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Port-Cartier

Coordinates: 50°02′N 66°52′W / 50.033°N 66.867°W / 50.033; -66.867
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Port-Cartier
City
Port-Cartier is located in Côte-Nord region, Quebec
Port-Cartier
Port-Cartier
Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec
Coordinates: 50°02′N 66°52′W / 50.033°N 66.867°W / 50.033; -66.867[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionCôte-Nord
RCMSept-Rivières
Settled1916
ConstitutedFebruary 19, 2003
Government
[2]
 • MayorAlain Thibault
 • Federal ridingManicouagan
 • Prov. ridingDuplessis
Area
[2][3]
 • Total1,371.79 km2 (529.65 sq mi)
 • Land1,092.75 km2 (421.91 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total6,516
 • Density6.0/km2 (16/sq mi)
 • Pop (2016-21)
Decrease 4.2%
 • Dwellings
3,307
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G5B
Area code(s)418 and 581
Highways R-138
Websitewww.villeport-cartier.com Edit this at Wikidata

Port-Cartier is a city in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at the mouth of the Aux-Rochers River, 63 kilometres (39 mi) southwest of Sept-Îles, Quebec.

Port-Cartier had a population of 6,516 at the 2021 Canadian census.[3] It has a land area of 1,092 square kilometres (422 sq mi), ranking 27th in area among all Canadian cities and towns. Besides Port-Cartier itself, the communities of Rivière-Pentecôte (49°47′N 67°10′W / 49.783°N 67.167°W / 49.783; -67.167),[4] Pointe-aux-Anglais (49°40′38″N 67°10′05″W / 49.67722°N 67.16806°W / 49.67722; -67.16806),[5] Baie-des-Homards (49°49′58″N 67°06′41″W / 49.83278°N 67.11139°W / 49.83278; -67.11139),[6] and Grand-Ruisseau (49°44′03″N 67°10′26″W / 49.73417°N 67.17389°W / 49.73417; -67.17389)[7] are also within its municipal boundaries, all located along Quebec Route 138.

History[edit]

In 1915, Colonel Robert R. McCormick, owner of the Chicago Tribune, visited the Rochers River area to evaluate its forest potential. Soon after, a settlement was established on the west side of the mouth of this river, originally called Shelter Bay.[8] The post office opened in 1916, followed by a sawmill in 1918 and a debarking factory of the Ontario Paper Company in 1920. Yet the exhaustion of timber led to the closure of the factory in 1955.[1]

In 1958, the Québec Cartier Mining Company constructed an iron ore processing plant and an artificial sea port near Shelter Bay, for shipping the iron ore mined from deposits at Lake Jeannine near Fermont. Port-Cartier, named after the mining company, was incorporated as a town in 1959 [1] and the next year, Shelter Bay was added to it.[9] The original town of Shelter Bay is now the suburb known as Port-Cartier West.[10] Today, the port handles approximately 18,000,000 tonnes (19,800,000 short tons; 17,700,000 long tons) of cargo per year [8] and ranks third in Quebec in terms of handled tonnage.[1]

Rivière-Pentecôte[edit]

Rivière-Pentecôte

In 1875, a mission called Saint-Patrice-de-la-Rivière-Pentecôte was established some 100 km south-west of Sept-Îles at the mouth of the Pentecôte River. This name is attributed to Jacques Cartier who arrived at the place on the day of Pentecost in 1535. In 1884, the "Penticost River" Post Office opened, frenchized to Rivière-Pentecôte in 1933. At the end of the 19th century, it was among the most important industrial centres along the North Shore. In 1972, the Municipality of Rivière-Pentecôte was formed out of unorganized territory.[11]

On February 19, 2003, the Municipality of Rivière-Pentecôte was amalgamated into the city of Port-Cartier.[11]

Demographics[edit]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port-Cartier had a population of 6,516 living in 2,918 of its 3,307 total private dwellings, a change of -4.2% from its 2016 population of 6,799. With a land area of 1,092.75 km2 (421.91 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.0/km2 (15.4/sq mi) in 2021.[3]

