Otter Lake, Quebec

Otter Lake is a municipality in the Outaouais region, northwest of Gatineau, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada.

Otter Lake
Municipality
Location within Pontiac RCM
Otter Lake Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 45°51′N 76°26′W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Outaouais
RCM	Pontiac
Constituted	January 1, 1877
Government
• Mayor	Terry Lafleur
• Federal riding	Pontiac
• Prov. riding	Pontiac
Area
• Total	493.32 km2 (190.47 sq mi)
• Land	454.70 km2 (175.56 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	1,041
• Density	2.3/km2 (6/sq mi)
• Pop (2016–21)	11.7%
• Dwellings	1,134
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0X 2P0
Area code	819
Access Routes	R-301 R-303
Website	www.otterlakequebec.ca

Prior to December 20, 2003 it was known as Leslie-Clapham-et-Huddersfield and had the legal status of a united township municipality.

Geography

Population centres within the municipality include: Klukeville, Lauréat, Omer, Otter Lake, and Sandy Creek.

The village of Otter Lake is surrounded by Hughes Lake to the west, Lac de la Ferme (Farm Lake) to the east, McCuaig Lake to the south, and Lac à la Loutre (Otter Lake) to the north.

History

In 1793, Huddersfield Township was established, named after its namesake in West Yorkshire, England. In 1866, Leslie Township was established, named after James Leslie (1786-1873), a Canadian senator.

Also in 1866, the Otter Lake post office opened and the village that formed around the post office also came to have the same name. Since then, Philemon Wright, pioneer of the logging industry in Ottawa, operated a wood depot at Otter Lake. The industry has played and continues to play a leading role in the early and contemporary history of the village.

In 1877, the United Township Municipality of Leslie-Clapham-et-Huddersfield was formed from its constituent townships. While Clapham Township was not officially established until 1920, it was already planned in the second half of the 19th century and named after a village north of Bedford, England. The united municipality was established because it was more advantageous to hold a municipal status than remain unorganized territory.

In 2004 the United Township Municipality of Leslie-Clapham-et-Huddersfield became the Municipality of Otter Lake.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Otter Lake community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	1,041 (+11.7% from 2016)	932 (-16.0% from 2011)	1,109 (+14.1% from 2006)
Land area	454.70 km2 (175.56 sq mi)	463.01 km2 (178.77 sq mi)	463.50 km2 (178.96 sq mi)
Population density	2.3/km2 (6.0/sq mi)	2.0/km2 (5.2/sq mi)	2.4/km2 (6.2/sq mi)
Median age	56 (M: 56, F: 55.6)	53.0 (M: 53.1, F: 52.8)	50.4 (M: 51.2, F: 49.9)
Private dwellings	1,134 (total)	1,068 (total)	1,130 (total)
Median household income	$49,600	$42,581	$.N/A

Notes: 2011 income data for this area has been suppressed for data quality or confidentiality reasons.
References: 2021 2016 2011 earlier

Historical Census Data - Otter Lake, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1976 959 —     1981 962 +0.3% 1986 947 −1.6% 1991 923 −2.5% 1996 1,002 +8.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 877 −12.5% 2006 972 +10.8% 2011 1,109 +14.1% 2016 932 −16.0% 2021 1,041 +11.7%
Source: Statistics Canada

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Otter Lake, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		1,040		400	19.4%	38.5%		580	0.9%	55.8%		45	200.0%	4.3%		15	200.0%	1.4%
2016		930		335	9.5%	36.0%		575	17.3%	61.8%		15	40.0%	1.6%		5	66.7%	0.5%
2011		1110		370	24.5%	33.3%		695	46.3%	62.6%		25	n/a%	2.3%		15	n/a%	1.4%
2006		970		490	92.2%	50.5%		475	20.2%	49.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2001		880		255	45.2%	29.0%		595	20.2%	67.6%		15	50.0%	1.7%		15	50.0%	1.7%
1996		985		465	n/a	47.2%		495	n/a	50.3%		10	n/a	1.0%		10	n/a	1.0%

Local government

Otter Lake federal election results

Year		Liberal		Conservative		Bloc Québécois		New Democratic		Green
	2021	37%	205	38%	208	5%	29	9%	47	1%	6
	2019	47%	228	33%	161	5%	22	9%	44	3%	12

Otter Lake provincial election results

Year		CAQ		Liberal		QC solidaire		Parti Québécois
	2018	18%	55	70%	211	1%	2	0%	1
	2014	3%	16	93%	469	1%	6	2%	12

Otter Lake forms part of the federal electoral district of Pontiac and has been represented by Sophie Chatel of the Liberal Party since 2021. Provincially, Otter Lake is part of the Pontiac electoral district and is represented by André Fortin of the Quebec Liberal Party since 2014.

List of former mayors:

• Terry G. Richard (2001–2009)
• Graham Hawley (2009–2015)
• Kim Cartier-Villeneuve (2015–2021)
• Terry Lafleur (2021-)

See also

• List of anglophone communities in Quebec
• List of municipalities in Quebec