Normétal is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. It had a population of 778 in the 2021 Canadian census.

Normétal
Location within Abitibi-Ouest RCM
Location within Abitibi-Ouest RCM
Normétal is located in Western Quebec
Normétal

Normétal
Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 49°00′N 79°22′W / 49.000°N 79.367°W / 49.000; -79.367[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionAbitibi-Témiscamingue
RCMAbitibi-Ouest
Settled1925
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1945
Government
 • MayorGhislain Desbiens
 • Federal ridingAbitibi—Témiscamingue
 • Prov. ridingAbitibi-Ouest
Area
 • Total55.41 km2 (21.39 sq mi)
 • Land55.25 km2 (21.33 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total778
 • Density14.1/km2 (37/sq mi)
 • Pop (2016-21)
Decrease 3.7%
 • Dwellings
378
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
Area code819
Highways R-111
Websitenormetal.ao.ca Edit this at Wikidata

History

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In 1923, zinc and copper was discovered near the Calamité River and two years later, the Abana Mine Company obtained the mining rights. The new settlement, formed by families from Saint-Eustache, Portneuf, Bellechasse and the Mauricie, was therefore first called Abana. In 1931, the Normetal Mining Corporation acquired the mine and brought it to full operation six years later. In 1939, the railway and road to Dupuy was completed. In 1945, the place was incorporated, taking the name of the mining corporation whose name in turn is a portmanteau for "northern" and "metal".[1][4]

In 1949, street lighting was installed in Normétal. In 1950, the mining corporation came under control of Noranda (which became Falconbridge Ltd. and bought by Xstrata in 2006). In 1956, the mine had a peak production of 900 tons of ore per day and employed over 600 persons. In 1961, the town reached a population of 2519, its largest number of residents. But in 1975, after reaching a depth of 8,000 feet (2,400 m), the copper mine closed, resulting in a large exodus of people from the community with many going to the mines of Matagami and Joutel that had just opened. By the following year, the population had dropped to 1455.[1][4][5]

The Normetmar Mine closed in 1990. In 2005, work began on rehabilitation of the mine site by removing the tailings and planting vegetation.[4][5]

Demographics

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Population

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Canada census – Normétal, Quebec community profile
202120162011
Population778 (-3.7% from 2016)808 (-5.6% from 2011)856 (-3.4% from 2006)
Land area55.25 km2 (21.33 sq mi)55.68 km2 (21.50 sq mi)57.30 km2 (22.12 sq mi)
Population density14.1/km2 (37/sq mi)14.5/km2 (38/sq mi)14.9/km2 (39/sq mi)
Median age46.4 (M: 45.2, F: 46.8)47.0 (M: 46.0, F: 48.4)45.6 (M: 45.5, F: 45.8)
Private dwellings378 (total)  415 (total)  397 (total) 
Median household income$56,000$39,424$29,265
References: 2021[6] 2016[7] 2011[8] earlier[9][10]
Historical Census Data - Normétal, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1951 1,700—    
1956 2,044+20.2%
1961 2,519+23.2%
1966 2,312−8.2%
1971 2,105−9.0%
1976 1,524−27.6%
1981 1,393−8.6%
1986 1,239−11.1%
YearPop.±%
1991 1,193−3.7%
1996 1,129−5.4%
2001 1,019−9.7%
2006 886−13.1%
2011 856−3.4%
2016 808−5.6%
2021 778−3.7%
Source: Statistics Canada[11]

Language

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Canada Census Mother Tongue - Normétal, Quebec[11]
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2021
780
745   5.7% 95.5% 5   0.0% 0.6% 15   200.0%% 1.9% 5   n/a% 0.6%
2016
810
790   7.1% 97.5% 5   0.0% 0.6% 5   n/a% 0.6% 0   0.0% 0.0%
2011
855
850   1.2% 99.4% 5   50.0% 0.6% 0   0.0% 0.0% 0   100.0% 0.0%
2006
885
860   13.1% 97.2% 10   n/a% 1.1% 0   0.0% 0.0% 15   40.0% 1.7%
2001
1,015
990   12.4% 97.5% 0   100.0% 0.0% 0   0.0% 0.0% 25   n/a% 2.5%
1996
1,140
1,130 n/a 97.1% 10 n/a 0.9% 0 n/a 0.0% 0 n/a 0.0%

Arts and culture

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The town of Normétal is the setting of an award-winning movie, The Legacy from filmmaker Bernard Émond (2009), in which a family medicine physician from Montreal takes over the practice of an aging physician in need of respite.[12]

Government

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Municipal council (2023):[13]

  • Interim Mayor: Ghislain Desbiens
  • Councillors: Nestor Dubé, Patrice Morin, Monique Bouchard, Steve Lamoureux, Lise Bégin

List of mayors

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The former mayors of Normétal were:[14]

  • Albert Lafond 1945–47
  • Georges Barré 1947–55
  • Roméo Morin 1955–56
  • Lucien Trottier 1956–61
  • Lionel Mayer 1961–63
  • Samuel Petitclerc 1963–65, 1975–76
  • Régis Comeau 1965–68
  • Philippe Doire 1968–75
  • Réal Gamache 1976–81
  • Maurice Moisan 1981
  • André Rivest 1981
  • Normand Beaupré 1981–2005
  • Daniel Therrien 2005–2007
  • Jean Bergeron 2007–2010
  • Louise Quesnel 2010–2012
  • Rachel Bureau 2012–2013
  • Jacques Dickey 2013–2017
  • Roger Lévesque 2017–2022[15]
  • Ghislain Desbiens (interim) 2022–present

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Normétal (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  2. ^ a b "Normétal". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  3. ^ a b "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Normétal, Municipalité (MÉ) [Census subdivision], Quebec". 9 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Histoire de Normétal" (in French). Municipalité de Normétal. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  5. ^ a b "Bienvenue à Normétal" (in French). Municipalité de Normétal. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  6. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  7. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  8. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  9. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  11. ^ a b 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 census
  12. ^ "Films du Québec". Archived from the original on 2012-08-26. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  13. ^ "Conseil municipal - Normétal". normetal.ao.ca. MRC d'Abitibi-Ouest. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Maires de 1945 à aujourd'hui" (in French). Municipalité de Normétal. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  15. ^ "Procès-verbal de la séance ordinaire du conseil de la Municipalité de Normétal, située au 59, 1re Rue, le 6 décembre 2022, à 19 h 30" (PDF). normetal.ao.ca/. MRC d'Abitibi-Ouest. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
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