Canada census – Port-Cartier community profile
202120162011
Population6,516 (-4.2% from 2016)6,799 (+2.2% from 2011)6,651 (-1.6% from 2006)
Land area1,092.75 km2 (421.91 sq mi)1,102.09 km2 (425.52 sq mi)1,101.31 km2 (425.22 sq mi)
Population density6.0/km2 (16/sq mi)6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)6.0/km2 (16/sq mi)
Median age45.2 (M: 44.4, F: 46.4)43.7 (M: 43.0, F: 44.6)43.1 (M: 42.6, F: 43.5)
Private dwellings3,307 (total)  2,918 (occupied)3,336 (total)  2,930 (occupied)3,093 (total) 
Median household income$82,000$74,816$70,897
Notes: Municipality of Rivière-Pentecôte amalgamated into the Town of Port-Cartier on February 19, 2003.
References: 2021[12] 2016[13] 2011[14] earlier[15][16]
Historical Census Data - Port-Cartier, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1961 3,458—    
1966 3,537+2.3%
1971 3,730+5.5%
1976 8,139+118.2%
1981 8,191+0.6%
1986 6,858−16.3%
1991 7,383+7.7%
YearPop.±%
1996 7,070−4.2%
2001 6,412−9.3%
2006 6,758+5.4%
2011 6,651−1.6%
2016 6,799+2.2%
2021 6,516−4.2%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes and mergers.
Source: Statistics Canada[17][18]
Historical census populations – Rivière-Pentecôte
YearPop.±%
1976 953—    
1981 924−3.0%
1986 786−14.9%
1991 736−6.4%
1996 622−15.5%
2001 640+2.9%
The Municipality of Rivière-Pentecôte existed from 1972 to 2003.
Source: Statistics Canada

Mother tongue (2021):[3]

  • English as first language: 1.3%
  • French as first language: 97.1%
  • English and French as first language: 0.6%
  • Other as first language: 1.0%

Jail[edit]

The Correctional Service of Canada operates the Port Cartier Institution, a maximum security prison, about two kilometres to the north. The institution houses male offenders and offers various programs and services to promote rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Port-Cartier Institution is known for its focus on education and vocational training, with a wide range of courses available to help inmates develop new skills and prepare for successful reentry into the workforce upon release.[19] Notable inmates have included convicted murderers Paul Bernardo, Russell Williams, Michael Rafferty, Mohammed Shafia, Robert Pickton, and Guy Turcotte.[20]

Local government[edit]

List of former mayors:[21]

  • Roger Labrie (1959–1964)
  • Hector Maloney (1964–1966)
  • Louis Dufresne (1966–1973)
  • Gervais Lechasseur (1973–1975)
  • Bernard Dionne (1975–1982)
  • Ghislain Gagnon (1982–1983)
  • Anthony Detroio (1983–2009)
  • Laurence Méthot (2009–2013)
  • Violaine Doyle (2013–2017)
  • Alain Thibault (2017–present)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Port-Cartier (ville)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  2. ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 97022". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Port-Cartier (Code 2497022) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  4. ^ "Rivière-Pentecôte". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  5. ^ "Pointe-aux-Anglais". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  6. ^ "Baie-des-Homards". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  7. ^ "Grand-Ruisseau". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  8. ^ a b Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System : Port Cartier Archived 2007-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 22. Americana Corp. 1965. p. 378.
  10. ^ Brookes, Ivan (1974). The lower St. Lawrence: a pictorial history of shipping and industrial development. Freshwater Press. p. 165.
  11. ^ a b "Rivière-Pentecôte (municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  12. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  13. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  14. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  15. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  16. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  17. ^ 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  18. ^ "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.
  19. ^ "Information archivée dans le Web" (PDF). Publications du gouvernement du Canada (in French). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  20. ^ SUN, Toronto (2013-06-21). "Michael Rafferty joining killers Russell Williams and Paul Bernardo in Quebec prison". Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  21. ^ "Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Port-Cartier (ville) 1.7.1959 - ..." www.mairesduquebec.com. Institut généalogique Drouin. Retrieved 7 June 2024.

External links[edit]

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