGill Martlets women's ice hockey team...
, the goalie for Team Canada's women hockey team, is a two-time gold medalist at both the 20022002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
and the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
.
- Pierre FalardeauPierre FalardeauPierre Falardeau was a Quebec film and documentary director, pamphleteer and noted activist for Quebec independence.-Profile:Falardeau studied anthropology at university and he taught that subject for a brief period...
who brought us the Elvis GrattonElvis GrattonBob 'Elvis' Gratton is a fictional character, the subject of multiple films and a television series of the same name by Quebec director Pierre Falardeau: a series of short films released on VHS as the single 1985 film Elvis Gratton: Le king des kings, and then two sequels: Elvis...
series is a Chateauguay native. As well the first 30 minutes of Elvis Gratton, Le King des Kings is filmed in Chateauguay
- Award-winning cartoonistCartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Chester BrownChester BrownChester William David Brown , is an award-winning, best-selling Canadian alternative cartoonist and, since 2008, the Libertarian Party of Canada's candidate for the riding of Trinity-Spadina in Toronto, Canada....
was raised in Chateauguay and attended Julius Richardson and Howard S. Billings schools. He was the creator of the SuperBee cartoons in the HSB yearbook.
- Veteran comic book artist Dale EagleshamDale EagleshamDale Eaglesham is a comic book illustrator who has been working in the industry since 1986. He is best known for his work on titles like Conan, Punisher, Green Lantern, Villains United, Justice Society of America and Fantastic Four...
spent the first 26 years of his life in Châteauguay. He is currently illustrating Justice Society of AmericaJustice Society of AmericaThe Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
for DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
- Astrophysicist Hubert ReevesHubert Reeves-External links: *...
was born in the town west of Châteauguay, LéryLéry, QuebecLéry is a small town situated along the south shore of Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,385...
.
See also
- List of municipalities in Quebec
- Châteauguay (provincial electoral district)Châteauguay (provincial electoral district)Châteauguay is a provincial electoral district in the Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It was originally created in 1853.- Geography :It consists of the municipalities of:* Châteauguay* Léry* Mercier...
- Châteauguay—Saint-ConstantChâteauguay—Saint-ConstantChâteauguay—Saint-Constant is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004...