Harrington, Quebec
Township municipality in Quebec, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harrington is a township municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality. It is located in the Laurentian Mountains, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of Lachute.
Harrington | |
|---|---|
| |
 Location within Argenteuil RCM | |
  Harrington Location in central Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 45°50′N 74°40′W[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Laurentides |
| RCM | Argenteuil |
| Settled | 1830 |
| Constituted | July 1, 1855 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gabrielle Parr |
| • Federal riding | Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation |
| • Prov. riding | Argenteuil |
| Area | |
• Total | 249.91 km2 (96.49 sq mi) |
| • Land | 233.65 km2 (90.21 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 891 |
| • Density | 3.8/km2 (9.8/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2016-2021 |  5.3% |
| • Dwellings | 1,339 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
| Highways |  R-327 |
| Website | www |
Its population centres include Harrington, Lac-Keatley (45°47′08″N 74°36′09″W),[5] Lac-MacDonald (45°52′25″N 74°35′11″W),[6] Lakeview (45°52′56″N 74°34′17″W),[7] Lost River (45°49′53″N 74°32′54″W),[8] and Rivington (45°47′26″N 74°41′01″W).[9]
History
Harrington Township first appeared on the Gale and Duberger Map of 1795, but was not settled until 1830 when Scottish pioneers settled in the Lost River area in the east. In 1841, the township is officially established and in 1855, the township municipality was formed.[10]
It is believed that the name Harrington may be attributed to a location in England, however, the local post office was identified under the name of Rivington between 1878 and 1961.[10]
Geography
Harrington is a land of lakes and rivers, stocked with abundant fish. The Rouge River is the main river flowing through it, and the largest lakes include Lake (Lac) MacDonald, Lac des Esclaves, Green Lake, and Lake Harrington, each attracting a large number summer cottage vacationers. Its territory has a characteristic appearance of the Laurentian region with dense forests, rising to an elevation of 457 metres (1,499 ft) in the north-east, which is 30 metres (98 ft) more than Mont Chauve which dominates Green Lake.[11][10]
The Lost River flows for some miles from a spring that disappears under a calcareous rock between Gate Lake and Fraser Lake.[12]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Harrington had a population of 891 living in 495 of its 1,339 total private dwellings, a change of 5.3% from its 2016 population of 846. With a land area of 233.65 km2 (90.21 sq mi), it had a population density of 3.8/km2 (9.9/sq mi) in 2021.[3][4]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 891 (+5.3% from 2016) | 846 (-0.8% from 2011) | 853 (+9.8% from 2006) |
| Land area | 233.65 km2 (90.21 sq mi) | 237.09 km2 (91.54 sq mi) | 236.73 km2 (91.40 sq mi) |
| Population density | 3.8/km2 (9.8/sq mi) | 3.6/km2 (9.3/sq mi) | 3.6/km2 (9.3/sq mi) |
| Median age | 61.6 (M: 62.0, F: 61.2) | 60.7 (M: 60.9, F: 60.5) | 56.6 (M: 56.3, F: 56.9) |
| Private dwellings | 1,339 (total) 495 (occupied) | 1,379 (total) | 1,361 (total) |
| Median household income | $55,200 | $45,491 | $n/a |
Historical census populations – Harrington, Quebec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2021 Population figure based on amended count. Source: Statistics Canada[4][16][17] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canada Census Mother Tongue - Harrington, Quebec | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | French |
