Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare, Quebec

Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare
Municipality
Location within Joliette RCM
Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°05′N 73°33′W / 46.083°N 73.550°WCoordinates: 46°05′N 73°33′W / 46.083°N 73.550°W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Lanaudière
RCM	Joliette
Settled	1830s
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government[2]
• Mayor	François Desrochers
• Federal riding	Joliette
• Prov. riding	Joliette
Area[2][3]
• Total	67.80 km^2 (26.18 sq mi)
• Land	67.72 km^2 (26.15 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
• Total	3,747
• Density	55.3/km^2 (143/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	7.3%
• Dwellings	1,530
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	J0K 1C0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	Route 343 Route 346 Route 348
Website	www.saintambroise.ca

Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare is a municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Joliette Regional County Municipality.

History

In 1803, the geographic township of Kildare was proclaimed, named after the town in Ireland. At that time, the land was granted as title deeds or as payment for professional services. For example, the Lord of Lavaltrie entrusted the central portion to Mr. Vondevelden to pay for his surveying fees. As for the northern portion, Major Beauchamp Colclough, Crown Commissioner and Land Agent, granted land to English soldiers in 1822. He intended to establish the Town of Kildare, but his dismissal delayed the development of the place.^[4][5]

The first inhabitants came from Saint-Paul, Saint-Elizabeth, Lanoraie, and Berthier. Among the early settlers were also many Irish families, who cleared much land, built an English school, built a chapel, and a Protestant cemetery.^[5]

In 1832, the Parish of Saint-Jacques-de-Kildare was founded, renamed a year later to Saint-Philippe-de-Kildare. It was renamed again to its present name in 1839, since the Anglican, Methodist, and Catholic pioneers all had a devotion to Ambrose of Milan.^[4][5]

In 1847, the municipality was first incorporated, but abolished shortly after. In 1855, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare was formed, with Charles Laporte as first mayor and D. Maigret as first treasury-secretary.^[4][6]

In 1956, the parish municipality lost a part of its territory when the Municipality of Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare was formed.^[7]

On December 6, 2014, Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare changed from parish municipality to a (regular) municipality.^[8]

Economy

Average income per family is $56,807. 88.20% of residents are home owners, whereas 11.8% of residents are renters. The major sectors of employment are: agriculture, sales/service/retail commerce, transportation, health care, and financial institutions.^[9]

Demographics

Population trend:^[10]

• Population in 2011: 3747 (2006 to 2011 population change: 7.3%)
• Population in 2006: 3491
• Population in 2001: 3383
• Population in 1996: 3406
• Population in 1991: 3136

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 1490 (total dwellings: 1530)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 0.6%
• French as first language: 99.4%
• English and French as first language: 0%
• Other as first language: 0%

Notable Persons from Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare

• Aimé Pelletier (1914-2010), Montreal-based surgeon, who developed a parallel career as a well-known Quebec novelist, under the nom de plume of Bertrand Vac.^[11]

See also

• List of parish municipalities in Quebec

References

1. Reference number 55566 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (French)
2. Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare
3. Statistics Canada 2011 Census - Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare census profile
4. "Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare (Municipalité de paroisse)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
5. "Petite Histoire de Saint-Ambroise" (in French). Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
6. "Historique" (in French). Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
7. "Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
8. "Modifications aux municipalités du Québec" (PDF). Institut de la statistique du Québec. December 2014. ISSN 1715-6408.
9. "Socio économique" (in French). Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
10. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
11. Philip Fine, Montreal surgeon led parallel life as writer. The Globe and Mail, October 13, 2010; www.theglobeandmail.com