Val-des-Bois
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Municipal office
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Location within Papineau RCM
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  Val-des-Bois Location in western Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 45°55′N 75°36′W / 45.917°N 75.600°W / 45.917; -75.600[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Outaouais |
| RCM | Papineau |
| Constituted | January 1, 1885 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Roland Montpetit |
| • Federal riding | Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel |
| • Prov. riding | Papineau |
| Area | |
| • Total | 245.60 km2 (94.83 sq mi) |
| • Land | 222.67 km2 (85.97 sq mi) |
| Population
(2021)[3]
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| • Total | 920 |
| • Density | 4.1/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2016–2021 |  6.4% |
| • Dwellings | 837 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
| Highways |  R-309 |
| Website | www |
Val-des-Bois is a town and municipality in the Papineau Regional County Municipality in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. The town is located on the eastern shores of the Du Lièvre River, 47 kilometers (29 mi) north of Buckingham.
The main local economic activity depends on cottage tourism.[4] The eastern half of the municipality is part of the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve.
As part of the Laurentian Highlands, its territory is dotted with lakes such Écho, de l'Argile, de l'Aqueduc, Vert, and Delphis. Echo Lake lies at an altitude of 243 meters (797 ft), while the surrounding relief rises to 472 meters (1,549 ft) above sea level.[5]
In 1873, the Township of Villeneuve was formed and named after Léonard-Vincent-Léon Villeneuve (1808–1873), member of Society of Saint-Sulpice, professor at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal (1838–1846), and pastor of Oka from 1871 to 1873.[4]
In 1878, the local post office was named "Val-des-Bois". In 1883, the parish of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde was formed, and two years later, the United Township Municipality of Bowman-et-Villeneuve was established. In 1913, the townships separated, forming the Township Municipality of Bowman and the Township Municipality of Villeneuve.[4] In 1929, James Maclaren began construction on a dam at the High Falls of the Lièvre River, displacing 156 families because of the rising waters. The majority of them where German settlers, the average amount the families received from the MacLaren Co. were, depending on the acreage, between $1000 and $2000 each.[6]
In 1958, Villeneuve was renamed to Val-des-Bois (French for "Valley of the Woods"), in reference to the beautiful forest which decorated the banks of the Lièvre River.[4]
On 23 June 2010 a 5.0 earthquake struck the region, with its epicentre 8 km from Val-des-Bois, which was the closest settlement.[7]
| 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 865 (-7.8% from 2011) | 938 (7.4% from 2006) |
| Land area | 225.42 km2 (87.04 sq mi) | 225.35 km2 (87.01 sq mi) |
| Population density | 3.8/km2 (9.8/sq mi) | 4.2/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| Median age | 58.4 (M: 58.4, F: 58.4) | 55.8 (M: 56.5, F: 55.3) |
| Private dwellings | 851 (total) | 1,003 (total) |
| Median household income | $46,592 | $42,378 |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 544 | — |
| 1991 | 624 | +14.7% |
| 1996 | 668 | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 732 | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 873 | +19.3% |
| 2011 | 938 | +7.4% |
| 2016 | 865 | −7.8% |
| 2021 | 920 | +6.4% |
| Source: Statistics Canada | ||
Mother tongue:[3]
List of former mayors:
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Media related to Val-des-Bois at Wikimedia Commons
Places adjacent to Val-des-Bois, Quebec
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 Subdivisions of Papineau Regional County Municipality | |
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