Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is a municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, Quebec
, Canada. It is a predominantly Francophone municipality
situated along the southern border of Quebec
between Montreal
and Ottawa
. Grenville-sur-la-Rouge covers a rectangular area of 321.67 km² along the shore of the Ottawa River
and extends northward into the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains
. Grenville-sur-la-Rouge surrounds the Village of Grenville
, which is bounded to the south by the Ottawa River.
Most of the population of just over 2,700 (2001 census) live in a rural setting; the villages of Calumet and Pointe-au-Chêne comprise under 1,000 residents in total.
The new name is a reflection of the community's history and geography. "Grenville" traces back to William Wyndham Grenville, a British statesman
that served briefly as British prime minister
(1806–1807). While Canada was still under British rule, a canal
was built by the military to bypass a series of rapids in the Ottawa River. The canal and the settlement that arose in the region were named in Lord Grenville's honour.
The name "Rouge" derives from the municipality's location. The Rouge River
runs from north to south roughly through the centre of the municipality. Finally, "sur-la" speaks to the Francophone culture and political landscape of the province. Translated to English, its name means "Grenville-on-the-Rouge".
for regional pulp and paper mills, such as the Fraser Papers mill in Thurso, Quebec
. A recently revitalized magnesite mine in Kilmar provides ore for Harbison-Walker's refractory plant in Marelan.
Tourism is an important part of the local economy, with several whitewater adventure companies being established along the Rouge River. First commercialized in the late 1970s, the Rouge River has become Quebec's most popular whitewater rafting location and is considered one of best in North America. Local owners have also turned century-old homes into Bed & Breakfasts, which are especially popular in the fall.
The 2001 Statistics Canada census reports that the majority of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge's residents earn income from non-resource based sectors.
and Route 344
are east-west highways that traverse the southern region of the municipality. Autoroute 50
, an east-west highway currently under construction, is also in the southern region and will have three interchanges in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. Route 344 briefly passes through the Village of Grenville
where one can cross over the Long-Sault Bridge
to Hawkesbury
, Ontario
. The Long-Sault Bridge is the only bridge that crosses the Ottawa River
between Ottawa
and Montreal
. The primary north-south access roads are the Rouge River Road and the Avoca Road. These secondary roads provide access to the communities of Avoca, Kilmar and Bell Falls.
and councillors. The current mayor is John Saywell.
The following statistics are derived from the pre-amalgamation data collected by Statistics Canada in its 2001 census. Data reported is the combined data of the Municipality of Grenville and the Village of Calumet http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E.
fame, spent some time in what is now known as Grenville-sur-la-Rouge capturing the beautiful scenery on the lower Ottawa Valley
. Paul Duval, in his biography
of Casson wrote:
Examples of Casson's painting from the region include:
Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Argenteuil Regional County Municipality is located in southern Quebec, Canada, part of the Laurentides region. The Regional County Municipality seat is Lachute.-History:...
, Canada. It is a predominantly Francophone municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
situated along the southern border of 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....
between Montreal
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...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. Grenville-sur-la-Rouge covers a rectangular area of 321.67 km² along the shore of the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
and extends northward into the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
. Grenville-sur-la-Rouge surrounds the Village of Grenville
Grenville, Quebec
Grenville is a village and municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located opposite Hawkesbury, Ontario, on the Ottawa River.-History:...
, which is bounded to the south by the Ottawa River.
Most of the population of just over 2,700 (2001 census) live in a rural setting; the villages of Calumet and Pointe-au-Chêne comprise under 1,000 residents in total.
History
Although the area has been settled for over 200 years, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is a relatively new creation. It was formed in 2002 by the amalgamation of several smaller communities: Avoca, Bell Falls, Calumet, Grenville Bay, Grenville Township, Kilmar, Marelan, and Pointe-au-Chêne.The new name is a reflection of the community's history and geography. "Grenville" traces back to William Wyndham Grenville, a British statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
that served briefly as British prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
(1806–1807). While Canada was still under British rule, a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
was built by the military to bypass a series of rapids in the Ottawa River. The canal and the settlement that arose in the region were named in Lord Grenville's honour.
The name "Rouge" derives from the municipality's location. The Rouge River
Rouge River (Quebec)
The Rouge River is a river in western Quebec, Canada,which empties into the Ottawa River near Pointe-au-Chêne and flows north of Mont Tremblant.It is located in the Laurentides,about halfway between...
runs from north to south roughly through the centre of the municipality. Finally, "sur-la" speaks to the Francophone culture and political landscape of the province. Translated to English, its name means "Grenville-on-the-Rouge".
Economy
Similar to several other rural communities that make up the county of Argenteuil, businesses located in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge are predominately resource-based. Many of the properties along the primary and secondary roads are established farms operated by third and fourth generation families. Forests cover a significant percentage of region and supports a limited amount of loggingLogging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
for regional pulp and paper mills, such as the Fraser Papers mill in Thurso, Quebec
Thurso, Quebec
Thurso is a city in the Papineau Regional County Municipality in the Outaouais region of western Quebec. It is located on the Ottawa River, and is within Canada's National Capital Region...
. A recently revitalized magnesite mine in Kilmar provides ore for Harbison-Walker's refractory plant in Marelan.
Tourism is an important part of the local economy, with several whitewater adventure companies being established along the Rouge River. First commercialized in the late 1970s, the Rouge River has become Quebec's most popular whitewater rafting location and is considered one of best in North America. Local owners have also turned century-old homes into Bed & Breakfasts, which are especially popular in the fall.
