Saint-Lazare, Quebec

Saint-Lazare, also known as Saint-Lazare-de-Vaudreuil, is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada in the Regional County Municipality of Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Not to be confused with Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse, Quebec.

Saint-Lazare
City
Location within Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM.
Saint-Lazare
Location in southern Quebec.
Coordinates: 45°24′N 74°08′W[1]
Country Canada
Province Quebec
RegionMontérégie
RCMVaudreuil-Soulanges
Constituted31 December 1875
Government
 • MayorRobert Grimaudo
 • Federal ridingVaudreuil-Soulanges
 • Prov. ridingSoulanges
Area
 • Total67.50 km2 (26.06 sq mi)
 • Land66.62 km2 (25.72 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[4]
 • Total19,889
 • Density289.6/km2 (750/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006-2011
 13.4%
 • Dwellings
6,546
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J7T
Area code(s)450 and 579
Highways
A-40 (TCH)
Route 340
Route 342
Websitewww.ville.
saint-lazare.qc.ca

History

Originally part of the Seigneurie de Vaudreuil in the 18th century, the territory corresponding to Saint-Lazare was considered difficult to farm due to sandy soil.

Saint-Lazare was founded as a parish on December 31, 1875. The first church was built in 1877, destroyed by a fire in 1942 and subsequently rebuilt in 1947.

A passenger train from Canadian Pacific Railway previously ran through the town but was discontinued in 1960. The station located on the corner of Sainte-Angélique and Duhamel was demolished.

Originally a rural farming town, the city of Saint-Lazare experienced rapid growth in the 1990s, fueled predominantly by the arrival of young, middle-class families.

New residents flocked to the area seeking a more relaxed lifestyle than that of the island of Montreal, as well as larger homes and property for less money than on the island of Montreal.

In 2015 the Saint-Lazare government began using pictograms instead of text on signs when the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) asked it to remove its English-language signs; the Saint-Lazare community believes in accommodating bilingualism and its Anglophone residents.[5]

Communities
  • Saint-Lazare-de-Vaudreuil
  • Saint-Lazare-Sud
  • Saint-Lazare-Nord
  • Saddlebrook
  • Cedarbrook
  • Sunnybrook
  • Chanterel
  • Forest Hill
  • Maple Ridge

Demographics

Population
Canada census – Saint-Lazare, Quebec community profile
2011 2006
Population: 19,295 (+13.4% from 2006) 17,016 (+32.0% from 2001)
Land area: 66.62 km2 (25.72 sq mi) 66.53 km2 (25.69 sq mi)
Population density: 289.6/km2 (750/sq mi) 255.7/km2 (662/sq mi)
Median age: 38.4 (M: 38.7, F: 38.2) 36.6 (M: 36.7, F: 36.4)
Total private dwellings: 6,546 5,765
Median household income: $97,138 $84,334
References: 2011[6] 2006[7] earlier[8]
Historical Census Data - Saint-Lazare, Quebec[9]
YearPop.±%
1991 9,055—    
1996 11,193+23.6%
2001 12,895+15.2%
YearPop.±%
2006 17,016+32.0%
2011 19,295+13.4%
2016 19,889+3.1%

Language
Canada Census Mother Tongue - Saint-Lazare, Quebec[9]
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2016
19,890
 10,450 1.55% 52.55% 7,175 1.84% 36.07% 485 10.27% 2.44% 1,615 14.54% 8.12%
2011
19,185
 10,290 11.5% 53.64% 7,045 3.12% 36.72% 440 76.0% 2.29% 1,410 2.9% 7.35%
2006
17,015
 9,230 30.8% 54.25% 6,165 29.8% 36.23% 250 5.7% 1.47% 1,370 65.1% 8.05%
2001
12,900
 7,055 14.5% 54.69% 4,750 18.9% 36.82% 265 15.2% 2.05% 830 12.9% 6.43%
1996
11,120
 6,160 n/a 55.39% 3,995 n/a 35.93% 230 n/a 2.07% 735 n/a 6.61%

