Laforce
Municipality in Quebec, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laforce (French pronunciation: [lafɔʁs]) is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality.
Laforce | |
|---|---|
The Expanse, a timber tugboat, worked for C.I.P. (Canadian International Paper). It entered service on Lake Simard in 1950. | |
 Location within Témiscamingue RCM | |
  Laforce Location in western Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 47°32′N 78°44′W[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Abitibi-Témiscamingue |
| RCM | Témiscamingue |
| Settled | 1937 |
| Constituted | January 1, 1979 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gérald Charron |
| • Federal riding | Abitibi—Témiscamingue |
| • Prov. riding | Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue |
| Area | |
• Total | 590.46 km2 (227.98 sq mi) |
| • Land | 436.78 km2 (168.64 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
• Total | 266 |
| • Density | 0.6/km2 (1.6/sq mi) |
| • Pop (2016–21) |  15.2% |
| • Dwellings | 110 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
| Website | laforce |
History
The place saw its first settlers in 1937, and was originally called Devlin, after the geographic township of Devlin, in turn named in honour of Charles Ramsay Devlin. In 1938, the Parish of Saint-Charles-Borromée-de-Devlin was founded. In June of that same year, the place received the name Laforce, named after Ernest Laforce (1879–1977), deputy minister of Colonization of Quebec at that time. In 1940, the Laforce Post Office opened.[1]
On January 1, 1979, the Municipality of Laforce was created out of previously unincorporated area.[5]
Demographics
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 320 (+38.5% from 2016) | 231 (-5.7% from 2011) | 147 (-15.5% from 2006) |
| Land area | 436.78 km2 (168.64 sq mi) | 439.48 km2 (169.68 sq mi) | 440.45 km2 (170.06 sq mi) |
| Population density | 0.7/km2 (1.8/sq mi) | 0.5/km2 (1.3/sq mi) | 0.3/km2 (0.78/sq mi) |
| Median age | 31.4 (M: 32.8, F: 31.2) | 38.8 (M: 38.5, F: 39.5) | 43.8 (M: 44.3, F: 40.9) |
| Private dwellings | 124 (total) 109 (occupied) | 107 (total) 92 (occupied) | 79 (total) 61 (occupied) |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $n/a | $n/a |
Historical census populations – Laforce | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Population figures based on revised counts. Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[4][9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mother tongue (2021):[3]
- English as first language: 59.4%
- French as first language: 32.8%
- English and French as first language: 1.6%
- Other as first language: 6.3%
Government
List of former mayors:[5]
- Patrice Rioux (1979–1979)
- Yves Nolet (1979–1981, 1987–1989)
- Bertrand Pichette (1981–1987)
- Alain Sinotte (1989–2000)
- Gérald Charron (2000–2013, 2017–present)
- Isabelle Morin (2013–2017)