The 2001 Statistics Canada census reports that the majority of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge's residents earn income from non-resource based sectors.
Transportation
Route 148Quebec route 148
Route 148 is a major east-west highway in Quebec, Canada. It runs from Autoroute 25 in Laval in the Montreal region to the Ontario-Quebec border in L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in western Quebec. For most of its length, Route 148 follows the north shore of the Ottawa River where it acts as the principal...
and Route 344
Quebec route 344
Route 344 is an east/west highway on the north shore of the Ottawa River in Quebec, Canada. Its western terminus is in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge at the junction of Route 148, and its eastern terminus is in L'Assomption at the junction of Route 343...
are east-west highways that traverse the southern region of the municipality. Autoroute 50
Quebec Autoroute 50
Autoroute 50 is an Autoroute in western Quebec. Once completed, it will link the Outaouais region to the Greater Montreal area....
, an east-west highway currently under construction, is also in the southern region and will have three interchanges in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. Route 344 briefly passes through the Village of Grenville
Grenville, Quebec
Grenville is a village and municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located opposite Hawkesbury, Ontario, on the Ottawa River.-History:...
where one can cross over the Long-Sault Bridge
Long-Sault Bridge
The Long-Sault Bridge is a bridge connecting Hawkesbury, Ontario and Grenville, Quebec. It connects Quebec Route 344 and Ontario Highway 34.The bridge was built to replace the original Perley Bridge built in 1931....
to Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury, Ontario
Hawkesbury is a town in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River, near the Quebec-Ontario border.It lies on the south shore of the Ottawa River about halfway between Downtown Ottawa and Downtown Montreal in Prescott and Russell Counties. The Long-Sault Bridge links it...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The Long-Sault Bridge is the only bridge that crosses the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
between Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Montreal
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...
. The primary north-south access roads are the Rouge River Road and the Avoca Road. These secondary roads provide access to the communities of Avoca, Kilmar and Bell Falls.
Government
Local government comprises a mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and councillors. The current mayor is John Saywell.
Demographics
The following statistics are derived from Statistics Canada 2006 census.- Population:
- Population in 2006: 2721
- Population in 2001: 2663 (adjusted for boundary changes)
- 2001 to 2006 population change: 2.2 %
- Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 1180
- Languages:
- English as first language: 34 %
- French as first language: 64 %
- English and French as first language: 0.5 %
- Other as first language: 1.5 %
The following statistics are derived from the pre-amalgamation data collected by Statistics Canada in its 2001 census. Data reported is the combined data of the Municipality of Grenville and the Village of Calumet http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E.
- Population density: 8.5 people per square km
- Language(s) First Learned / Still Understood:
- French 56.4%
- English 39.1%
- Both English/French 2.4%
- Other 2.1%
- Religious affiliation
- CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
62.9% - Protestant 26.2%
- Christian OrthodoxEastern Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
0.7% - Other religions 0.4%
- No religious affiliation 9.7%
- Catholic
- Experienced labour force
- AgricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and other resource-based industries 5.9% - ManufacturingManufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
and constructionConstructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
industries 37.0% - WholesaleWholesaleWholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
and retailRetailRetail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
trade 14.7% - FinanceFinance"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and real estateReal estateIn general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
5.5% - HealthHealthHealth is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and educationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
9.7% - Business services 10.9%
- Other services 16.4%
- Agriculture
A.J. Casson
In the late 1960s, Alfred Joseph Casson (1892–1992) of Group of SevenGroup of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
fame, spent some time in what is now known as Grenville-sur-la-Rouge capturing the beautiful scenery on the lower Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
. Paul Duval, in his biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of Casson wrote:
In 1958 Casson retired from Sampson Matthews Limited, which enabled him to devote himself full-time to painting. Although the Ontario countryside had been his main focus, starting in 1966 he turned his attention more seriously to Quebec. Up until this time, his experience there had been limited to a two-week trip to Lac La Pêche in 1950. As Duval writes, "Casson was persuaded at last to paint in Quebec by A.Y. Jackson...Jackson spoke enthusiastically about the painting possibilities around the town of Grenville, a half-French, half-English community where he had stayed as a guest of Munroe Putnam." The Putnams, while in Toronto buying a number of sketches by Casson, invited him to their home to paint with Jackson. Casson made six consecutive summer trips to Grenville, exploring and painting the surrounding countryside, with Jackson showing him the choicest painting places. Duval writes, "Near to Grenville, were Harrington, Avoca and Montebello, all ideal landscape sites offering a rich variety of topography...Altogether he painted at least 150 oil sketches while based at Grenville, more than he had ever done of any one specific place." This fine canvas reflects Casson's deep regard for this beautiful countryside. http://www.heffel.com/New/Auction/Lots.aspx?Search=0&ID=0&Page=8
Examples of Casson's painting from the region include:
- Rain at Grenville, Quebec (1967)http://62.173.116.70/partnerpages/sale.aspx?SaleID=1112684&Page=4&SaleHouseID=1042260
- Grenville, Quebec (1968)
- Hill Country, Harrington, Quebec (1969) ... sold for $69,000 CAD http://www.heffel.com/New/Auction/Lots.aspx?Search=0&ID=0&Page=8
- Morning Mist Rouge River (?)
- Farm Near Grenville, Quebec (?) ... sold for $106,000 CAD in 2005 http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2005/11/21/harrispainting_051120.html