Soils

Saint-Lazare was built on thick deposits of sand. Poorly drained areas are most common in the eastern part of town and have been mapped as muck, Peat or Vaudreuil series (a "half-bog" or gleysol), while the well to rapidly drained classic podzols are assigned to Ste. Sophie or Upland series.[10]

Attractions

Some of the popular attractions are:

  • Aéroport Cooper
  • Bar Chez Maurice
  • Bar Planète St-Lazare
  • Club équestre Les Forestiers
  • Sports Complex
  • Festivals
  • Festival équestre Gymkhana
  • Horse shows
  • La Pinière
  • Torchlight Parade (ATV)
  • Trails and paths
  • Canins canine sport center

Parks
ATV trail passing, criss-crossing with equestrian horse trails through the western portion of Saint-Lazare, Quebec.

Saint-Lazare is graced by significant public funding for its ambitious recreational projects. Bedard Park in the centre of the town is a relatively large park equipped with a small water park, a grass field, three baseball diamonds, and tennis courts. In the winter two hockey rinks and an ice skating oval are added. The park hosts several events throughout the year, among the biggest of which is the annual St-Jean-de-Baptiste festival. Another large, multi-use park is called Le Parc nature les Forestiers de Saint-Lazare (2800 Chemin Lotbinière, Saint-Lazare, QC J7T 3H9). It is a 4-season park, with an outdoor pool, trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, and picnic areas.

Other parks in Saint-Lazare are scattered among the small subdivisions throughout the municipality.

A new privately -financed sports centre was opened to the public in 2006 which includes an indoor soccer turf, a hockey rink, and a gym.

Equestrian

Areas surrounding Saint-Lazare are dedicated to equestrian horse riding, including sanctioned trails that flow through wooded forests and nearby lakes in the region. Many trails are sand based, which is due in part to the popularity of this type of activity in the region. The town has one of the largest populations of horses, approximately 3,500 with many residential properties fully dedicated to breeding and horse training.

ATV

All-terrain vehicles are very popular in the region with an officially sanctioned trail, which runs between Saint-Lazare and the nearby town of Rigaud, Quebec. The trail is maintained by regional members of local ATV clubs. The trails are open in all four seasons, and groomed in the winter using heavy machinery.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The city is served by the 51 bus from the Exo La Presqu’Île, terminating at the Vaudreuil train station.

Education

Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs operates Francophone schools.[11]

  • École à l'Orée-du-Bois
  • École Auclair
  • École des Étriers
  • Sections are zoned to École Saint-Thomas in Hudson[12]

There is one French language public high school (École secondaire Cité-des-Jeunes in Vaudreuil-Dorion) in the area.

Lester B. Pearson School Board operates Anglophone schools.[13]

A new senior elementary school, Forest Hill Senior, was opened in 2006. There are also two English language public secondary schools in the surrounding area (Westwood Senior - formerly Hudson High School - and Westwood Junior-formerly known as Vaudreuil Catholic High School). A new English-language elementary school (Birchwood Elementary) has opened for the 2011–2012 school year, even after many delays in construction.

There is a semi-private French-speaking institution in Rigaud (Collège-Bourget).

Sports clubs
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See also
  • List of cities in Quebec

References
  1. Reference number 369778 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire: Saint-Lazare
  3. Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: VAUDREUIL--SOULANGES (Quebec)
  4. 2011 Statistics Canada Census Profile: Saint-Lazare, Quebec
  5. Hopper, Tristin (27 November 2015). "Quebec town makes stand for English: Told to remove 'welcome' sign, decides to drop French too". National Post. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  6. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  7. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  8. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 17 February 2012.
  9. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 census
  10. http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/publications/surveys/pq/pq53/pq53_report.pdf Lajoie and Stobbe, (1951). Soil Survey of Soulanges and Vaudreuil Counties in the Province of Quebec
  11. "Les écoles et les centres". Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  12. "Liste des bassins desservis par les écoles en 2017-2018." Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs. Retrieved on 30 September 2017.
  13. "School Board Map." Lester B. Pearson School Board. Retrieved on 28 September 2017.
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