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Godbout, Quebec

Coordinates: 49°19′N 67°36′W / 49.317°N 67.600°W / 49.317; -67.600
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Godbout
Village municipality
Motto: 
Viens y voir
Godbout is located in Côte-Nord region, Quebec
Godbout
Godbout
Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec
Coordinates: 49°19′N 67°36′W / 49.317°N 67.600°W / 49.317; -67.600[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionCôte-Nord
RCMManicouagan
Settled1684 (trading post)
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1955
Government
[2]
 • MayorGuy Côté
 • Federal ridingManicouagan
 • Prov. ridingRené-Lévesque
Area
[2][3]
 • Total204.37 km2 (78.91 sq mi)
 • Land161.60 km2 (62.39 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total272
 • Density1.7/km2 (4/sq mi)
 • Pop (2016-21)
Increase 2.6%
 • Dwellings
241
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G0H 1G0
Area code(s)418 and 581
Highways R-138
MAMH code96010
CTQ code25711
Websitemunicipalites-du-quebec.ca/godbout/ Edit this at Wikidata

Godbout (French pronunciation: [ɡɔdbu]) is a village municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.

Godbout is accessible via Quebec Route 138 and by ferry from Matane.

Geography

[edit]

A map of the Ecological regions of Quebec places the Gobout area in ecological region 5g "Hautes collines de Baie-Comeau—Sept-Îles", in the eastern fir/white birch domain of the boreal zone.[4]

The Godbout River is known as one of the best of Quebec's salmon rivers and also holds speckled trout. About 70 kilometres (43 mi) of the river is managed by a zone d'exploitation contrôlée (managed use zone), the Zec des Rivières-Godbout-et-Mistassini. The downstream Cap-Nord section is owned by a private club, but the right to fish it may be obtained through an agreement with the ZEC.[5]

The Petite-Rivière-Godbout Old Forest is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) northwest of the village of Godbou.[6]

History

[edit]

The native Innu hunted and fished near the mouth of the river that they called "Eddy River". This stream was renamed in honour of Nicolas Godeboust (1634–1674), who served as navigator and river pilot along the North Shore before becoming a settler on Orléans Island in 1670. That same year, Jesuit missionary Charles Albanel made mention of the "Godebout River" where he had met an indigenous group from the Sept-Îles area, the Oumamioueks. And Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin referred to this river as "Godebou" on his map of 1684.[1][7]

In 1684, a fur trading post was established at the river, and then indigenous groups settled around the post. They remained along the coast, hunting on the gulf in the winter and salmon fishing during the summer, but for a part of autumn they returned into the forest. After 1720, the post gained importance due to the seal hunt. Seals were hunted not only for their meat, but also for the fat that was melted, put in barrels, and sold cheaply.[7]

Godbout's church

Circa 1850, the Godbout region — from Pointe-des-Monts to Pointe à la Croix — counted up to twenty-five families of Innu seal hunters. But from 1860 onward, the French population really began to grow. At first, they were former employees of the trading post that by then was managed by the Hudson's Bay Company. First, a certain Théodule Savard, then the son of another employee, Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau, who moved to the village in his early teenage years. Comeau managed the salmon fishing and guarded against poachers. The Innu lost access to the river and were prevented from exercising their traditional subsistence fishing for salmon. Consequently, the indigenous population gradually decreased and at the end of the 19th century, few indigenous families remained and most had moved to the Betsiamites Reserve.[7]

In 1877, the Godbout Post Office opened. The place developed quickly when a forestry company, the St-Régis, started large scale logging operations in the interior forests. This led to new infrastructure such as a wharf, a dam, a log flume, and a network of roads to the various logging camps. In the village, it led to the construction of a hotel, shops, houses, a cookery, and a clinic. In 1926, the local parish was formed. In 1933, an attempt was made to set up a municipality but that was not realized until 1955.[1][7]

In 1971, the St-Régis mill closed, leading to job loss and economic hardship in Godbout. The younger people would seek work elsewhere, resulting in some aging of the population. But this trend is somewhat reversed with the development of tourism in the area.[7]

Demographics

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In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Godbout had a population of 272 living in 157 of its 241 total private dwellings, a change of 2.6% from its 2016 population of 265. With a land area of 159.18 km2 (61.46 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.7/km2 (4.4/sq mi) in 2021.[3]

Canada census – Godbout community profile
202120162011
Population272 (+2.6% from 2016)265 (-11.1% from 2011)298 (-17.5% from 2006)
Land area159.18 km2 (61.46 sq mi)161.60 km2 (62.39 sq mi)161.34 km2 (62.29 sq mi)
Population density1.7/km2 (4.4/sq mi)1.6/km2 (4.1/sq mi)1.8/km2 (4.7/sq mi)
Median age62.8 (M: 63.2, F: 61.6)60.1 (M: 60.3, F: 59.9)58.0 (M: 58.4, F: 56.9)
Private dwellings241 (total)  157 (occupied)191 (total)  195 (total) 
Median household income$54,800$40,320$37,734
References: 2021[8] 2016[9] 2011[10] earlier[11][12]
Historical Census Data - Godbout, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1956 663—    
1961 824+24.3%
1966 773−6.2%
1971 653−15.5%
1976 602−7.8%
1981 533−11.5%
1986 455−14.6%
YearPop.±%
1991 391−14.1%
1996 390−0.3%
2001 327−16.2%
2006 361+10.4%
2011 298−17.5%
2016 265−11.1%
2021 272+2.6%
Source: Statistics Canada[13]
Canada Census Mother Tongue - Godbout, Quebec[13]
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2016
265
 265 Decrease 10.2% 100.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00%
2011
295
 295 Decrease 10.6% 100.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 0 Decrease 100.0% 0.00%
2006
360
 330 Increase 1.5% 91.67% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 30 Increase n/a% 8.33%
2001
325
 325 Decrease 13.3% 100.00% 0 Decrease 100.0% 0.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00% 0 Steady 0.0% 0.00%
1996
385
 375 n/a 97.40% 10 n/a 2.60% 0 n/a 0.00% 0 n/a 0.00%

Economy

[edit]

The Matane—Godbout ferry is the village's main employer, either through direct employment, or by creating business for nearby restaurants and caterers.[14] Tourism also provides opportunities for outfitters by catering to salmon fishing and other seasonal outdoor activities.[14]

Panoramic view of Godbout's waterfront and ferry

Local government

[edit]

List of former mayors:

  • Patrick Larocque (...–2009)
  • Alain Labrie (2009–2013)
  • Nicole Champagne (2013–2017)
  • Jean-Yves Bouffard (2017–2023)
  • Guy Côté (2023–present)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 25711". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 96010". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  3. ^ a b c "Godbout, Quebec (Code 2496010) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  4. ^ Saucier, J.-P.; Robitaille, A.; Grondin, P.; Bergeron, J.-F.; Gosselin, J. (2011), Les régions écologiques du Québec méridional (PDF) (map), 4 (in French), Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-06-19, retrieved 2019-09-14
  5. ^ "La rivière", Rivière Godbout (in French), retrieved 2019-09-16
  6. ^ Forêt ancienne de la Petite-Rivière-Godbout (PDF) (in French), Ministère des Ressources naturelles, de la Faune et des Parcs, archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-21, retrieved 2019-09-23
  7. ^ a b c d e "Historique Village de Godbout" (in French). Municipalité de Godbout. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  8. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  9. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  10. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  11. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  12. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  13. ^ a b 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 census
  14. ^ a b "Historique Village de Godbout 3" (in French). Municipalité de Godbout. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
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