Wentworth, Quebec
Township municipality in Quebec, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wentworth is a township municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, north-west of Lachute.
Wentworth | |
|---|---|
| |
 Location within Argenteuil RCM | |
  Wentworth Location in central Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 45°48′N 74°22′W[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Laurentides |
| RCM | Argenteuil |
| Settled | 1830s |
| Constituted | July 1, 1855 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jason Morrison |
| • Federal riding | Les Pays-d'en-Haut |
| • Prov. riding | Argenteuil |
| Area | |
• Total | 95.26 km2 (36.78 sq mi) |
| • Land | 85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 682 |
| • Density | 8/km2 (21/sq mi) |
| • Pop (2016-21) |  28.0% |
| • Dwellings | 802 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area codes | 450 and 579 |
| Highways | No major routes |
| Website | www |
Its population centres are Louisa (45°45′48″N 74°21′54″W),[4] Lac-Louisa (45°45′53″N 74°24′41″W),[5] and Dunany (45°44′28″N 74°19′49″W).[6]
History
The Gale and Duberger map of 1795 already shows the Wentworth Township, but it was not officially established until 1809.[7] It is unclear if it is named after a village in York County, England, or that it is a tribute to Sir John Wentworth (1737–1820), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1792 to 1808.[8]
Around 1830, a group of settlers composed of Irish and French Canadians, began clearing the rough land with difficulty. In 1845, the Gore Municipality was established, which included the Gore and Wentworth Townships, but it was abolished two years later. In 1855, the Wentworth Township Municipality was formed.[8]
In 1914, a small portion of the Wentworth and Montcalm Townships separated and formed the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles,[9] and in 1958, Wentworth lost a large chunk of its territory when the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord separated.[10]
Geography
The township is in the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains, not exceeding 487 metres (1,598 ft) above sea level, with a rocky, sandy, gravelly soil that is not conducive to agriculture. However, much of the land was cleared by early Irish settlers for farming and there remains small pockets of pastures along the Dalesville River, especially in the Glen and around the town centre. It is dotted with many lakes, such as Curran, Black, McDougall, Rainbow, and most notably Lake Louisa—the largest lake in the Regional County. These lakes attract many cottage vacationers and fishing enthusiasts.[7][8]
The headwater of the Dalesville River, the largest river in Wentworth, begins at the outlet of Barrows Lake on the western edge of the municipality and meanders for approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) through the municipality.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wentworth had a population of 682 living in 378 of its 802 total private dwellings, a change of 28% from its 2016 population of 533. With a land area of 85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi), it had a population density of 8.0/km2 (20.8/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 682 (+28.0% from 2016) | 533 (6.2% from 2011) | 502 (3.9% from 2006) |
| Land area | 85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi) | 87.69 km2 (33.86 sq mi) | 87.16 km2 (33.65 sq mi) |
| Population density | 8.0/km2 (21/sq mi) | 6.1/km2 (16/sq mi) | 5.8/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| Median age | 59.6 (M: 60.4, F: 59.2) | 56.9 (M: 57.4, F: 56.2) | 53.5 (M: 53.9, F: 53.2) |
| Private dwellings | 802 (total) 378 (occupied) | 788 (total) 266 (occupied) | 754 (total) |
| Median household income | $73,500 | $66,816 | $n/a |
Historical census populations – Wentworth, Quebec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Statistics Canada[3][14][15] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mother tongue (2021):[3]
- English as first language: 40.9%
- French as first language: 52.6%
- English and French as first language: 2.2%
- Other as first language: 2.9%
Government
Due to the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, Gore was redistricted to the new riding of Les Pays-d'en-Haut, which is represented by Tim Watchorn of the Liberal Party since 2025. Before that, Gore formed part of the federal electoral district of Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation and was represented by Stéphane Lauzon of the Liberal Party between 2015 and 2025. Provincially, Wentworth is part of the Argenteuil electoral district and is represented by Agnès Grondin of the Coalition Avenir Québec since 2018.
| Year | Liberal | Conservative | Bloc Québécois | New Democratic | Green | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45% | 217 | 14% | 65 | 28% | 134 | 9% | 44 | 0% | 0 | |
| 2019 | 41% | 173 | 15% | 63 | 27% | 115 | 8% | 35 | 7% | 30 | |
| 2015 | 47% | 128 | 14% | 39 | 18% | 50 | 19% | 51 | 2% | 6 | |
| 2011 | 26% | 66 | 25% | 65 | 13% | 34 | 31% | 80 | 4% | 11 | |
| 2008 | 24% | 59 | 47% | 118 | 18% | 46 | 4% | 9 | 8% | 19 | |
| 2006 | 34% | 68 | 31% | 62 | 20% | 40 | 7% | 14 | 8% | 16 | |
| 2004 | 59% | 131 | 18% | 39 | 10% | 23 | 2% | 5 | 10% | 21 | |
| Year | CAQ | Liberal | QC solidaire | Parti Québécois | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 31% | 86 | 32% | 89 | 5% | 14 | 12% | 33 | |
| 2018 | 23% | 76 | 47% | 156 | 5% | 17 | 13% | 45 | |
| 2014 | 5% | 19 | 71% | 260 | 1% | 5 | 21% | 77 | |
| 2012 | 11% | 30 | 65% | 174 | 2% | 6 | 21% | 55 | |
List of former mayors:
- George Seale (1882-1903)
- Thomas Morrison (1903-1920)
- Stewart Boyd (1921-1932)
- Leslie Adamson (1932-1941)
- Harvey Barlow (1941-1947)
- Sylvio Deslauriers (1947-1949)
- William Bickerdike (1949-1951)
- Clarence Neill (1951-1979)
- William Murray (1979-1985)
- Edmund Kasprzyk (1985-1997)
- Marcel Raymond (1997–2003)
- Normand Champoux (2003–2009)
- Edmund Kasprzyk (2009–2013)
- Marcel Harvey (2013–2016)
- Jason Morrison (2016–present)
In November 2025, Mayor Morrison was elected assistant Warden for the MRC d'Argenteuil. He is the first mayor of Wentworth to hold this position since the creation of the MRC in 1983.
Education
The Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools.[18]
- École polyvalente Lavigne in Lachute
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates English-language public schools:
- Laurentian Elementary School in Lachute[19]
- Laurentian Regional High School in Lachute[20]