English |
French & English |
Other | |||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2021[3] |
970 |
380 | 8.6% |
39.2% | 495 | 12.5% |
51.0% | 35 | 600.0% |
3.6% | 50 | 11.1% |
5.2% | |||||
2016[14] |
845 |
350 | 1.4% |
41.4% | 440 |  2.2% |
52.1% | 5 | 75.0% |
0.6% | 45 | 50.0% |
5.3% | |||||
2011[15] |
855 |
345 | 60.5% |
40.4% | 450 | 2.2% |
52.6% | 20 | 78.9% |
2.3% | 30 | 200.0% |
3.5% | |||||
2006 [citation needed] |
775 |
215 | 4.9% |
27.7% | 460 | 8.0% |
59.4% | 95 | n/a% |
12.3% | 10 | 84.6% |
1.3% | |||||
2001 [citation needed] |
765 |
205 | 28.1% |
26.8% | 500 | 1.0% |
65.4% | 0 |  0.0% |
0.0% | 65 | 62.5% |
8.5% | |||||
1996 [citation needed] |
710 |
160 | n/a | 22.5% | 505 | n/a | 71.1% | 0 | n/a | 0.0% | 40 | n/a | 5.6% | |||||
Attractions
The municipality of Harrington has 3 community centers on its territory:
- Lost River community center (LRCC), 2811 route 327
- Harrington Valley community center (HVCC), 420 chemin Harrington
- Harrington Golden Age (HGA), 259 chemin Harrington
Tourist attractions include:
- Đại Tòng Lâm Tam Bảo Sơn: First and largest Buddhist temple in Canada, founded in 1988 by Thich Thien Nghi. It houses the tallest Buddhist statue in Canada, Avalokiteshvara, who flies on a dragon to help people. It is the statue of the Buddha of compassion. The 28-metre colossus is the largest of its kind in Canada. Heavy with 360 tons of Chinese granite, it took 28 containers to transport it from Asia in separate pieces. The statue was inaugurated in 2015 in front of 10,000 devotees. The temple attracts visitors from all over the surrounding region and is the most prominent tourist attraction in Harrington.
- Eco Spa Highland
- Auberge Val Carroll (Permanently closed in March, 2025).
Government
Harrington forms part of the federal electoral district of Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation and has been represented by Stéphane Lauzon of the Liberal Party since 2015. Provincially, Harrington 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 57% | 217 | 20% | 75 | 19% | 72 | 1% | 5 | 3% | 10 | |
| 2021 | 52% | 312 | 14% | 82 | 25% | 152 | 4% | 24 | 0% | 0 | |
| 2019 | 53% | 310 | 14% | 80 | 21% | 123 | 5% | 31 | 5% | 32 | |
| 2015 | 54% | 242 | 18% | 83 | 11% | 50 | 14% | 64 | 3% | 12 | |
| 2011 | 31% | 128 | 16% | 64 | 11% | 44 | 38% | 156 | 4% | 17 | |
| 2008 | 37% | 140 | 33% | 124 | 16% | 60 | 9% | 36 | 5% | 20 | |
| 2006 | 40% | 144 | 33% | 119 | 14% | 51 | 6% | 22 | 6% | 20 | |
| 2004 | 62% | 230 | 14% | 51 | 15% | 54 | 3% | 11 | 6% | 22 | |
| Year | CAQ | Liberal | QC solidaire | Parti Québécois | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 22% | 78 | 33% | 118 | 8% | 27 | 16% | 57 | |
| 2018 | 19% | 97 | 55% | 285 | 6% | 33 | 8% | 44 | |
| 2014 | 8% | 45 | 76% | 436 | 1% | 6 | 14% | 80 | |
| 2012 | 14% | 60 | 67% | 285 | 2% | 10 | 15% | 62 | |
List of current and former mayors:
- Ellen Lakoff (2001–2009)
- Keith Robson (2009–2012)
- Jacques Parent (2012–2021)
- Pierre Richard (2021–2022)
- Gabrielle Parr (2023-present)
List of current city councillors :
- Seat #1: Chantal Scapino
- Seat #2: Julie James
- Seat #3: Daniel St-Onge
- Seat #4: Robert Dewar
- Seat #5: Danny Low
- Seat #6: Gerry Clark
Education
The Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools.[20]
- École polyvalente Lavigne in Lachute
Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates English-language schools:
